For Mia McKenna-Bruce, 2024 has been nothing short of extraordinary. In just six months, she scooped up the coveted EE BAFTA Rising Star Award and celebrated her wedding to fellow actor Tom Leach—two milestones that might overwhelm most people. But McKenna-Bruce takes it in stride, realising: “There can be more than one best day of your life. It’s good.”
Nearly a year has passed since she stood on stage at the BAFTAs, delivering a heartfelt speech which Ryan Gosling almost derailed after pipping the likes of Ayo Edebiri and Jacob Elordi to the Rising Star award. “I can’t believe it’s been, like, nearly a year,” she tells The Standard via Zoom. “That’s insane to me. I still feel like it was literally last night. I still feel like I’m recovering. It’s been wild. It’s been a really magical, special year.”
Born in London and raised in Bromley, McKenna-Bruce’s ascent to stardom began with a love for dance at age two. By five, she convinced her parents to take her to a musical audition in Croydon, landing her first role. A choreographer recommended her to an agency, and from there, the young performer was hooked.
Before she even hit adulthood, she had graced the West End stage in Billy Elliot The Musical, acted alongside Milla Jovovich in The Fourth Kind, and racked up TV credits in EastEnders, Holby City, and The Bill. By the time she starred in children’s hits Tracy Beaker Returns and The Dumping Ground, McKenna-Bruce seemed destined for fame.
But at 18, she pressed pause on her acting ambitions, moving to Australia and working in a call centre. The year-long break solidified her passion, and when she returned to London, she was ready to start from scratch.
Rebuilding wasn’t easy. She juggled office jobs with acting workshops to refine her craft. Slowly but surely, she landed roles in shows like The Witcher and Vera and films like Last Train to Christmas with Michael Sheen and Persuasion alongside Dakota Johnson.
The turning point came in December 2021, when writer-director Molly Manning Walker cast her in How to Have Sex. The role almost didn’t happen—McKenna-Bruce, disheartened by the industry’s challenges, had been considering giving up. “I’ve had many a moment where I’ve gone, ‘I don’t know if I can do this,’” she admits. “And even the year that we shot How to Have Sex, I was like, ‘I'm gonna give it this year. And then, if not, I think I need to do something else.’
“Because you feel like you're giving the best of your ability time and time again and it feels like someone's telling you that's not good enough, and that's not the case.”
Despite her second-guessing, her perseverance paid off.
Her portrayal of Tara, a 16-year-old pressured to lose her virginity on a rites-of-passage party trip to Malia, earned her critical acclaim. The film, a raw exploration of adolescence and consent, premiered at Cannes, winning the Un Certain Regard prize. For McKenna-Bruce, it was a breakthrough. Accolades from the British Independent Film Awards, London Film Critics’ Circle, and, of course, the BAFTAs followed.
Her role in How to Have Sex didn’t just mark a professional turning point; it also gave McKenna-Bruce new insights into the casting process. Being involved in the project nine months before filming began allowed her to participate in chemistry reads with other actors—a behind-the-scenes experience that was entirely new to her.
“I got to read with loads of other actors, and I was reading with such amazing actors and stuff,” she says. “You could just see that that part just wasn’t quite right for them. And then I was like, ‘Oh, they don’t lie when they say that’s actually a thing.’ Like, it’s just not your right part. So, perseverance is key.”
I’ve had many a moment where I’ve gone, ‘I don’t know if I can do this’. And even the year that we shot How to Have Sex, I was like, ‘I'm gonna give it this year. And then, if not, I think I need to do something else
This deeper understanding of the casting process has stayed with her. “It’s not you, it’s them,” she jokes.
Now 27, she’s balancing her meteoric rise with newfound motherhood, having welcomed her first child last August. But if her schedule seems packed, she thrives on the “chaos”, her words. Her upcoming project, Netflix’s The Seven Dials Mystery, sees her leading an ensemble that includes Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman in an Agatha Christie adaptation.
Set in 1925, the series follows McKenna-Bruce as Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent, a sharp-witted sleuth unravelling a sinister country house murder. Filming between Bath and Bristol proved memorable, albeit for unexpected reasons. Halfway through production, McKenna-Bruce broke her foot mid-scene, which left her in a boot on her wedding day.
“Literally in a scene, the tiniest trip over a carpet,” she recalls. “All I had to do was walk out the room—stood up, walked out, tripped over a carpet, landed on my metatarsal, broken. But, you know, acting, I tried to pretend it didn’t happen.”
Rather than halt production, she powered through, donning a flesh-coloured sock over her medical boot and recruiting her younger sister as her body double. “They couldn’t find anyone small enough,” she laughs.
Reminiscing about the ordeal, she recalls the added pressure of performing opposite her co-star, Helena Bonham Carter. “The scene that I had to do that day was with lovely Miss Helena Bonham Carter. I was doing the scene with her, and I was on a lot of painkillers, and I was just like, so many lines to remember, my foot feels like it’s going to fall off,” she says.
Even in the chaos, McKenna-Bruce found a mentor in Bonham Carter. “She was really brilliant at looking after me,” she says. “She went into mum mode. It was gorgeous.”
With another transformative year on the horizon, McKenna-Bruce now takes on a new role: judge for the 2025 EE Rising Star Award. Reflecting on her own win, she credits the experience with reaffirming her creative vision. “It’s really made me realise the power film has,” she explains. “It can have a really positive impact on people’s lives and get these conversations going. And working with good people works so let’s do lots of that—and it can be successful.”
From awards stages to Agatha Christie sets, McKenna-Bruce is proving that resilience, ambition, and a touch of chaos can lead to extraordinary things. Reflecting on her journey, she shares what she’d tell her younger self: “I just want to tell her, ‘Just keep on going.’ Because I really love everything about my life and, like, where I’m at. So, I’m like, ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing.’”
It’s advice that perfectly encapsulates her story—one of perseverance through setbacks, whether starting over after a break from acting, auditioning tirelessly, or soldiering on with a broken foot during a scene with Helena Bonham Carter. Through it all, McKenna-Bruce has carved a path that’s entirely her own, one bold choice at a time.
Mia McKenna-Bruce joined a jury of industry experts to decide the five nominees for the EE Rising Star Award 2025. The shortlist will be announced on 7th January 2025 – at which point the public vote will open at ee.co.uk/BAFTA.
