Jessica Barden | |
|---|---|
 Barden in 2018 | |
| Born | Jessica Amy Barden (1992-07-21)21 July 1992 (age 32) Northallerton,North Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Henry Winkler (father-in-law) |
Jessica Amy Barden (born 21 July 1992) is an English actress. She began her career as a child actress. She is best known for her role as Alyssa Foley in theChannel 4 comedy-dramaThe End of the F***ing World (2017–2019). She received aBritish Independent Film Award nomination for her performance inScarborough (2018).
Barden's other films includeHanna (2011),The Lobster (2015),The New Romantic (2018), andPink Skies Ahead (2020). On television, she has since starred in theFoxtel dramaLambs of God (2019), theNetflix thrillerPieces of Her (2022), and theITV romantic comedyYou & Me (2023).
Barden was born on 21 July 1992[1][2] inNorthallerton, North Yorkshire. She comes from a working-class background.[3] Her father is a prison officer, and her mother is an accountant; she has two brothers. When she was three, the family moved toWetherby, West Yorkshire.[2] Barden attendedWetherby High School.[2] She discovered acting through school and her father's love of film. She began taking classes at a local drama club and working as a television extra.[4][5] She left school at 15.[6]
Barden made her acting debut in 1999 with a small role in an episode of theCITV seriesMy Parents Are Aliens.[7][8] She later appeared in episodes of the seriesNo Angels[8][9] andThe Chase.[8]
Barden was 14[10] when she joined the cast of theITV soap operaCoronation Street, playingKayleigh Morton from March 2007[11][12] until the Morton family's departure from the soap in September 2008.[13][14] Barden made her film debut in the 2007 comedy-dramaMrs Ratcliffe's Revolution.[15] In 2009, she played Pea in the stage productionJerusalem at theRoyal Court Theatre in London,[16][17] which then transferred to theApollo Theatre in theWest End.[18]
In 2010, Barden appeared in the filmTamara Drewe,[19][20] a dramatisation of thecomic strip of the same name, for which Barden was nominated for Young British Performer of the Year by theLondon Film Critics' Circle. The following year, she played Sophie inJoe Wright'sHanna.[21][22] From 2012 to 2014, she had film roles in the horrorComedown,[23][24] the mystery-dramaIn the Dark Half,[25] the psychological thrillerMindscape, and the indieLullaby.[26]
Barden was named a 2015Screen International Star of Tomorrow.[27] That year, she played Kit Carmichael in the two-part adaptation ofSadie Jones' debut novelThe Outcast onBBC One[28] and Liddy in a film adaptation ofThomas Hardy'sFar from the Madding Crowd. In 2016, Barden played the titular role of theChannel 4 television filmEllen[29] as well as Jasmine in the comedy filmMindhorn and Justine in the third series ofPenny Dreadful onSky Atlantic. She starred in the 2017 horror filmHabit.
Also in 2017, Barden began starring in theChannel 4 andNetflix dark comedy-dramaThe End of the F***ing World as Alyssa, a role she would play for both series. She starred in the 2018 filmsThe New Romantic andScarborough. For the latter, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at theBritish Independent Film Awards andNational Film Awards UK. She won theIMDb Breakout Star Award and was named a 2018 BAFTABreakthrough Brit.[30]
Barden appeared in the 2019 music videos forConan Gray's "Maniac"[31] andOzzy Osbourne's "Under the Graveyard", as well as the filmJungleland and the AustralianFoxtel seriesLambs of God. She had lead roles in the 2020 filmsHoller[32] andPink Skies Ahead.
In January 2021, it was announced Barden had been cast as Jane in the 2022Netflix thrillerPieces of Her, an adaptation ofKarin Slaughter'snovel of the same name.[33] She has upcoming roles in the ITV romantic comedy-dramaYou & Me[34] and the football filmAn Unsuitable Game.[35]
In May 2024, Barden was cast as Young Valya Harkonnen inDune: Prophecy.[36]
Barden marriedJungleland directorMax Winkler in March 2021.[37] On 19 October 2021, Barden announced she had given birth to their first child, a daughter.[38]
Barden has opened up about her experiences with anxiety and therapy.[3]
In a 2023 interview withThe Daily Telegraph, Barden spoke out against "working class tourism" in acting and posh actors who approach working class roles with a condescending or ignorant attitude, specifically calling outEmma Corrin for wanting to do a "gritty" film with an "outrageous accent".[39]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Mrs Ratcliffe's Revolution | Mary Ratcliffe | |
| 2010 | Tamara Drewe | Jody Long | |
| 2011 | Hanna | Sophie | |
| 2012 | Comedown | Kelly | |
| In the Dark Half | Marie | ||
| 2013 | Mindscape | Mousey | |
| 2014 | Lullaby | Meredith | |
| 2015 | Far from the Madding Crowd | Liddy | |
| The Lobster | Nosebleed Woman | ||
| 2016 | Mindhorn | Jasmine | |
| 2017 | Habit | Lee | |
| 2018 | The New Romantic | Blake Conway | |
| Scarborough | Beth | ||
| 2019 | Jungleland | Sky | |
| 2020 | Holler | Ruth | |
| Pink Skies Ahead | Winona | ||
| 2022 | Hearts of Stone | Agatha |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | My Parents Are Aliens | Girl in School | Episode: "The Date" |
| 2005 | No Angels | Lucy | Episode #2.3 |
| 2006 | The Chase | Amy | Episode #1.2 |
| 2007–2008 | Coronation Street | Kayleigh Morton | Series regular |
| 2011 | Comedy Showcase | Barmaid | Episode: "Chickens" |
| 2012 | Vera | Stella Macken | Episode: "The Ghost Position" |
| 2013 | Coming Up | Ruby | Episode: "Sammy's War" |
| Chickens | Barmaid / Penny | 3 episodes | |
| 2015 | The Outcast | Kit Carmichael | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Murder | Jess | Episode: "The Big Bang" |
| 2016 | Ellen | Ellen | Television film |
| Penny Dreadful | Justine | 6 episodes | |
| 2017–2019 | The End of the F***ing World | Alyssa | Main role |
| 2019 | Lambs of God | Sister Carla | 4 episodes |
| 2020 | Better Things | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Urban Myths | Barbra Streisand | Episode: "When Joan Kissed Barbra" |
| 2021 | Robot Chicken | Rey, Additional characters | Voice role; 4 episodes |
| 2022 | Pieces of Her | Jane | Main role |
| 2023 | You & Me | Emma | Main role |
| 2023–2024 | American Horror Stories | Bestie | Episode: "Bestie" |
| Casting chairwoman | Episode: "Tapeworm" | ||
| Hailey Doherty | Episode: "Leprechaun" | ||
| 2024 | Dune: Prophecy | Young Valya Harkonnen |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SteelHeads | Joleen | Main role |
| Year | Artist | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Conan Gray | "Maniac" |
| 2019 | Ozzy Osbourne | "Under the Graveyard" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Night School | Sally | Harold Pinter Theatre, London |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | London Critics' Circle Film Awards | Young British Performer of the Year | Tamara Drewe | Nominated | [40][41] |
| 2018 | IMDb Awards | Breakout Stars Award | The End of the F***ing World,Scarborough,The New Romantic | Won | [40] |
| 2019 | British Independent Film Award (BIFA) | Best Supporting Actress | Scarborough | Nominated | [40][42] |
| 2020 | National Film Awards UK | Nominated | [40] |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
