Emma Margaret Marie Tachard-Mackey is a French-British actress best known for her portrayal of the intelligent and sardonic Maeve Wiley in Sex Education. Mackey always knew she wanted to chart her course in the entertainment industry from a young age. This influenced her choices as a student as she honed her skills for the spotlight. She finally made her professional debut in 2016 and already has a handful of award nominations and wins to her credit.
Known for her signature big brown eyes and thick eyebrows, Emma Mackey is often mistaken for Australian actress and producer, Margot Robbie. Both actresses share an uncanny resemblance which is one of the reasons people are talking about Mackey. This helped to further propel Mackey to the spotlight and an opportunity presented itself for them to work together in Barbie (2023) to the delight of fans. Mackey joined Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and several other Hollywood stars to star in the box-office hit. Released theatrically on July 21, by Warner Bros. Pictures, Barbie quickly became the third highest-grossing film of 2023 with over $835 million earned within a few weeks. Keep reading for more exciting exploits of Emma Mackey as an actress.
Emma Mackey’s Early Life and Education
Emma Mackey was born on January 4, 1996, in Le Mans, France, to an English mother named Rachel and a French father known as Philippe. Thus, she hails from a mixed background of French and English heritage. Mackey grew up in Sablé-sur-Sarthe in a modest home. Her father worked as a school headmaster. An alum of l’académie de Nantes, Mackey graduated with High Honors, bagging her baccalauréat in 2013.
After getting her baccalauréat in France, Emma Mackey moved to the United Kingdom for her college degree. Subsequently, she graduated from the University of Leeds after studying English language and literature from 2013 to 2016. Mackey didn’t let the grass grow under her feet before launching her acting career fresh out of college. She directed and performed in several stage productions at the budding stage of her acting career. After her graduation, she relocated to London to get closer to bigger opportunities.
Emma Mackey Got Her Career Breakthrough on the Set of Sex Education
With just a few roles in her professional acting profile, Emma Mackey is making waves in the movie industry. She made her debut in 2016 as Michelle in Badger Lane, a short horror TV project where she was credited as Emma Tachard-Mackey. It took her three years to land her next project when she was cast in her television debut to play Maeve Wiley in Sex Education. However, the wait was totally worth it as it became a career-defining role for the actress. She appeared in 24 episodes of Sex Education from 2019 to 2021 alongside Asa Butterfield (Otis Milburn).
While she was busy putting her name on the map on the set of Sex Education, Emma Mackey appeared in several film projects. She played Jess in the short film Tic and depicted Holly in the mystery thriller, The Winter Lake both in 2020. In 2021, she appeared as Adrienne Bourgès in Eiffel and portrayed Jacqueline de Bellefort in Death on the Nile (2022). Mackey played the titular role in Emily (2022), a biographical film about the iconic English writer Emily Brontë.
Her Recent Projects and Upcoming Works
The charming and soft-spoken Emma Mackey has more projects in the pipeline with one of her recent offerings making a buzz in the industry. Mackey’s role in Barbie (2023) is considered spectacular, particularly because she starred alongside her doppelganger Margot Robbie in the comedy-drama. The fact that people often mistake her for the Australian actress inspired Greta Gerwig to cast Mackey as one of the Barbies in the film.
Emma Mackey’s Awards and Recognition
The French-British actress has won a few awards within a short time of being in the entertainment industry. Her first film project won the Best Film Drama award at the National Student Television Association Awards in 2016. She went ahead to score two nominations for her role in Sex Education. The British Academy Television Awards nominated her in the Best Female Comedy for her performance in Sex Education in 2021 while she won in the Outstanding Comedy Actress category at the National Comedy Awards in 2022 for the same performance.
In 2022, British Independent Film Awards nominated her in the Best Lead Performance category for her role in Emily while the film made the nomination list for Best Ensemble Performance. Also, Emma Mackey received the coveted BAFTA Rising Star Award at the 2023 British Academy Film Awards. There’s no gainsaying Mackey is on her path to the top if she keeps churning out her best.
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