Cech, who is of Chinese and Japanese descent,[2] was born on March 4, 2007, in Tokyo.[3][4] She was adopted at five weeks old and raised in Davis, Northern California. She is the third of four children adopted from Japan and Kazakhstan.[5][6]
Career
Cech began her career as a child model, landing gigs with Gap, Ralph Lauren, Skechers, and Gymboree.[7] She made her acting debut in a 2015 episode of the CBS police procedural Hawaii Five-0 as a young version of Grace Park's character. This was followed by further guest roles in American Horror Story and American Housewife in 2016 and 2017 respectively.[3] In 2018, Cech made her film debut in The Darkest Minds as Zu, a mute girl who can manipulate electricity.[8][3] The film received generally negative reviews,[9] but her performance received praise. Deadline Hollywood said "Cech do[es] what [she] can with nothing",[10] while IndieWire considered her a standout.[8]
The following year, Cech starred in the Netflix film Rim of the World as ZhenZhen.[3] Released on May 24, 2019, the film was negatively received by critics;[11] Cech's performance received commendation, however. John Serba of Decider said, "Cech is my favorite, carrying the character in her sideways glances and quiet, confident swagger[.] ... She's funnier [than the males], too."[12] Later that month, she portrayed a pre-teen version of the protagonist Sasha Tran (Ali Wong) in the Netflix film Always Be My Maybe.[13] According to Variety, this is Cech's most well-known film role.[14] Later that year, she starred as Akiko Yamato in the second revival of Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark?. The series was critically acclaimed;[15]Decider called Cech the "[s]leeper [s]tar" of the show.[16]
From 2020 to 2021, Cech starred in the Nickelodeon drama series The Astronauts. Common Sense Media praised the child actors, calling them wonderful.[17] Cech played a lead role of Sammy in Marvelous and the Black Hole, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.[18] Critics acclaimed her performance. IndieWire stated, "[the film is] grounded by... Cech, who effectively channels the angst of teendom into an offbeat tale... [and] does solid work in immersing us in Sammy's frustration and sadness, even if the script doesn't always give her the best lines to punch with."[19] In December 2021, she was announced to have been cast in a lead role alongside YaYa Gosselin in Apple TV+ series Surfside Girls. She will portray Jade, who seeks to "find a scientific explanation for the existence of ghosts".[20]
