Biography

Purnell was born in London, U.K. She recently received the Madame Figaro Rising Star Award at the 2024 Canneseries Festival on behalf of her exciting and versatile career to date. She can be seen starring as 'Lucy MacLean' in Fallout, Prime Video's post-apocalyptic series and the platform's highest-rated show. Upcoming, she will executive-produce and star in the Sky drama series Sweetpea.

Purnell's film roles include Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, Never Let Me Go, Army of the Dead, and Churchill, among others. Her other television credits include Sweetbitter, Showtime's Yellowjackets, Belgravia, and a voice role as 'Jinx' in Arcane, a Netflix animated series.
- IMDb mini biography by: Ella Purnell

Distinctive large hazel eyes

At the age of 12, while training at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, she was cast in a London West End theatrical production of the musical Oliver.

A native of London, England, she grew up with three younger half-siblings.

Has three younger half-brothers on her father's side.

She played the role of Kayleigh in the 2010 movie Ways to Live Forever (2010).

I love actresses that aren't afraid to look ugly. People that do a variety of roles as well and aren't afraid to step out of that 'naturalistic' box.

There's a joke in my family that I'm going to make a career out of playing other people's younger selves, I played the younger Keira [Keira Knightley], I've played the younger Angelina [Angelina Jolie] and more recently the young Margot Robbie.

You can only really shoot a throw up scene of that scale once as it's a nightmare to reset! So I'd say projectile vomiting in a playground in front of 20 people covered head to toe in a plastic bin bag is probably one of my weirder experiences.