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Ella Purnell is having an incredible year. The actress stars in three major projects in 2024, two of which have critics and fans raving, and the third could become one of the greatest video game adaptations of all time.
Purnell’s first on-screen role came in 2010’sNever Let Me Go, playing a young iteration of Keira Knightley’s character. In fact, Purnell has played the younger counterparts of a few A-listers, including a teen version of Angelina Jolie’sMaleficent, and a younger version of Margot Robbie’s Jane inThe Legend of Tarzan.The actress' career really started to take off after she was cast in Tim Burton’sMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and eventually, she landed lead roles inSweetbitterand Zack Snyder’sArmy of the Dead. Herrole as Jackie inYellowjackets’first seasoncemented her as a fan-favorite, but 2024 has truly been the year when Ella Purnell’s star has skyrocketed.
Ella Purnell Stars In Three Major TV Shows In 2024
Fallout Season 1 Was a Huge Success
Prime Video’sFalloutwas met with anticipation and excitement by viewers. As an adaptation of Bethesda’s long-running popular Fallout franchise, expectations were high, but the series managed to meet, if not exceed them.Ella Purnell stars inFalloutas Lucya vault-dweller who leaves the safety of her home to journey into the vicious wasteland in search of her father. With her exceedingly positive attitude and naivety, Lucy easily could have become an unbearable stereotype, but Purnell’s performance ensured that didn’t happen, and instead, Lucy’s journey to become a hardened survivor was one ofFallout’smajor strengths.
Upon release in April 2024,Falloutwas met with wide acclaim. It scored 94% on the Tomatometer by critics, and many fans seemed pleased with the series' faithfulness to the games, lauding it as one of the best video game adaptations to date. The positivity forFalloutcontinued throughout the year, with the series earning 16 Primetime Emmy nominations at the 2024 ceremony, including Outstanding Drama Series. Prime Video renewed the series almost instantly for another season, particularly afterFalloutdrew in massive numbersfor the streaming service.
Ella Purnell’s Sweetpea Lands a Perfect Score
Ella Purnell’s next leading role came in the dark comedy-dramaSweetpea,an adaptation of CJ Skuse’s book of the same name. The Starz series was only recently released but has picked up high praise and popularity in its first few weeks. Purnell stars in the series as Rhiannon, an introverted and unsuspecting admin assistant who is driven to murder after a series of unfortunate events.
Upon its debut,Sweetpealanded a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, which has gradually dipped but has since settled on a favorable 84%.Roger Ebertcalled the series “Fall TV’s biggest and best surprise”, markingSweetpeaas a standout of the year. Much of the praise has also been directed at Purnell’s performance, which in some ways echoes that of her character inFalloutas both characters end up doing immoral acts after being put through the wringer.
Arcane Season 2 Could Be Another Win
Ella Purnell’s third and final project of 2024 is yet to be released, but all signs point to another win for the actress. In November, Purnell will return in her second video game adaption of the year,that beingArcaneSeason 2, where she voices one of the lead characters, Jinx.Arcaneis a fantasy steampunk story set in the world ofLeague of Legends, which fleshes out the backstory for many of the game’s major champions. Season 1 ofArcanewas released in November 2021 and has held a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes ever since. It’s widely been considered one of the best video game adaptations, which sets the bar high for Season 2.
Given everything that’s been revealed aboutArcaneSeason 2, it seems like a bar that the series may meet. Season 2 is confirmed to be the last forArcane(although more TV series will come in the League of Legends world), meaning the last episodes will no doubt be explosive.Purnell herself teased that Season 2 ofArcanewould be “devastating”. With the same cast, creative team, and animation studio on board, there’s every chance that the new season will be able to repeat the success of the first.
What’s Next for Ella Purnell?
Coming off the back ofFallout, Sweetpea,and the upcoming release ofArcane,2024 is possibly the biggest and best year for Ella Purnell in her career. With this momentum, there’s no doubt the actress' career won’t slow down. WhileArcaneis coming to an end,Sweetpeaends on a cliffhanger which could open the door for another season.Fallout,on the other hand, is already confirmed for Season 2and will see Purnell returning to the role of Lucy. Purnell is also in production onThe Scurry, a comedy horror film with Rhys Ifans, and will reprise her role as Kate Ward in the Army of theDead: Lost VegasTV series.
FalloutSeason 1 is streaming on Prime Video,Sweetpeais available on Starz, andArcaneSeason 2 will be released on Netflix starting November 9.
