Ella Purnell. “A child actress, my existential crisis came after undergrad”

She comes out of a sleepless night shooting for a mini-series in London Sweet peas which she is co-producing and in which she plays the female lead. Ella Purnell apologizes for her tired expression. We trick him. The beautiful brunette with big eyes of the manga heroine looks naturally charming, lively and talkative via Zoom with a cup of coffee in hand to “last the whole day”. The general public discovered him in the series Yellow jackets (Canal+). Ella Purnell stars as the captain of the women’s soccer team who survives a plane crash, perfectly embodying the archetype of the “most popular girl in high school” who succeeds at everything but whose ascension is cut short during the flight. The opposite of the British actress, who has reaped the rewards of a twenty-seven-year career from her native London with the huge international success of this series.

This precocious talent began modeling as a child, signed her first commercial at age 8, and then directed her first film at age 11, a musical, Oliver! On the 12th, the first series on the 22nd with the romantic BittersweetProducer Brad Pitt… His simple good-kid appearance in the movie theater allowed him to play the younger version of stars like Keira Knightley (Always with me), Angelina Jolie (Malicious) or Margot Robbie (Tarzan) Stepping out of the shadows of established stars to better enter the light is a challenge that Ella Purnell seems to have embraced. But in recent years, this native of Whitechapel, a London borough where Jack the Ripper was active, seems to have found his specialty: surviving in hostile environments.

After Zombies (Army of the Dead), the ultra-strong universeArcana (Season 2 scheduled for fall on Netflix), The Lost Forest Yellow jacketsElla Purnell now faces post-nuclear Los Angeles decline (Amazon Prime Video) populated by murderous factions and mutated creatures. “I like to push my limits, including physical ones, to see how far I can go,” she tells us a few days before previewing this new series and receiving the Madame Figaro Rising Star award. Prize at the Canneséries 2024 international festival, which takes place from April 5 to 10, in Cannes. A meeting with a young actress who is not afraid of anything.

Madame Figaro. – How did you feel when you announced your Madame Figaro Rising Star Award, which will be presented to you on April 6 at the 2024 Cannes Series Festival?
Ella Purnell. – The variation is always a little crazy and surprising. My first instinct is to think. Are you sure there is nothing wrong with the person? It is a great honor to walk this iconic pink carpet in the footsteps of my predecessors (Sydney Sweeney, Daisy Edgar Jones, Phoebe Dragon, Morfid Clarke…), incredibly talented actresses whose careers I have followed with admiration. If even these famous steps with required high heels are very intimidating… Since I have never been to the Cannes Film Festival, this premiere will be all the more unforgettable.

When did you feel the spark of this profession?
At 18, thanks to my role as Tim Burton and Emma Bloom Miss Peregrine and the Peculiar Children. In the past, it was the desire to entertain my family, the passion for singing that drove me into acting. Having been acting since I was a child, I had zero career plans. I was having fun, one project at a time, without worrying about tomorrow. My existential crisis happened after my bachelor’s degree. I didn’t know if I wanted to shoot again or why. I thought about dropping everything for college. And since my two favorite directors in the world have always been Tim Burton and Wes Anderson… doing research or film with Tim Burton, the question no longer arises. And my life choice was confirmed.

Video game adaptations are growing in Hollywood with record success Super Mario Bros. the movie at the cinema or The Last of Us on television. What attracted you? decline ?
This mix of genres between western, sci-fi and video games. Since the release of the first opus of the franchise in 1996. decline has cultivated such a rich universe for his fans. In this timeless Los Angeles 22nd^e century, Lucy, my character, grew up in a giant run-down shelter, raised as a privileged girl in the 1950s. Protected from the chaos of a nuclear apocalypse that ravaged the world and widened the disparities between the haves and have-nots. He goes on a rescue mission, thrust into an inhospitable and cruel world, without losing his idealism. But we are not in a depressing wilderness Mad Maxwe also laugh a lot.

Which series are you?
Inveterate binger, a textbook case according to my friend (American singer Max Bennett Kelly, editor’s note.) I’m rediscovering vintage lines like this Desperate Housewives for example, where I happily found “my dad”. decline, Kyle MacLachlan. Watching dramas will make me feel like I’m taking my work home. Light comedies are my down time. My latest addiction? The three seasons The big one, a satirical mockumentary about the rise to power of Catherine II of Russia, starring Elle Fanning and her czar husband, Nicholas Hoult, whom she ruthlessly banishes. Bold and funny.

How does your character over the course of several episodes or even seasons of television differ from creating your character on the big screen?
In the cinema, everything is generally in the original script or almost, emphasized from the beginning to the end. You can prepare for your role and relax as the script unfolds. I came from British cinema when I was shooting Bittersweet. And I caught the TV bug there. I discovered and liked this particular “chaos” without knowing the fate of your character in advance. It’s a bit of a scary leap into the void. we don’t always agree with the writers, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that they don’t leave us. And you can get a script rewritten at the last minute, seventeen pages long, that you can study in one night. It’s exhausting, but the challenge becomes addictive, close to improvisation. Yes, indeed, I love TV.

I see this golden age of series with strong female characters as a historic opportunity to portray all women in their diversity.

Ella Purnell

We’re living in a golden age of soap operas, with auteur offerings and genres anchored by strong female characters. How do you analyze this trend?
I definitely see it as a historic opportunity to portray all women in their diversity. When I was a teenager, the rare interesting roles were played by one or two the happy few. To others, the characters of a high school girl or the main character’s girlfriend. These heroines, most often created by men, did not seem real to 52% of the population they were meant to represent. Today, my tendency to go for strong characters, violent and neurotic, but above all rich and interesting, is a reaction to all the years when I couldn’t access them. Now I am an actress, co-producer and director. I thoroughly enjoy my opportunity to work at this exciting time in our industry.

Fallout, By Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner. Available on Amazon Prime Video April 12.