After Amazon’s adaptation of the popular post-apocalyptic video game series Fallout went viral, actress Ella Purnell shot to fame and immediately became a household name in Hollywood.
Purnell plays Lucy MacLean, a young lady who was raised in the Vaults and now chooses to live alone in the post-apocalyptic Wasteland. She is set to reprise her role in the second season of the show, which will premiere on December 17, 2025.
However, Purnell is not new to the Hollywood scene. Since making her screen debut in the romance movie Never Let Me Go (2010), starring alongside Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield, Purnell has crafted an incredible career, making appearances in a wide range of motion pictures and television shows. Check out our list of some of the best works of Ella Purnell ranked from worst to best, based on their Rotten Tomatoes score.
10. Kick-Ass 2
- Streaming On: Apple TV, JioHotstar, Zee5
- RT Score: 33%
- Director: Jeff Wadlow
Produced by Jeff Wadlow of Truth or Dare, Kick-Ass 2 follows the formula for a sequel, building on the superhero story and tenaciously upholding its hard R rating for graphic violence. Purnell plays Dolce in Kick-Ass 2, the naive high school bully who is noted for muttering to a perplexed Hit Girl, “Who is Stan Lee?” Dolce is your quite usual bully with a ton of attitude who sadly remained a mere supporting character in the series. However, even though limited, Purnell’s performance was quite up to the mark.
8. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
- Streaming On: HBO Max (US), YouTube – Rent (India)
- RT Score: 65%
- Director: Tim Burton
Purnell plays the odd character of Emma Bloom in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an 88-year-old trapped in time as her teenage self. This is Purnell’s first main role in Hollywood as an adult. Based on the same-titled novel by Ransom Riggs, the story takes place inside Miss Peregrine’s sanctuary, a haven for exceptional children with strange talents. The essence of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children lies in Purnell’s wonderful and melancholic portrayal of Bloom, whose ability to control the air and fly is skillfully displayed by the actress.
5. Yellowjackets
- Streaming On: Netflix, JioHotstar
- RT Score: 92%
- Director: Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson
Purnell gained her biggest recognition for her role as the vivacious Jackie Taylor in Yellowjackets before she left Vault 33 and entered the nuclear wasteland of Fallout. Yellowjackets, which is based on the actual events of the 1972 Andes Flight Disaster, follows Jackie as she navigates fierce power struggles and terrifying moral epiphanies after a deadly plane crash that traps her and the other WHS Yellowjacket members in the Canadian wilderness for more than a year. Jackie rose to popularity, and one of the main draws for viewers was Purnell’s portrayal of the endearing but troubled team captain.
2. Star Trek: Prodigy
- Streaming On: Netflix
- RT Score: 97%
- Creator: Kevin Hageman, Dan Hageman
Star Trek: Prodigy is the first animated Star Trek series made for children. The show, which takes place in 2383, introduces a varied cast of new characters whose galactic adventures begin when they find the USS Protostar, a long-lost Starfleet starship. Purnell, who made her voice acting debut in the film, plays the role of Gwyndala, a female Vau N’Akat who is an extremely fierce extraterrestrial. Purnell plays this character with genuine tenderness and depth, demonstrating her versatility and her innate talent for voice acting.
1. Arcane
- Streaming On: Netflix
- RT Score: 100%
- Creator: Alex Lee, Christian Linke
Ella Purnell’s greatest project to date is Arcane, the first large-scale film adaptation of Riot Games’ immensely popular computer game League of Legends, which centers on a gang of teenage orphans who cause events that jeopardize their stability in a desperate attempt to get some big cash and some street cred. Purnell is a fantastic Jinx, one of the most adored MOBA champions. Reluctant to take charge, Jinx has to accept that she is an inspiration to her group, particularly to her younger sister Vi (Hailee Steinfeld). The connection between Jinx and Vi is severely strained throughout the series, and as things progress, the sisters find themselves in the middle of a developing conflict that will eventually destroy their entire universe.