No one from the Yellowjackets cast (specifically among the series’ younger stars) has made quite as much of an impression on viewers as Ella Purnell. Fans of the Showtime original, Lord of the Flies-esque drama from creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson fell in love with her performance as popular cheerleader Jackie, which is why (without giving too much away) the shocking Season 1 finale left many pretty upset.
I imagine that her performance also left many wanting to see more from the talented British actress. If you are one such Yellowjackets fan, look no further. The following are our recommendations for some of the best Ella Purnell movies and TV shows and where you can find them - starting, most appropriately, at the very beginning of her, now flourishing, screen acting career.
Never Let Me Go (HBO Max)
After spending much of their childhood at a seemingly idyllic boarding school, three lifelong friends (Academy Award nominees Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Kiera Knightley) struggle to come to terms with a love triangle that begins to form between them and with a world-shattering secret about their true selves.
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: A then 14-year-old (but as riveting as ever) Ella Purnell made her feature film debut as a younger version of Keira Knightley’s character, Ruth, in 2010’s Never Let Me Go - a stunning adaptation of author Kazuo Ishiguro’s bizarre, inventive, and romantic coming-of-age novel directed by Mark Romanek from a screenplay by sci-fi master Alex Garland.
Stream Never Let Me Go on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Never Let Me Go on Amazon.
Maleficent (Amazon Rental)
After an unforgivable betrayal drives her into a furious state of vengeance, a once good-natured fairy (Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie) becomes driven to place a curse on the infant daughter of her royal enemy.
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: In 2014, Ella Purnell nearly outdid Angelina Jolie in the Maleficent cast as a younger version of the title role in Disney’s amusing live-action prequel/remake hybrid of Sleeping Beauty from the point of view of its iconic villain, which was also the directorial debut of Academy Award-winning production designer Robert Stromberg.
Rent/Buy Maleficent on Amazon.
Army Of The Dead (Netflix)
In a world in which the zombie apocalypse has been contained to a deserted Las Vegas, a former mercenary (Dave Bautista) is offered a huge payday if he can safely lead his crack team in and out of the walled-off city and retrieve the contents of a billionaire casino owner’s vault without getting bit…or worse.
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: Seven years after working with future Eternals star Angelina Jolie in Maleficent, Ella Purnell just about stole the show from the rest of the Army of the Dead cast when playing the rebellious daughter of fellow Marvel movie actor Dave Bautista in co-writer, director, and cinematographer Zack Snyder’s rollicking return to the zombie movies genre.
Stream Army Of The Dead on Netflix.
Intruders (Tubi, Peacock, IMDb TV, Pluto TV)
A mysterious, faceless evil entity targets the teenage daughter (Ella Purnell) of a London construction worker (Academy Award nominee Clive Owen) and a boy in Madrid whom a young priest (Daniel Brühl) struggles to protect.
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: A much earlier time when Ella Purnell worked with a Marvel Cinematic Universe star was opposite future Baron Zemo actor Daniel Brühl in what is also her horror movies debut, 2011’s Intruders - a frightening supernatural take on the home invasion thriller subgenre from Academy Award-nominated director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.
Stream Intruders on Tubi.
Stream Intruders on Peacock.
Stream Intruders on IMDb TV.
Stream Intruders on Pluto TV.
Kick-Ass 2 (Amazon Rental)
A mortal, costumed vigilante (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his younger, but more competent, ally (Chloë Grace Moretz) team up with more aspiring crime fighters to take on a growing syndicate of supervillains.
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: Another future MCU star whom Ella Purnell worked with early on in her career is Quicksilver actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, in what was also her superhero movies debut, 2013’s Kick-Ass 2 - writer and director Jeff Wadlow’s viscerally brutal and hilarious sequel to Matthew Vaughn's equally insane adaptation of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s comic book series.
Rent/Buy Kick-Ass 2 on Amazon.
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children (Disney+)
A young man (Asa Butterfield) discovers that he is destined to become the protector for a group of other youngsters born with extraordinary gift who have taken refuge from the powerful enemies who crave their abilities at a home run by a woman who can manipulate time (Eva Green).
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: While not a comic book movie, I would argue that Ella Purnell’s uplifting performance as the literally “lighter than air” Emma Bloom in director Tim Burton’s stellar 2016 adaptation of Ransom Riggs’ novel, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, should still absolutely qualify as a superhero.
Stream Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children on Amazon.
Ordeal By Innocence (Amazon Prime)
After a wealthy philanthropist (Anna Chancellor) is found murdered in her luxurious English estate on Christmas of 1954, her adopted son is arrested for the crime, until further evidence leads the rest of the surviving family members to ponder which one of them could be the real killer.
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: Two years after Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ella Purnell gave a less uplifting, but nonetheless stunning, performance in a more grounded and devastating kind of literary adaptation called Ordeal by Innocence - one of the best whodunnits on Amazon Prime from the mind of Agatha Christie, split into three bleak, arresting, chapters.
Stream Ordeal By Innocence on Amazon Prime.
Belgravia (Amazon Purchase)
Tension arises between two aristocratic families after shocking secrets about each group come to light in 19th Century London.
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: Two years after Ordeal By Innocence, Ella Purnell gave a more charming performance as Lady Maria Grey in another British period drama called Belgravia - a miniseries adaptation of Julian Fellowes’ romantic novel from the creators of Downton Abbey.
Arcane (Netflix)
Young warriors take desperate action as a rivalry between a wealthy, utopian metropolis and its impoverished neighboring community develops over the creation of groundbreaking and dangerous technology.
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: Ella Purnell would dip her feet into the cautionary world of video game adaptations to rewarding effect by voicing the gleefully manic, blue-haired Jinx on the thrilling animated series Arcane - a prequel to the popular League of Legends game that became one of a few Netflix originals rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes in late 2021.
Star Trek: Prodigy (Paramount+)
A group of diverse, troubled teenagers in need of some liberating adventure find it when they illegally commandeer a discarded ship on which they explore the outer reaches of space, the final frontier.
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: Also in 2021, Ella Purnell leant her voice to the role of another young, blue-haired warrior, named Gwyn, on the animated Paramount+ exclusive series, Star Trek: Prodigy, which serves as a fun and unique departure for the endurably popular sci-fi franchise while also lovingly paying tribute to its legacy.
Stream Star Trek: Prodigy on Paramount+.
Sweetbitter (Starz)
Shortly after moving herself to New York City, a young woman (Ella Purnell) lands a job at a classy local eatery, which happens to open her up to an enticingly anarchic lifestyle that pushes her to her limits.
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: From 2018 to 2019, Ella Purnell starred in her first leading role on a TV series with the Starz original, Sweetbitter - creator Stephanie Danler’s adaptation of her own novel that offers some surprisingly high stakes drama for a show set in the world of fine dining.
Stream Sweetbitter on Starz.
Buy Sweetbitter on Amazon.
Wildlike (Amazon Prime, Tubi)
After her financially struggling mother sends her to live with her abusive uncle (Brian Geraghty), a disillusioned teenage girl (Ella Purnell) runs off on her own and crosses paths with an older man (Bruce Greenwood) whom she ends up joining for a hike through the Alaskan wilderness.
Why it’s worth checking out if you like Ella Purnell: In 2014, Ella Purnell starred in her first leading role in a motion picture with Wildlike - writer and director Frank Hall Green’s moving and sometimes disturbing coming-of-age drama in which Purnell proves her worth as one of the great acting prodigies of her generation.
Stream Wildlike on Amazon Prime.
Stream Wildlike on Tubi.
Rent/Buy Wildlike on Amazon.
Next on her agenda, Ella Purnell will reprise her Army of the Dead role, Kate Ward, on the upcoming Netflix animated prequel series, Army of the Dead: Last Vegas. Hopefully, that will appease Yellowjackets fans who are already mourning her likely absence in Season 2.
