Ella Purnell
Ella Summer Purnell (born 17 September 1996) is an English actress. She began her career as a child actress on the West End and in the films Never Let Me Go (2010), Intruders (2011), Wildlike and Maleficent (both 2014).
Ella Purnell | |
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Purnell in 2017 | |
| Born | Ella Summer Purnell 17 September 1996 Whitechapel, London, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2009-present |
On television, Purnell went on to star in the BBC drama Ordeal by Innocence (2018), the Starz series Sweetbitter (2018–2019), the ITV miniseries Belgravia (2020), and the Showtime thriller Yellowjackets (2021–2023).
Her films include Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), Churchill (2017), and Army of the Dead (2021). She voiced Jinx in the Netflix series Arcane and Gwyn in the Paramount+–Nickelodeon series Star Trek: Prodigy (both 2021).
Early life Edit
Ella Summer Purnell[1] was born in the Whitechapel area of East London on 17 September 1996 and raised in Bethnal Green.[2] She attended Bethnal Green Montessori, Forest School, the City of London School for Girls, and the Young Actors Theatre Islington.[3] She also attended weekly classes at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, studying acting, singing, and dance, and was represented by their in-house talent agency.
Career Edit
Film Edit
In 2008, Purnell beat hundreds of other girls for a role in Oliver! at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.[4] Towards the end of her time in Oliver!, she won the role of Young Ruth (played by Keira Knightley as an adult) in Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go – a feature film based on the book by Kazuo Ishiguro.[5] It was released in 2010 to positive reviews. She was then cast as Kayleigh in Gustavo Ron's Ways to Live Forever, adapted from the book by Sally Nicholls,[6] and as Mia in the Juan Carlos Fresnadillo film Intruders.[7] Purnell was named by Screen International as one of 10 UK Stars of Tomorrow.[8] She also appeared in the BBC HD film short Candy in June 2011.
In 2013, Purnell appeared in the feature film Kick-Ass 2 as the character Dolce. The following year, she starred in the independent film WildLike, which earned her a number of accolades at film festivals, and played the teenage version of Angelina Jolie's titular character in Disney's Maleficent. In 2016, Purnell starred in Tim Burton's adaptation of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, based on the novel of the same name, by Ransom Riggs.[9] In 2017, she played Mia in Access All Areas.[10] Later that year, Purnell appeared in the historical drama film Churchill, playing Winston Churchill's secretary Helen Garrett.[11]
Television Edit
In 2018, Purnell appeared as Hester Argyll in the BBC mini-series Ordeal By Innocence, based on the Agatha Christie book of the same name.[12] Later that year, Purnell starred in the leading role of the Starz show Sweetbitter, based on Stephanie Danler's novel of the same name.[13] She played Tess, a naive 22-year-old who moves to New York City to pursue a new life, and gets caught up in the world of fine dining.[14] It was announced in December 2019 that Starz had cancelled the series.[15] In 2020, Purnell played Lady Maria Grey in Julian Fellowes's period drama Belgravia, co-produced by ITV and Epix.[16] In 2021, she began starring as Jackie in the Showtime drama series Yellowjackets.[17] Later that year she voiced Gwyn in the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy and Jinx in the Netflix animated series Arcane.
Personal life Edit
As of 2019, Purnell resides in Los Angeles, California.[18]
Filmography Edit
Film Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Never Let Me Go | Young Ruth | |
| Ways to Live Forever | Kayleigh | ||
| 2011 | Candy | Candy | Short film |
| Intruders | Mia | ||
| 2013 | Kick-Ass 2 | Dolce | |
| 2014 | WildLike | MacKenzie | |
| Maleficent | Teen Maleficent | ||
| 2016 | The Journey is the Destination | Amy | |
| The Legend of Tarzan | Young Jane 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 |
Television Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Cyberbully | Megan | Television film |
| 2018 | Ordeal by Innocence | Hester Argyll | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 2018–2019 | Sweetbitter | Tess | Main role, 14 episodes |
| 2020 | Belgravia | Lady Maria Grey | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| 2021–Present | Star Trek: Prodigy | Gwyn | Voice role Main role, 20 episodes |
| 2021-2023 | Yellowjackets | Jackie | Main role, 12 episodes |
| 2021-present | Arcane | Jinx | Voice role Main role, 6 episodes |
| TBA | Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas | Kate Ward | Voice role, upcoming series |
| Fallout | Main role, upcoming series | ||
| 2023 | Invincible | Voice role, Season 2 |
Stage Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Natives | A | Southwark Playhouse |
Video games Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova | Gwyn | Voice role |
Awards and nominations Edit
| Year | Work | Organizations | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | WildLike | Los Angeles Independent Film Festival | Best Actress | Won |
| Hill Country Film Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| Gasparilla International Film Festival | Best Female Performance | Won | ||
| Naperville Independent Film Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| Twister Alley International Film Festival | Best Actress – Feature Film | Won | ||
| Myrtle Beach International Film Festival | Best Actress | Won | ||
| Richmond International Film Festival | Best Actress | Won | ||
| 2021 | Arcane | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production | Won |
| 2023 | Yellowjackets | Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Pending |
References Edit
- ^ "Ella Summer PURNELL". Companies House service. from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Nugent, Annabel (23 April 2022). "Yellowjackets' Ella Purnell". The Independent. from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ . YouTube. 8 April 2017. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "Ella Purnell | Screen". Screendaily.com. 6 July 2010. from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ . Moviejungle.com. 16 June 2010. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ . Waystoliveforever.com. 23 December 2009. Archived from the original on 1 August 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ Cooper, Sarah (14 July 2010). "Fersnadillo starts shooting thriller Intruders in London". Screendaily.com. from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ . Screenterrier.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ Clarke, Cath (19 October 2017). "Access All Areas review – Hollyoaks goes Bestival in a teen music festival caper". The Guardian. from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ "'Churchill' shoot begins; cast revealed". Screen. from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ Billen, Andrew (31 March 2018). "Ordeal by Innocence: the Christie Mystery that almost got away". The Times. No. 72497. Saturday Review. pp. 4–5. ISSN 0140-0460.
- ^ Petski, Denise (6 October 2017). "'Sweetbitter': Ella Purnell To Star In Starz Drama Series Based On Book". Deadline. from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
- ^ "Ella Purnell on the Starz Series 'Sweetbitter' and Her Disastrous Audition". Collider. 3 May 2018. from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ "'Sweetbitter' Canceled at Starz (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 20 December 2019. from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ Bahr, Robyn (10 April 2020). "'Belgravia': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ Haylock, Zoe (17 January 2022). "Ella Purnell on Surviving Yellowjackets as 'Queen Bee' Jackie". Vulture. from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "Yellowjackets' Ella Purnell on the secrets of the show". The Face. 20 January 2022. from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.