Ella Purnell | |
|---|---|
 Purnell atMegaCon Orlando in 2025 | |
| Born | (1996-09-17)17 September 1996 (age 28) London, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2009–present |
Ella Summer Purnell (born 17 September 1996) is an English actress. She began her career as a child actress inWest End theatre and films such asNever Let Me Go (2010),Intruders (2011) andMaleficent (2014). Her other films includeMiss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016),Churchill (2017) andArmy of the Dead (2021).
On television, Purnell has starred in series such asOrdeal by Innocence (2018),Belgravia (2020),Yellowjackets (2021–present),Fallout (2024–present) andSweetpea (2024–present). She has also voicedJinx inArcane (2021–2024) andGwyndala inStar Trek: Prodigy (2021–2024).
Ella Summer Purnell was born in theWhitechapel area of London on 17 September 1996,[1] and grew up in the city'sBethnal Green area.[2] She attended Bethnal GreenMontessori,Forest School, theCity of London School for Girls and theYoung Actors Theatre Islington.[3] She also attended weekly classes at theSylvia Young Theatre School, studying acting, singing and dance, and was represented by their in-house talent agency.
Finishing herA-Levels in Philosophy, English, Drama and Music,[4] at the age of 18, Purnell intended to put a pause on her acting career, and earn a place at university with the intention of becoming a children's writer or teacher.[5] She decided to travel the worldfor a year to "find herself" but returned to acting when she was offered a role inTim Burton'sMiss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), which she accepted as it had been her dream to work with Burton. She described her decision to defer university as "bittersweet at first because it felt like a lost opportunity of a different path in life" but was glad she chose acting.[6]
At age 13, Purnell was cast in a 2009 production ofOliver! at London'sTheatre Royal, Drury Lane.[7] Towards the end of her time in the show, she was cast as the younger version ofKeira Knightley's character inMark Romanek's filmNever Let Me Go (2010).[8] She was then cast as Kayleigh in Gustavo Ron's filmWays to Live Forever (2010)[9] and as Mia inJuan Carlos Fresnadillo's filmIntruders (2011).[10] She was named byScreen International as one of its 10 UK Stars of Tomorrow in 2010.[11] She later appeared in theBBC HD short filmCandy (2011).
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Purnell appeared as Dolce inJeff Wadlow's filmKick-Ass 2 (2013) and starred in Frank Hall Green's filmWildlike (2014), which earned her a number of accolades at festivals. She also played the teenage version ofAngelina Jolie's titular character inRobert Stromberg'sDisney filmMaleficent (2014). She then took a break from acting, but returned to star inTim Burton's filmMiss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016) as she had always wanted to work with him.[12] She then played Mia in the filmAccess All Areas (2017)[13] andWinston Churchill's secretary Helen Garrett inJonathan Teplitzky's historical drama filmChurchill (2017).[14]
Purnell appeared as Hester Argyll in theBBC miniseriesOrdeal by Innocence (2018)[15] and starred as Tess in theStarz seriesSweetbitter (2018).[16][17] Starz cancelled the series after two seasons.[18] Purnell played Lady Maria Grey inJulian Fellowes' period dramaBelgravia (2020)[19] and began starring as Jackie in theShowtime drama seriesYellowjackets (2021–present).[20] She also voiced Gwyn in the animated seriesStar Trek: Prodigy (2021) and voicedJinx in theNetflix seriesArcane (2021–2024). She began starring as Lucy MacLean in theAmazon Prime Video seriesFallout (2024–present)[21] and as the main character in the dark comedy seriesSweetpea (2024–present), garnering critical praise for both.[22] She also served as an executive producer forSweetpea.[23][24][25]
As of May 2024[update], Purnell divides her time between London and Los Angeles.[26] She had a relationship with Max Bennett Kelly that was confirmed in June 2022.[26][27]Discussing her views on fame withBritishVogue, Purnell shared: “There’s no end goal for me that revolves around success. It revolves around my personal growth and personal challenges.”[28]
She plays the piano and also enjoys scuba diving.[29][30]
In 2016, at the age of 19, Purnell worked with her formerForest School schoolmate Arifa Nasim to launch Educate2Eradicate,[31] a UK-based organisation building on Nasim's grassroots efforts to eradicatehonour-based violence and addressing the issue offorced child-marriage.[32]
In 2019, Purnell was interviewed bysbjct, in which she commented on the importance of diversity inHollywood, and on how she wanted to use her platform for activism: "I am no longer willing to be complicit in this industry. Don’t get me wrong; I love acting, I grew up in this world. I’m very grateful. But I’m also very aware of how damaging it can be in its lack of diversity and representation. I want to be more conscious with who I work with, and what I work on. I want to use any platform I have to bring awareness to issues that matter. I want to help people and be a part of positive change."[33]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Never Let Me Go | Young Ruth | |
| Ways to Live Forever | Kayleigh | ||
| 2011 | Intruders | Mia | |
| 2013 | Kick-Ass 2 | Dolce | |
| 2014 | Wildlike | MacKenzie | |
| Maleficent | TeenMaleficent | ||
| 2016 | The Journey is the Destination | Amy | |
| The Legend of Tarzan | YoungJane Porter | Uncredited | |
| Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Emma Bloom | ||
| 2017 | Churchill | Helen Garrett | |
| Access All Areas | Mia | ||
| 2018 | UFO | Natalie | |
| 2021 | Army of the Dead | Kate Ward | [34] |
| TBA | The Scurry† | Post-production[35] |
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Cyberbully | Megan | TV movie |
| 2018 | Ordeal by Innocence | Hester Argyll | Main cast;miniseries |
| Right Place, Wrong Tim[36] | The daughter | TV short | |
| 2018–2019 | Sweetbitter | Tess | Main cast |
| 2020 | Belgravia | Lady Maria Grey | Main cast; miniseries |
| 2021–present | Yellowjackets | Jackie Taylor | Main cast (season 1), recurring role (seasons 2–3) |
| 2021–2024 | Arcane | Jinx[37] | Main cast; voice role |
| 2021–2024 | Star Trek: Prodigy | Gwyn | |
| 2024 | Invincible | Jane | Episode: "I Thought You Were Stronger"; voice role |
| 2024–present | Fallout | Lucy MacLean | Main cast[38] |
| 2024–present | Sweetpea | Rhiannon Lewis | Main cast; also executive producer[39][40] |
| TBA | Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas† | Kate Ward | In production; voice role |
| † | Denotes TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Natives | A | Southwark Playhouse |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova | Gwyn | Voice role |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | The Seneschal: A Rebel Moon Story | Raina, Sabine | Main role |
| Year | Title | Authors | Other Narrator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Northanger Abbey | Jane Austen | Emma Thompson,Douglas Booth,Eleanor Tomlinson,Jeremy Irvine, andLily Cole |
| Year | Organizations | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Fargo Film Festival | Best Actress | WildLike | Won | [41] |
| Brooklyn Film Festival | Best Actress | Won | [42] | ||
| 2018 | National Film Awards, UK | Best Newcomer | Access All Areas | Nominated | [43] |
| 2021 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production | Arcane | Won | [44] |
| 2023 | Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Yellowjackets | Nominated | [45] |
| 2024 | Canneseries | Madame Figaro Rising Star Award | Fallout | Won | [46] |
| Astra TV Awards | Best Actress in a Streaming Drama Series | Nominated | [47] |
