Ella Purnell might not be a name you recognize immediately, but she’s certainly someone you’ve seen.
The show went straight to number one upon its release.
While “Fallout” may a big win for Purnell, it’s far from her first.
Her biological father and his second wife lived close by in London’s Fulham.
Although a self-professed tomboy, Purnell didn’t alway find life with three boys easy.
Purnell eventually left London, but it remains her favorite city.
“It’s my home,” she said toConde Nast Traveller.
“I have so many memories of growing up in this town.”
Purnell also visited Sweden every year with her family when she was a kid.
“One day they asked if I wanted to join their agency.
You get in if you’re cute, I guess,” she quipped to Interview magazine.
Then, a few years later, she was cast in the West End production of “Oliver!”
as one of the orphans.
“It was an experience,” recalled Purnell toWhatsOnStage.
“120 kids working on it and three different teams of kids.”
Yes, Purnell has atheater kid past, not unlike Timothee Chalamet.
I’m not one of those people who’ve wanted to be an actor since they were four."
In “Never Let Me Go,” she played a young Keira Knightley.
In “Maleficent,” she was a young Angelina Jolie.
And yes, Purnell played a younger version of her character.
“It became my thing for a while,” Purnell said to theIndependent.
“I actually just like to get to know them and see them as real-life human beings.
Working with smart, driven women was a huge inspiration at a young age.”
However, her future plans looked a little different from her classmates' plans.
What’s more, she already knew the acting world suited her lifestyle and personality perfectly.
“I just love being creative and self-employed.
I also enjoy travelling and meeting new people.
I’m very easy-going, I take each day as it comes,” she said.
Getting the chance to act in a Tim Burton movie was a dream come true for Purnell.
“That movie inspired me to do more rather than thinking that I’d made it.
When you start to have that mentality, you set yourself up for failure.”
“It was the end of an era, the beginning of my adult life,” she said.
“Terrifying but equally exciting.”
It wasn’t that Purnell was struggling to find any work.
Rather, she was struggling to find work that she connected with.
Just there to be a sex object, portrayed as weak, pretty, nice."
Purnell began to consider alternative paths she thought about heading to university, but never did.
Soon, her mental health began to suffer.
“I felt really quite lost and didn’t know who I was,” she said.
“It’s symbolised this weird transition from child to adult actor,” she said.
Am I not going to work again?
Am I going to burn bridges?'"
Luckily, Purnell had a team of family and agents around her to double-check she always felt comfortable.
As she toldCollider, she began to realize, “No, it’s okay to have preferences.
It’s okay to not feel comfortable doing this, doing that.”
“And they introduced me to New York.
So, in 2019, she packed up and settled down in Los Angeles.
Soon after she made the move, the global pandemic hit and she went into lockdown.
“I moved and then COVID happened … “I’ve basically just set fire to all my money for s**ts and giggles!”
For Purnell, it was her first experience of “going viral.”
“People are still discovering the show.
Seth Rogen tweeted about it yesterday, which is thecoolestthing in the world.”
“I haven’t acted in two years!”
she recalled “I don’t know if I can still do it!
At first, she was worried that her character would be overly sexualized.
I’m not gonna wear a push-up bra!'”
When the film dropped on Netflix, she was shocked at the intensity of the fans' reaction.
In short, they did not like her.
Luckily, Purnell didn’t let the hate get to her too much.
Ella Purnell began dating Max Bennett Kelly
Ella Purnell has been dating Max Bennett Kelly in 2022.
Kelly is a musician who released his first album, “Junk Male,” in 2023.
That same year, Purnell helped Kelly with a short film for his new album.
“So professional so bold ugh i’m so proud.
Seriously such an amazing director and I’m very happy we got to do this together.”
Kelly has also helped Purnell out over the years.
Back in June 2022, Purnell took toInstagramto thank him for helping her move.
She went on to explain how overwhelmed she felt.
Max, I adore you.
Based on the popular video game series, the show is set in a post-apocalyptic, lawless wasteland.
However, stepping into such an iconic universe came with a fair amount of pressure.
“Coming into anything that is well-loved and already very firmly established is hard.
Or I was.”
She went all in on the process, even kicking her smoking habit.
If there’s one thing Purnell is going to do, it’s let herself be pigeonholed.
What’s more, Purnell is also interested in getting back to the stage.
However, although Purnell wants to tread the boards once again, she wants to confirm she is ready.
“I need to become a better actor before I go onstage,” she told Interview in 2016.
“It’s harder to fake it onstage than onscreen.”
Whatever Purnell does next, we know we’ll be seeing a lot more of her.
