Maisie Richardson-Sellers
Richardson-Sellers in 2017
Born	London, England
Education	Hertford College, University of Oxford (2013)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2011–present

Maisie Richardson-Sellers is a British actress and director. She first gained recognition for her role as Rebekah Michaelson / Eva Sinclair on The CW series The Originals. She has since gained wider recognition for her starring roles as Kathy Freeman in CH4/Peacock's The Undeclared War, Chloe Winthrop in Netflix's The Kissing Booth 2, as well as the third installment in the franchise. She also played both Amaya Jiwe / Vixen and Charlie on The CW superhero series DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and Korr Sella in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Early life

Richardson-Sellers was born and raised in London. Her mother Joy Richardson is black Guyanese and her father is white British.^[1][2] Richardson-Sellers comes from a family of stage actors.^[3] She grew up attending private schools through bursaries and scholarships.^[4] In 2013, Richardson-Sellers graduated, with a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology, from Hertford College, University of Oxford,^[5] where she participated in and directed several plays, including Mephisto, Chatroom, and There Will Be Red.^{[citation needed]}

Career

While studying at Oxford University, Maisie Richardson-Sellers began directing theatre, including a production of ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf’.^[6]

After graduating from university, Richardson-Sellers started auditioning and landed her first role in Star Wars sequel Star Wars: The Force Awakens,^[7][8] in the cameo role of Korr Sella.^[9]

After wrapping filming for her The Force Awakens role, Richardson-Sellers booked her second role as Rebekah Mikaelson in the CW series The Originals in 2014, where the character of Rebekah inhabits a different body after a spell gone wrong.^[10] She later played the character of Eva Sinclair on The Originals.^[11] Executive Producer Michael Narducci described her performance as having "an incredibly strong sparkle" and "there's a great beauty – not only with physical beauty but there's a great inner beauty – that comes up in her performance. There's also just this incredible strength."^[12]

In early March 2015, it was announced that Richardson-Sellers would play a starring role in Of Kings and Prophets, a short-lived ABC drama series that was filmed in South Africa.^[13] In June 2016, it was reported that Richardson-Sellers would be playing Amaya Jiwe / Vixen on the second season of the CW series Legends of Tomorrow, who is the grandmother of the titular character in the CW Seed animated series Vixen.^[14] Her mother guest starred as a distant ancestor of Jiwe on two episodes, "Zari" and "No Country for Old Dads".^[2] After two seasons, Richardson-Sellers was cast in the new role of shapeshifter Charlie.^[15][16] Richardson-Sellers exited Legends of Tomorrow in 2020 at the end of the series' fifth season.^[17]

In 2018 she began shadowing directors on Legends of Tomorrow, and was accepted into the Warner Brother’s Directors Program.^[18] Richardson-Sellers then went on to direct two episodes of Legends of Tomorrow.^[19]

In May 2019, it was announced Richardson-Sellers would star in The Kissing Booth 2 as Chloe, directed by Vince Marcello for Netflix.^[20] In 2021, Richardson-Sellers then starred in the sequel, The Kissing Booth 3.

Richardson-Sellers is the founder of ‘Barefaced Productions’, a production company that seeks to tell the stories of, and provide a platform for, marginalized communities and individuals.^[21]

In 2021, Richardson-Sellers co-wrote and directed the short film, ‘Sunday’s Child’, which achieved high acclaim from numerous film festivals. ^[22]

In 2022, Richardson-Sellers starred in the political drama "The Undeclared War" directed by 7 time BAFTA winner Peter Kosminsky, opposite Mark Rylance and Simon Pegg.^[23]

In June 2023, it was announced that Maisie Richardson-Sellers had been cast in the upcoming season 2 of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’, starring opposite Nicole Kidman, Murray Bartlett and Liv Ullman. ^[24]

Personal life

Richardson-Sellers openly identifies as queer.^[25]

In 2017, along with her Arrowverse co-stars, Richardson-Sellers co-founded Shethority ("She + Authority"), an online global collective described as "a positive place for women and the feminine to inspire, empower, and share."^[26] Active members of the initiative include Melissa Benoist, Nicole Maines, Chyler Leigh, Caity Lotz, Tala Ashe, Emily Bett Rickards, Juliana Harkavy, Katie Cassidy, Candice Patton, and Danielle Panabaker. Through social media, women share their own stories and experiences on dealing with self-acceptance, homophobia, and workplace sexual harassment.

Filmography