Who is Irish actress Ella Lily Hyland, star of Black Doves?
With star power like Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw behind it, it’s no wonder that Netflix’s Black Doves is already proving to be a fan-favourite.
The six-episode spy thriller is receiving critical acclaim for its action-filled and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice, but there is one thing that stands out about the series… the show’s breakout star Ella Lily Hyland.
So just who is the Irish actress who plays the hilarious assassin Williams in Black Doves?
Where is Ella Lily Hyland from?
Ella Lily Hyland is a proud Carlow woman. The 26-year-old kept her strong midlands accent when playing Williams in the Netflix series, something she reveled in after adopting a British accent in previous work.
She told the Independent that she wants to make it clear to the public that she’s Irish. ‘I really don’t want people to think I’m English,’ she explained. ‘I want people to know.’
She admitted to channeling Love Island’s Maura Higgins when filming Black Doves, as her outspokenness and strong accent resonates with both Ella and her on-screen character.
‘I didn’t look like Maura at all, but she does have the same accent as me,’ she explained. ‘And she’s so like all the people I grew up with. They speak in a certain way… It’s that dirty sexualisation of everything.’
Reflecting on her hometown, she said: ‘There’s not a politeness to the town, there’s a rawness. People are able to speak their minds and fight and argue. I was definitely more like that as a teenager, but I’ve softened a bit now so I don’t get in trouble.’
Growing up
Growing up as an only child, Ella spent a lot of time in her mum Connie’s hair salon in Carlow town. She went to a mixed primary school in Graiguecullen, just outside of the town.
She has said that she was prone to getting into trouble as a youngster due to her high-energy personality. ‘I was a nightmare for my da,’ she recalled. ‘He’d be like, “Where is she?” And I’d be pure smoking rollies in the car park.’
Ella then went on to attend St Leos College, an all-girls convent school, which she didn’t enjoy. She revealed that she found the rigidness of school very tough as a teen, finding herself getting suspended ‘nearly every year.’
She cites being ‘very hyper’ as the reason she ‘didn’t really fit into the system’. She later moved to Presentation College, a mixed school in the town, where she settled in better.
She went on to attend The Lir Academy in Trinity, where Paul Mescal was studying as a third year at the time. From there, Ella began to launch her career as an actor and screenwriter.
Past work
Ella’s breakout role was in the Amazon Prime Series Fifteen-Love alongside Aidan Turner.
The powerful drama follows the story of pro tennis player Justine Pearce, played by Ella, who attempts to expose the misconduct of her former tennis coach Glenn Lapthorne.
Ella’s performance garnered critical acclaim, with The Guardian calling her acting ‘superlative’.
Future work
While Black Doves has only just been newly released on Netflix, Ella is still looking ahead at other projects. She is set to star in the BBC’s Agatha Christie adaptation Towards Zero.
She’ll star opposite Jackie Clune, Grace Doherty, Jack Farthing, and Khalil Gharbia in the series, which will be released on BBC One in 2025.
Relationship status
Ella has never publically stated whether she is in a relationship, but she regularly shares snaps of fellow actor and model Anders Hayward on social media.
She described the Kent native as a ‘little sprite who is both sound and good looking xxxx’ in a birthday tribute to him on her Instagram.
Check out the trailer for Black Doves, which is currently available to watch on Netflix:
