After scene-stealing performances in Netflix’s animation Arcane, one of Amazon’s biggest-ever series Fallout and the dark Sky thriller Sweetpea, Ella Purnell has established herself as the UK’s brightest star.
She may only be 28 years old – but since childhood has been notching up an impressive array of credits in hit TV shows and films, cementing herself as a future Hollywood leading lady, according to fans.
Ella has also taken the voice acting world by storm in adult animated steampunk action-adventure Arcanes as Jinx. Season 2 of the hit show dropped on Netflix earlier this month.
Her first on-screen credit was playing the younger version of Keira’s character Ruth in 2010 dystopian romantic drama film Never Let Me Go, which also starred Carey Mulligan.
The London-born actress then progressed to a role in the much-hyped superhero film Kick-Ass 2, before playing the teenage Maleficient in the Angeline Jolie film of the same name.
In 2016, Ella was introduced to a new audience as Emma Bloom in the Tim Burton fantasy film Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – and also had a role in the gritty film Churchill, starring Brian Cox as the former British prime minister.
More recently, though, she has been making waves in TV, gaining traction in the UK after featuring in ITV period drama Belgravia before hopping over the pond for cannibal series Yellowjackets.
She then starred as the lead role, Lucy, in the Amazon Prime Video game adaptation Fallout, with Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives actor Kyle playing her on-screen father.
Now, Ella has been wowing critics and viewers playing outcast Rhiannon in Sky drama Sweetpea, who, tired of being maligned by everyone in her local town, begins a killing spree.
After bingeing the series, @hosiesheaven said on X: ‘They didn’t lie when they said every project Ella Purnell touches turns to gold cause her filmography is insane she’s brillant.’
@EammonJacobs raved: ‘Just finished Sweetpea. I guess you could say Ella Purnell killed it. Solid little thriller. Glad it didn’t try drag things out for longer though, six episodes is spot on.’
Echoing their sentiment, @AussieLovesTame enthused: ‘I beg my oomfs to watch sweetpea i literally finished it this morning and it was so good i love Ella Purnell she’s so perfect aaaaa.’
@anyatavIor added: ‘Now watching…Ella Purnell you will always be famous.’
However, in a recent interview with The Guardian, Ella admitted she never dreamed of being an actor.
‘I never really planned on becoming an actor,’ she said. ‘I feel a lot of guilt and impostor syndrome attached to that statement, because I know a lot of people have wanted to be an actor ever since they were kids. And that just wasn’t me.’
But Ella’s also starred in ITV period drama Belgravia (Picture: ITV/Mark Mainz)
Ella said instead wanted to study at university and become a children’s book writer – but started being cast in roles as a child while she took singing and acting lessons at the Sylvia Young Theatre School.
However, fortunately for Hollywood, Ella is now committed to being an actress, although said she still had aspirations to write a book in the future.
According to IMDdb, Ella is starring in upcoming comedy horror film The Scurry, alongside the likes of Rhys Ifans and Paapa Essiedu, and TV series Army od the Dead: Lost Vegas with Vaness Hudgens.
Sweetpea is available to stream on Now.
Rising British star of Netflix animated hit is ‘turning everything into gold’