Matilda was born and raised in Chicago (southside, Baby!) by her Polish immigrant family. She speaks unaccented English despite growing up in a bungalow with eleven Eastern Europeans. Polish is her first language and she can affect Eastern European accents.
She graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in anthropology. She then moved to New York City, attended AMDA, took commercial classes at Weist Barron and TVI Studios, and then studied Meisner under renowned acting teacher and coach JoAnna Beckson.