Colleen Hoover's book-to-screen adaptation, 'Reminders of Him,' made its theatrical release today, on March 13, 2026. Amid this, know all about the movie's female lead, Maika Monroe.
March 2026 has given cinephiles yet another romantic drama film, that too based on a Colleen Hoover novel. Yes, you read that right! The novel in question is Colleen's Reminders of Him, which was released just a few years ago, in 2022. The film, which shares the same name as the novel, is the third Colleen Hoover novel to hit the big screen so far. The previous Colleen Hoover book-to-screen adaptations include the 2024 hit, It Ends With Us and Regretting You, released last fall in 2025.
Reminders of Him, the new offering from Universal Pictures, has dropped this Friday, on March 13, 2026. It is reportedly rated PG-13 and stars actress, Maika Monroe in the leading role. Viewers will find Maika as ‘Kenna’, a mother who returns home and makes attempts to reconnect with her younger daughter. So, before watching the movie, or after for that matter, if this has made you curious to know more about Maika Monroe, who leads Reminders of Him, keep on reading.
Maika Monroe was born on May 29, 1993, to parents Dixie and Jack Monroe. She spent her childhood in Santa Barbara, California. Here, Maika studied at Santa Barbara Middle School, the very place where her acting career began. Maika often performed in her school plays, which eventually led her to audition for commercials. To mention, this became the foundation for the successful acting career that Maika enjoys today.
Many might not be aware, but Maika Monroe is not the real name of the Reminders of Him actress. In reality, she was born Dillion Monroe Buckley but changed her name when she was pretty young. During a 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Maika explained that when she was around 7 years old, she asked her mother what she was going to name her. When she heard that ‘Maika’ was her mother's second choice, she immediately knew that it was going to be her name.
At that point, she went around to all her neighbours and teachers saying that she will no longer respond to Dillion, as Maika is her name from now on. And, as you can already guess, that name has stuck with her till now.
Maika Monroe's first role was opposite none other than everyone's childhood heartthrob, Zac Efron. The role in question was playing Zac's love interest in a 2011 family drama called At Any Price. After Maika successfully managed to book the gig, she recalled “just screaming and being so excited.” Apparently, Maika had been introduced to the High School Musical alum before filming started. Maika remembered the experience and said:
“I was preparing myself. I'm thinking this guy has to be kind of arrogant and stuck up because, you know, how dang cute he is. But he is just so much fun and so down to earth. We had the best time.”
If you have been following Maika Monroe for a long time, you might be aware that her breakthrough came when she starred in the 2014 Sundance horror film, It Follows. In the movie, Maika played the role of ‘Jamie “Jay” Height’. Later that year, she also appeared in the psychological thriller film, The Guest, as ‘Anna Peterson'. Well, both of these roles helped Maika establish her status as a scream queen.
Speaking about her love for horror movies during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in June 2016, she said it is “so fun being absolutely terrified.” However, Maika admitted that horror movies are really hard to shoot, adding that, as an actor, she had not realised before how difficult it was to make such films. Maika even detailed her “very difficult” experience filming for It Follows while talking to People in 2015. Talking about how hard it is to make horror films, she said that while filming, she had to scream, cry, and run every day, which was emotionally and physically exhausting.
Some of Maika's more recent horror projects include the Paramount+ Sci-fi/Horror film, Significant Other. Released in 2022, the film starred her opposite Jake Lacy. Maika was also seen in the July 2024 horror film, Longlegs, alongside actors, Nicolas Cage and Blair Underwood.
Apart from being a well-known actress, Maika Monroe is also a professional kiteboarder. If reports are to be believed, she picked up this sport from her father when she was only 13 years old. Her uber seriousness about kiteboarding is evident in her decision to complete her high school remotely while she moved to the Dominican Republic to train and compete. Maika told The Kiteboarder in August 2011:
“All my friends do not understand how I could leave high school in my senior year…I think, how could I not? For me, kiting is what I want to do, and there is no better place to live than Cabarete. My friends all think I am crazy.”
Maika Monroe was in a long-term relationship with Joe Keery. According to reports, she dated the Stranger Things actor for five years. Their romance blossomed in 2017 when Maika and Joe first crossed paths at a Los Angeles party. This was before they worked together in the film, After Everything later that year.
The pair went public with their romance on October 26, 2017, during the Stranger Things Season 2 premiere. They even walked the red carpet as a couple, posing and sharing a kiss in front of the cameras. It is believed Maika and Joe split up sometime after March 2022, having been photographed last at the Vanity Fair Oscar party that same year.
This might come as a surprise to those who don't know, but Maika is currently dating real estate agent, Dalton Gomez. Yes, the same Dalton Gomez who was previously married to Ariana Grande. The first sparked romance rumours after TMZ obtained photos of them kissing in October 2023. The duo went public with their relationship almost 8 months later, in June 2024.
At the time, Maika took to her official Instagram account to post a carousel of photos showing them looking loved-up, from sharing a kiss in the middle of the street to cuddling on a boat. If a report by People is to be believed, before sharing her and Dalton's photos on her grid, she had featured him on her Instagram Stories. As of March 2026, Maika and Dalton seem to be still going strong.
What are your thoughts on the Reminders of Him actress, Maika Monroe? Let us know.
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