Erin Kellyman
Interview of Kellyman at Lucca Comics (2022)
Born
Erin Mae Kellyman

(1998-10-17) 17 October 1998 (age 25)
Tamworth, Staffordshire, England
OccupationActress
Years active2015–present

Erin Mae Kellyman (born 17 October 1998) is a British actress. On television, she gained prominence through the Channel 4 sitcom Raised by Wolves (2015–2016) and the BBC series Les Misérables (2018), Don't Forget the Driver (2019), and Life (2020). She has since starred in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and Willow (2022).

Her films include Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and The Green Knight (2021).

Early life

Originally from Tamworth, Staffordshire, Kellyman attended Birmingham Ormiston Academy, The Rawlett School and was a graduate of the Nottingham Television Workshop.[1] Erin's mother, Louise, is of Irish ancestry, and her father, Charles, is of Jamaican descent.

Career

Kellyman appeared in Raised by Wolves, written by Caitlin Moran and her sister Caroline Moran for Channel 4. She also appeared in the 2016 BBC sitcom The Coopers Vs The Rest with Tanya Franks and Kerry Godliman, about a trio of adopted children raised by a suburban couple.[2]

Kellyman was cast as the marauder Enfys Nest in Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018.[3][4] The role of Nest in Solo: A Star Wars Story has been reported as the "anti-hero we deserve"[5] and "the most important new character introduced in the movie."[6] This role was reported to have given Kellyman "global recognition."[1] For the role Kellyman had to go through three stages of audition.[7] Kellyman only tested with the lead of the film, Alden Ehrenreich, during the third audition, doing both acting and stunt test work.[8]

Kellyman also appeared in the BBC's adaptation of Les Misérables as Éponine alongside Olivia Colman, Lily Collins, David Oyelowo and Dominic West.[9] Kellyman had originally auditioned for the role of Cosette, but was called back for the role of Éponine.[1] Kellyman praised the diversity in the BBC production, admitting she never considered she would be able to play such a role in a period drama.[10]

Kellyman appeared in BBC Two dark comedy series Don't Forget the Driver, starring Toby Jones.[11] In 2020, Kellyman played the role of Maya, a child that comes to live with her distant aunt, in the BBC TV drama series Life.[12]

Kellyman co-stars in the 2021 Disney+ action series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as Karli Morgenthau, the leader of a radical group called the Flag Smashers, alongside Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan.[13]

Kellyman starred as knight-in-training Jade in the 2022 Disney+ series Willow; a sequel series to the 1988 film of the same name.[14] The relationship between Jade and fellow series lead Kit, portrayed by Ruby Cruz,[15] makes the series "the first true franchise on Disney Plus to really center a queer story", according to Polygon.[16]

Personal life

Kellyman is multiracial and has said she is happy to play characters who have her heritage for representation of women like her.[17]

Kellyman openly identifies as a lesbian.[18]

Filmography

Film

Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Director Notes
2018 Solo: A Star Wars Story Enfys Nest Ron Howard
2021 The Green Knight Winifred David Lowery
TBA Woken † Anna Alan Friel Post-production
TBA Blitz † Steve McQueen In production[19]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2015–2016 Raised by Wolves Cathy 5 episodes
2016 The Coopers vs the Rest Frankie Cooper Episode: "Pilot"
2017 Uncle Eleanor Episode: "2:27"
2018–2019 Les Misérables Éponine 3 episodes
2019 Don't Forget the Driver Kayla 6 episodes
2020 Life Maya 6 episodes
2021 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Karli Morgenthau 6 episodes
Marvel Studios: Assembled Self Documentary; Episode: "Assembled: The Making of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier"
2022 Top Boy Pebbles
Willow Jade 8 episodes

References

  1. ^ a b c "Stars of Tomorrow 2018: Erin Kellyman (actor)". Screen. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  2. ^ Mohan, Isabel (29 August 2016). "The Coopers vs The Rest has promise but feels like a poor imitation of My Family: review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  3. ^ Truitt, Brian (27 May 2018). "'Solo': Decoding the six biggest reveals of the newest 'Star Wars' movie (spoilers!)". USA Today. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  4. ^ Furness, Hannah (10 January 2018). "BBC unveils cast of new Les Miserables series with pledge to take classic back to its roots". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Solo's Enfys Nest: The Star Wars Anti-Hero We Deserve". Den of Geek. Retrieved 22 January 2019.[dead link]
  6. ^ Shaw-Williams, Hannah (26 May 2018). "Enfys Nest Is Solo's Most Important New Star Wars Character". ScreenRant. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Unmasking Enfys Nest: An Interview with Erin Kellyman". StarWars.com. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  8. ^ Hutchinson, Emily (18 October 2018). "Nottingham's Star Wars actress Erin Kellyman to appear in new BBC adaptation of Les Miserables". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  9. ^ Geisinger, Gabriella (25 May 2018). "Solo: A Star Wars Story: Who is Erin Kellyman? Who does she play in Star Wars?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Interview with Erin Kellyman". BBC Media Centre. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Cast announced for new Toby Jones comedy". chortle.co.uk. 29 September 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  12. ^ "An interview with Erin Kellyman". BBC Media Centre. 27 September 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  13. ^ "The Falcon & The Winter Soldier Merch Confirms The Identity Of Erin Kellyman's Flag-Smasher". Comic Book Movie. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  14. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (30 November 2020). "Willow: Erin Kellyman, Cailee Spaeny & Ellie Bamber Poised To Star In Disney+ Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (11 March 2021). "Willow: Ruby Cruz Cast As A Lead In Disney+ Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  16. ^ Polo, Susana (29 November 2022). "Disney's Willow puts a queer romance front and center — and it was 'just organic,' says creator". Polygon. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  17. ^ "One of my highlights from 2019". 5 January 2020. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Blessed and colourfully dressed 🏳️‍🌈". 26 May 2019. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  19. ^ Kroll, Justin (6 December 2022). "Harris Dickinson, Elliott Heffernan, Erin Kellyman Among Those Joining Ensemble Of Steve McQueen's 'Blitz' At Apple". Deadline. Retrieved 10 December 2022.

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