Actor Ella Purnell grew up too fast: "You shouldn't really have to ask yourself about your career and your taxes when you’re 15," jokes the 28-year-old Brit. She landed her first film at just 13, playing the young Keira Knightley in the sci-fi "Never Let Me Go." From there, Purnell quickly gained recognition as the child star who could pull off action-packed features in "Kick-Ass 2" or enchant the screen with roles with fantasy films "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children." But it wasn’t until her 20s that she truly hit her stride, breaking into television with shows like suspense-filled series "Yellowjackets." "I've fallen in and out of love with my job a thousand times," she told Forbes. "It wasn't really until my early twenties that I redefined my profession and decided to do it on my own terms." Now Purnell is really stepping into the spotlight: She's starring in Amazon Prime’s sci-fi series "Fallout"—which was viewed by 65 million in its first two weeks of release last April and then renewed for a second season—and Sky Atlantic's psychological thriller "Sweetpea," a project Purnell executive produces. Off screen, she’s built a following of 1.8 million and forged partnerships with iconic brands including Prada Beauty, MiuMiu and Chanel.
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0:00 Introduction
1:54 Ella Purnell On Being A Child Actor
4:47 Growing In The Public Eye And Ella Purnell's Career Now
8:27 Ellla Purnell On 'Fallout' Success
12:27 What The Future Holds For Ella Purnell
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0:00 Introduction
1:54 Ella Purnell On Being A Child Actor
4:47 Growing In The Public Eye And Ella Purnell's Career Now
8:27 Ellla Purnell On 'Fallout' Success
12:27 What The Future Holds For Ella Purnell
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
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More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00I think the shift that's happening for me as I approach 30 is not revolving my life
00:08around my career, but rather fitting my career into my life.
00:15Hello Purnell.
00:16Thank you so much for joining us.
00:17Thanks for having me.
00:18With 30 Under 30, we like to celebrate people who are obviously young in life and usually
00:24young in their careers.
00:25But I think one thing that's different about you is I know you've been working from a very
00:29early age, very young age.
00:30So this is kind of old hat for you compared to some other people.
00:33What I guess like was that initial spark or what got you into this racket at an early age?
00:39I think in all honesty, I didn't, you know, I was a kid.
00:45I did baby modeling when I was like two years old and probably couldn't form thoughts.
00:50And started, I did an advert when I was eight years old.
00:54I don't think I ever really knew what was going on.
00:57I didn't, you know, I love singing.
00:58I love dancing.
00:59I loved, I was a musical theater brat.
01:01And I loved doing that.
01:03It wasn't, you know, I didn't think of it as a career.
01:06I didn't think of it as like something that I could do the rest of my life.
01:10It was just something that I did for fun.
01:12I don't even think I really knew I was getting paid.
01:13Like I just didn't have like, you didn't really like, you're a child.
01:16It wasn't really until I was a teenager and I started to meet these incredible, you know, actresses who were older than me and they started to give me advice that I started to really think that I could do this long term.
01:29Um, but it's been, you know, like you say, it's been a long journey and I've had to sort of reckon with it many, many times to get to where I am now.
01:38And it's just really cool being here and the kind of like, I've always wanted to do the fourth, so I was younger, but I finally got here and I, you know, and I get to sort of look back and it's, I feel really at peace and happy and proud.
01:49And like grateful to my mom and my agents and all the people that supported me when I was that young acting.
01:54I know for a lot of people that transition from like being a child actor to an adult actor can be difficult.
02:00I guess, was there ever a moment where that flipped for you or a mindset that had to change there?
02:05Yeah, so many, it is, it's really, really tough.
02:07Like giving a child that much responsibility and there's a lot of pressure and you don't have the emotional intelligence or the tools to deal with the necessary.
02:18Like there's no handbook on how to do that.
02:20And we just don't have the support in place for young people in that way.
02:24There's a thousand times that I had to sort of question if I wanted to even be an actor and what kind of actor I wanted to be.
02:31What movies do I like making? Do I want to do movies or TV?
02:34Who do I want to be like?
02:35You know, there's so many questions you ask yourself as a teenager to do with your identity anyway.
02:40You know, you shouldn't really have to ask yourself about your career and your taxes when you're 15.
02:45But you know, it's just kind of, it's just a different way of living really.
02:48I've fallen in and out of love with my job a thousand times.
02:52It wasn't really until my early twenties actually that I redefined my profession, you know, decided to do it in my own terms.
03:02You know, really thought about who I liked and what kind of career I wanted.
03:07And really that ties into like, who are you and how do you want to present yourself to the world?
03:13But just on like a slightly more intense scale.
03:16Well, I mean, I was wondering, as I've already mentioned this before, but how close were you actually to not moving forward?
03:22I mean, like it seems like there was a moment there where you thought about going to university and like kind of taking up something else.
03:28But like, was it, how close was it?
03:31I mean, it seems now obviously with the success you've had a crazy thing to think about, but.
03:34I mean, I'm still, I'm still there.
03:36You know, I'm still like every other day, like, maybe I want to be a florist.
03:39I don't know.
03:40I'm not, I'm not convinced that we're always just supposed to sort of just do one thing in life.
03:45I definitely, I wanted to go to university.
03:47I wanted to write.
03:49I wanted to be a teacher.
03:50And I did do all of those things.
03:51You know, when I was a teenager, I, when I wasn't acting, I worked in a pub.
03:56I worked in a coffee shop.
03:57I worked in a restaurant.
03:58I worked as a babysitter and a tutor and did kind of try all of these different things.
04:03At one point I was like, I'm going to be a tap dancer.
04:04You know, I do get to, and that's the thing I love about acting is you kind of do get to play in those fields.
04:08You know, I can shadow people in professions that I never would have dreamt of doing.
04:13I can sort of research and throw myself into different time periods and genres and,
04:17and sort of skills and hobbies and things that you would never really get the chance to pursue
04:22and definitely not pursue in the name of work.
04:25But I'm still, I love what I do.
04:28I'm not convinced I'm only going to do that forever.
04:30You know, I love directing and writing and producing and trying all of these different things.
04:34I'd love to teach one day, still want to be a florist.
04:37So yeah, definitely changed my mind a million different times.
04:42But I, I, I love acting. I can't think of my life without it.
04:47So you mentioned this moment at age 20 where you're setting kind of like a new path.
04:51I guess, what was the, what was the resolution there?
04:54Or what, how, you know, how did that send you off into what you're doing now?
04:57I think it was just sort of about, you know, growing up, we're trying on all of these different versions of ourselves.
05:05Right. Like remember being like a lanky 15 year old.
05:07You're so insecure and you don't know who you are.
05:09You know what you want to do.
05:10And I think that people tend to want to sort of put you in boxes as a young woman, as a young person, as an actor, especially.
05:21They like to compare you to other people or think, oh, she's an English rose.
05:25Oh, she's this and she's that. And I never felt like any of those things.
05:27I feel like I'm a bit too rough to be an English rose.
05:30I feel like I'm not quite cool enough to be like grungy.
05:32You know, I never really knew where I fit.
05:34And I was always trying to mold myself and model myself after other people and be what the character or the casting director or the director wanted me to be.
05:42And in my early twenties, I did a show called Sweet Bitter and I moved to New York.
05:49And I, it was my first time doing TV.
05:52It was my first time working in America, doing American accent, living in New York by myself.
05:56At 20 years old, it was like insane.
05:58And I really got to just like live and be on my own, be completely independent.
06:05And I, I just sort of like became a person.
06:09I was reading and cooking and living by myself for the first time and discovering hobbies.
06:13And that's when I think when I felt like I finally understood who I was is when I felt like I didn't have to try to be an English rose or be any people.
06:23And I could just go after the movies that I wanted to do or the TV shows that I wanted to do.
06:28Actually, like, what do I like?
06:29I like comedy.
06:30I like dark stuff.
06:31I like gore.
06:32I like psych, like psychological thrillers.
06:35And I can try all of those different things.
06:38I think it's just growing up really and gaining that independence helped me.
06:41I mean, it seems like since you have started to have success that you've been working a lot, like you're popping up on multiple shows a year and this and that kind of thing.
06:49And I was wondering if there has been any like pressure that, you know, now you've had success and you're getting opportunities to, you know, do as much as I can or, or level up and continue to like progress.
07:01Or what are you thinking as far as a career, you know, now that you've been in it for, you know, 10 plus years?
07:06I think that's a really interesting question.
07:07I think about that a lot.
07:08We have this sort of scarcity mindset as it, not just actors, anyone who is sort of a freelancer or works in a creative industry where you don't have a regular nine to five people, you have to create your own opportunities, you have to go after your own work.
07:22There is this thing of work, work, work, work, work, because you never know when the next job is going to come, you know, what if I don't get another job, what if blah, blah, blah.
07:29And it's terrifying, but I do think that's really unhealthy.
07:31And I've definitely been guilty of that.
07:34I love my job.
07:35I love what I do, but it's addictive, that, that adrenaline, like it's so addictive, that cycle of rejection as well, you know, wanting a part, losing the part, wanting another part.
07:45It's a gambling thing almost.
07:47And I do think over the last couple of years, you know, I've, I, I've been moving very fast and I've had to sort of learn that being selective is actually, you know, operating from this place of abundance of like, what will be, will be surrender.
08:04I sound so weird, but it's true.
08:06I actually think then it's healthier.
08:08You're in a better place.
08:09Like you have to take care of yourself first and foremost.
08:11I no longer, but I definitely have, but I no longer feel the pressure to like you say, work, work, work, work, work, and actually only pick the things that you are completely in love with.
08:20And you really feel is the right move for you.
08:23Don't just take whatever you can get because you get burnt out eventually.
08:27Yeah.
08:28I mean, I, I, I don't know how you stay sane.
08:30I mean, I guess that's, that's the, the question, but, um, with the projects they're working on now with, with Sweet Pea, with Fallout, like you're the lead of the show.
08:38You're, you're kind of the star of the show in a different sort of way than in a lot of the shows that came before it.
08:42Does that change your mindset as well?
08:44Like how do you think about, uh, the, the final product or you having a little bit more, I guess, ownership over it?
08:50Um, or not ownership, but your, your face is on it to a certain degree.
08:54Does that change your mindset with these projects?
08:56I think it, it feels like pressure for sure.
08:59Um, but I, I think you have to just really not actually actively work very hard to not think about that and treat it.
09:07As if it's anything else, you know, you should be putting a hundred percent into every project, regardless of the size of your role or the significance of, you know, the paycheck or whatever it is, you know, you should be just doing your best all the time, I suppose.
09:19And he, yeah, when I found out I got full, I was absolutely terrified.
09:24It was a big fan base behind the game and it's Amazon show.
09:27It's definitely like my biggest project today.
09:29It was terrifying.
09:30Um, but I suppose one of the benefits of having grown up in this and having been doing it for a long time, I understand this is a marathon and not a sprint and just put one foot in front of the other, stay off the internet and do your best.
09:43And that's what you can do, I suppose.
09:45Is it a different feeling now?
09:46Cause I know you're, you're filming season two of that and, um, and Sweet Pea has a season two as well.
09:50Is it different, like going back to the show?
09:52Like kind of now you, you maybe know the people you're working with or the character a little bit more, like, is that a different feeling as well?
09:58Yeah, it is totally that this way in some ways there's less pressure cause you've at least established the character and you have less, you know, choices, but in other ways more pressure because now people are actually going to watch it and they're waiting to see it.
10:13And you know, that you can't make a mistake and you can't mess up.
10:16And also, you know, all of that stuff, you know, ignore all of that stuff just within myself.
10:21How can I, um, how can I continue to evolve and grow?
10:26That's a challenge in TV, right?
10:28I love doing different things all the time.
10:30I don't want to box myself into just one genre, just one character.
10:33When you're signed onto a show for however many years, you're playing the same character.
10:36How do I continue to evolve as an actor, as a person and grow and change while still being this character that people know and love, hopefully love, hopefully just at least don't hate?
10:45Or sometimes they can't hate them.
10:47And that's fine too.
10:48It's, you know, it's, that's something that I'm sort of figuring out is, is how to sort of fine tune that.
10:54It's, it's a balancing act, I think.
10:56Okay. Okay.
10:57And then I, I saw online a short that you had directed.
11:00Is there like ambitions there to move behind the camera or be in more like sort of creator roles with projects in the future?
11:06Yeah, totally.
11:07I produced a couple of things and that was my first short that I, well, the first short that I've directed.
11:15that I've allowed the world to see because there's a lot of bad ones that I hope will never come to light.
11:19Um, and I, I love it.
11:20I think it's, it's again, it's a different kind of muscle.
11:24I really enjoy being on the other side of camera and using a slightly more sort of analytical side of my brain, especially with producer.
11:32I produced Sweet Pea.
11:33Um, and I just, it was such an incredibly validating experience because you realize in that moment, you know, you have all the self doubt.
11:40And if I can do this or if I'm good enough, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm just an actress.
11:43And then you get there and you're like, oh wait, the last 12 years of growing up on set, it's like you absorb it through osmosis.
11:49You actually, I surprised myself with how much I had actually retained just being around it.
11:53And I actually did know a lot of stuff I didn't think I knew.
11:55And then, you know, you were in this sort of like very tight knit circle of amazing, creative, collaborative people.
12:02Being able to sit in this writer's room, like five or six people and build each other up.
12:07Like that energy, I've never experienced that before.
12:10It's, you know, the only thing I can compare it to is making music.
12:12It's so contagious. It's, it's so sort of like vibrant and, and present and you can feel it and you can feel when you're having a bad day and you can feel when you're having a good day and it just like, it's so exciting.
12:23That is like real magic. I love being, I'd love to do that, more of that.
12:27Yeah. The exciting thing for me sitting down with people who at this point have, you know, accomplished something, you know, but they're under 30 and they're still young and they still have like a whole career in front of them is how you now use that success to kind of like chart out what your career might look like.
12:41For you, is that something you think about? Are there actors that you maybe look at and say, you know, I love the route that they took through this?
12:50Or I guess like, you know, we're Forbes, we care about the business side of things and money, but like, how much do you think about your career as far as big picture, like planning it out versus, oh, this project came up. I like it. I'm going to do it.
13:02I think the shift that's happening for me as I approach 30 is not revolving my life around my career, but rather fitting my career into my life.
13:13And I think I, I've definitely been guilty of being such a workaholic and I do love my job, but it has to be a balance.
13:21And I think of my life. I think about all the places I want to travel, all the places I want to live.
13:25I think about my family. I think about my hobbies, what I need to improve on, what, how I can grow.
13:30And if I can achieve all of those things through my job, I'm the luckiest person in the world.
13:34And it seems like with acting and directing and writing and all those aspirations, I can.
13:38I think what's going to help me grow and find joy in life is working with people I like, going to really cool places.
13:45I'm lucky enough to do that and continuing to take roles that feel like a challenge to me, like they're different, like they mean something.
13:54Maybe, you know, I'm helping young people, I'm helping women, I'm helping, you know, a group of people in some way.
14:03And just sort of, I suppose, continuing to scare myself, continue to do things that scare me, you know.
14:11One thing I'm curious about just, you know, I'm 29, we're around the same age, like do TV versus movies, does that matter for actors, you know, these days?
14:19Or is it like a good project's a good project and, you know, we don't think about what we like or, I mean, I'm a big movie fan.
14:26I know that that's maybe just me, you know, and I feel like people around my age who I talk to, like my friends and stuff, they don't care about that as much.
14:33But on that creative side of things, do you think about that, that sort of thing?
14:38I don't really anymore. I used to. I mean, I remember when, you know, pre-streamers, TV wasn't as exciting to me personally as movies were.
14:48For me, creatively, a good story, a good character is compelling enough for me to want to take the part.
14:54But there are some other things that factor into it. I love doing TV.
14:59I mean, I've done a lot of TV, considering it in a short amount of time.
15:03What I love about it is the chaos of it, really. You know, with films, you get a script and the script will change, for sure.
15:09But you generally know where you start and where you finish.
15:12TV is like, I could read a script next week and tell me to like dress up as a bird and run down a catwalk and I'd have to do it.
15:19You don't have any real control that you'll say in a little bit, but not really.
15:23And you get to play this character, inhabit this character and then just sort of jump and hope that the writers will guide you to where you need to go.
15:31Even if you don't necessarily understand it, trust in them that they have this end goal.
15:36And sometimes they don't even have an end goal, by the way, and they are making it up as they go.
15:40And that's fun as well. You know, it's that's where for me it's sort of almost got this like improvisational quality to it.
15:47Sort of long term improv where you just sort of, you know, you might have a plan and then it's like life, you might have a plan and then something else comes along and you just have to pivot.
15:57That's exciting to me. I think at this point right now, I'm now leaning back towards movies.
16:03I've had enough of the chaos and I'd like to go back to something slightly more controlled.
16:07But, you know, like I said, it's more about the character and the story for me than anything else.
16:15Is there, I mean, not just TV or movies, but a type of character or a type of project or doing something that you haven't done before that is exciting to you?
16:24What haven't I done? Comedy. I'd like to do more of that.
16:28I love watching comedies and I've never really done like a big, dumb, broad sort of comedy.
16:33So I'd like to do that. Never done a musical. I just want to do things I haven't done before.
16:37That's like my whole appeal is if I read a character that I feel is anything like one I've played before.
16:42I'm just not interested because it's not challenging to me.
16:45It's like, okay, well, you've got to do this for six weeks to eight months, right, of playing the same person.
16:51I'd love for it to be something that challenges me, that it feels like I really have to use my brain to get there.
16:57I don't know. A new character. I love putting on characters. So something that feels very different from myself.
17:06The other thing that the kind of big picture, maybe a little existential, but if we were doing an under 40 thing and talking to you again in 10 years,
17:15I guess what would you hope that that would be different from where you are now?
17:20Oh, that's a good question. I love existential, by the way.
17:23Great.
17:25God, 12 years. I don't know. I just, I guess I'd like to have more directing and writing and producing credits under my belt.
17:39Definitely want to focus more on writing. Maybe music. Just want to continue to branch out and do things.
17:47And I hope I'm a better cook by then as well. And a better driver.
17:51And you keep mentioning florist.
17:53Yeah. And also a better flower arranger.
17:56Yeah. Maybe I could like tell them apart in 10 years. It'd be cool.
17:59Okay. Awesome. Hello, Bernal. Thank you so much for joining us.