Movies News Talk
The cast of Renegade Nell, a 2024 British fantasy series from Disney+, features a collection of up-and-coming talents with some veteran actors too. Renegade Nell tells the story of Nell "Nelly" Jackson, a young woman in a fantasy version of 18th-century England. At the beginning of the series, which premiered on March 29, 2024, the magically strong Nell is falsely accused of murdering a local magistrate. She goes on the run as a highwaywoman to become a vigilante protector of the innocent.
Actor: Louisa Harland began her career in 2011 with a four-episode run in the Irish series Love/Hate as Kayleigh and primarily found television roles afterward. This would lead to her most significant performance as the lovable Orla McCool, one of the lead characters in the popular Derry Girls. She's also had a few notable movie roles, including Stella in Lost in London and Claire McCann in Boys from County Hell.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Title Role
Love/Hate (2011) Kayleigh
Derry Girls (2018-2022) Orla McCool
Boys from County Hell (2020) Claire McCann
Character: Nell "Nelly" Jackson grew up in a small tavern in Tottenham, England and when she returned home from war, she discovered she'd been followed by a fairy capable of imbuing her with magical strength. Nell is a hard-working and determined hero and, though she can come off as brash, she ultimately cares about helping people.
Actor: Frank Dillane has only had a few roles, but they've all been notable. His television credits include a starring role in Fear the Walking Dead as Nick Clark, The Girlfriend as Christophe, and Luke Garrett in the miniseries, The Essex Serpent. Dillane's notable film roles include playing a 16-year-old Lord Voldemort, then Tom Riddle, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Henry Coffin in The Heart of the Sea, and Tony Rich in How To Build a Girl.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Title Role
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) 16-year-old Tom Riddle
Fear the Walking Dead (2015-2018) Nick Clark
How to Build a Girl (2019) Tony Rich
Character: Charles Devereux is a charming, witty, and smug young man whose family was pushed into ruin thanks to his father's gambling. He took up highway robbery under the pseudonym "Isambard Tulley" to regain access to the social strata that had kicked him out. Charles meets Nell during his journey and is pulled into her quest.
Actor: Despite his career beginning in 2006, it took Nick Mohammed until the 2020s to get recognized for his acting talent. From 2020-2023, Mohammed co-starred in Ted Lasso as Nathan "Nate" Shelley, a performance that earned him two Emmy nominations for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Before Ted Lasso, Mohammed appeared in several other TV shows, including Intelligence as Joseph Harries and Hank Zipzer as Mr. Love. His film credits include The Kid Who Would Be King as Mr. Hyde and Christopher Robin as the voice of Piglet.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Title Role
The Martian (2015) Tim Grimes
The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) Mr. Hyde
Ted Lasso (2020-2023) Nate Shelley
Character: Billy Blind is a fairy creature who inexplicably appeared to Nell after Nell's husband died in the war. Billy is as confused as Nell but assumes it's his job to help her and grants her immense strength at opportune times. He's a talkative and sarcastic fairy and often butts heads with Nell, but he never wavers from his duty to serve.
Actor: Alice Kremelberg has had a packed career since she began acting in TV and movies in 2006. She has notable television roles in shows like Orange is the New Black as Nicole Eckelcamp and The Sinner as Percy Muldoon, and she has many one-episode roles in series like New Amsterdam as Wendy Birdwell and Fringe as Lisa Donovan. In film, Kremelberg portrays Bernardine Dohrn in the cast of The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Amy Marlowe in She Came from the Woods.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Title Role
Orange is the New Black (2018-2019) Nicole Eckelcamp
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) Bernardine Dohrn
The Sinner (2021) Percy Muldoon
Character: Sofia Wilmot is a supporting villain in Renegade Nell. She's the daughter of the late Lord Blancheford (Pip Torrens), and the older sister of Thomas Blancheford (Jake Dunn). When Thomas kills their father, Sofia takes her brother's side, partially out of fear. She gains powers throughout the season until she's a formidable foe, even without her family's strength behind her.
Actor: Bo Bragason had only appeared in four shows and movies (and a short film) before her appearance in Renegade Nell. On TV, Bragason plays Rachel Winshaw in two episodes of Three Girls, Lyn in one episode of Moving On, and Rocky in one episode of Creeped Out. Her only film performance comes in Censor as an unnamed older girl, but Bragason does have a movie coming out in 2024, The Radleys, where she plays Clara Radley opposite Kelly Macdonald and Damian Lewis.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Title Role
Three Girls (2017) Rachel Winshaw
Moving On (2018) Lyn
Creeped Out (2019) Rocky
Character: Roxy Trotter is Nell's younger sister and was forced to take care of her father and baby sister after her mother passed away and Nell went to war. She is much more mild-mannered than her older sister and when she has to go on the run when Nell returns, Roxy discovers some hidden magical strengths and inner confidence.
Actor: This is only Florence Keen's third performance of her career. She began acting in 2017 with the TV movie Babs as the lead character Barbara when she is a child and in the movie The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society as Kit.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Title Role
Babs (2017) Child Barbara
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) Kit
Character: George Trotter is the third and youngest sister of the Trotter family. George is a combination of her two older sisters. She has the same determination and love of adventure as Nell but is also naive and sweet like Roxy. She's easily distracted, which often creates problems on the road.
Actor: Adrian Lester has been acting since 1987, primarily in television, but he's appeared in plenty of movies. On TV, Lester is known for playing Robert Carver in The Riviera, Andrew Makinde in The Undeclared War, and Ellis Carter in Girlfriends. His movie credits include Mary Queen of Scots as Lord Randolph, The Day After Tomorrow as Simon, and Doomsday as Sergeant Norton.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Title Role
Girlfriends (2002-2003) Ellis Carter
The Riviera (2017) Robert Carver
Mary Queen of Scots (2018) Lord Randolph
Character: The Earl of Poynton, Robert Hennessey is a powerful advisor and confidant to the Blancheford family. He's the one who convinced Thomas to kill his father, throwing the country into chaos. The Earl is calculating and sinister, prone to violent outbursts. He's also a skilled user of dark magic, and he plots to overthrow Queen Anne of England, manipulating Sofia Wilmot to help him do so.
The Earl of Poynton is only ever referred to as "The Earl" or "Earl" and is only named Robert Hennessey in promotional materials.
Actor: Enyi Okoronkwo's most significant performance of his career is in Renegade Nell, but he's had a handful of performances before the Disney+ show. On TV, he has appeared in The Lazarus Project as Laurence and in Unprecedented: Real Time Theatre from a State of Isolation as Jamie. His only film credit is as Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Title Role
Unprecedented: Real Time Theatre from a State of Isolation (2020) Jamie
The Lazarus Project (2022) Laurence
A Midsummer Night's Dream (2022) Puck
Character: Rasselas was taken from his homeland in Benin and forced to serve the Blanchefords as a stable boy before the series starts. Despite his unfortunate early life, Rasselas keeps an open mind about others and is kind and gentle. When he learns Nell is being blamed for Lord Blancheford's death, he flees with her and her family, hoping to protect them.
Jake Dunn as Thomas Blancheford: Jake Dunn plays Thomas Blancheford in Renegade Nell, the malicious and cruel aristocrat who accuses Nell of killing his father even though he is the perpetrator. Dunn has one film credit, Muse as Frankie. He's better known for his TV performances in shows like Get Even as Christopher, Big Boys as Oscar, and The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself as David.
Joely Richardson as Lady Eularia Moggerhanger: Lady Eularia Moggerhanger, played by Joely Richardson, is a newspaper magnate who inadvertently causes trouble for Nell and the country when she sensationalizes Nell's supposed murder of Lord Blancheford. Richardson is best known for her starring role in Nip/Tuck as Julia McNamara, which earned her two Golden Globe nominations. She also appears in The Sandman as Ethel Crips and is part of the cast of The Gentlemen as Lady Sabrina Halstead. In film, Richardson plays Charlotte Selton in The Patriot and Mrs. Bolton in Lady Chatterley's Lover.
Jodhi May as Queen Anne: The historical figure Queen Anne has a supporting role in Renegade Nell. Jodhi May is a prolific actor, best known for TV performances in The Witcher as Queen Calanthe and The Amazing Mrs Pritchard as Miranda Lennox. Her film credits include The Last of the Mohicans as Alice Munro and A Quiet Passion as Susan Gilbert.
Iz Hesketh as Valerian: Iz Hesketh appears as Valerian in Renegade Nell, one of Lady Eularia's attendants, and one of the first non-binary characters in a Disney live-action series. Hesketh has only appeared in two other productions, the TV show Buffering as Kaia and Hollyoaks as Kitty Draper.
Renegade Nell is a Disney+ original series created by Sally Wainwright. The series follows a young woman named Nell Jackson who becomes a wanted outlaw after she is framed for murder. During her journey, she encounters a magical spirit named Billy, who reveals her true destiny.