Lara McDonnell (born 7 November 2003) is an Irish actress. She starred as the alternating title role in the West End production of ''

Matilda the Musical ''Roald Dahl's Matilda'', also known simply as ''Matilda'' and ''Matilda the Musical'', is a musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly. It is based on the 1988 novel '' Matilda'' by Roald Dahl. The musical's narr ...

'' from 2015 to 2016. She has since landed roles in a number of films. McDonnell appeared on the 2021 ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...

'' list of actors to go stellar.

Early life and education

McDonnell is from the Luttrellstown area of

Castleknock Castleknock () is an affluent village in County Dublin, Ireland, located west of the centre of Dublin city. It is in the modern county of Fingal. In addition to the village, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: a ...

, a suburb west of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. The eldest of three to parents Hazel and Ciaran, she has a sister (Charlotte) and a brother (Andrew). McDonnell attended St Brigid's National School, Castleknock. She took after school drama classes at a parish centre near her school.

Career

McDonnell made her first acting appearance in 2014, playing an adolescent Rosie in the romantic comedy-drama film '' Love, Rosie''. The following year, she was cast as one of four girls playing Matilda Wormwood in the West End musical ''

''. After this, McDonnell played a young Anne Brontë in '' To Walk Invisible'' (2016) and then as Alannah in '' The Delinquent Season'' (2018). She then played Captain

Holly Short This is a list of characters in the '' Artemis Fowl'' novel series by Eoin Colfer. Overview * A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the property or that the character's presence in the property has yet to be announced ...

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...

's ''

Artemis Fowl ''The Fowl Adventures'' is a series of eleven fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer revolving around various members of the Fowl family. The first cycle, the eight-book ''Artemis Fowl'', follows elf Lower Elements Police Reconnai ...

'' (2020), a

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

film based on the novel of the same name by

Eoin Colfer Eoin Colfer (; born 14 May 1965) is an Irish author of children's books. He worked as a primary school teacher before he became a full-time writer. He is best known for being the author of the ''Artemis Fowl'' series. In September 2008, Colf ...

. Following the release of the trailer, McDonnell's casting drew some criticism as Holly is described in the book as having "nut-brown skin", leading to accusations of whitewashing. McDonnell would work with Branagh again on his film ''

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

'' (2021), playing Moira. In 2022, she appeared in the Channel 5 drama ''The Holiday'' as Lucy. The same year, she also appeared in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series '' The Last Bus''. In 2023, she starred in '' Greatest Days'', playing a teenage Rachel. Since January 2024, McDonnell has played the part of Young Joan in the play '' The Hills of California''.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Stage

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonnell, Lara Living people 2003 births 21st-century Irish actresses Irish child actresses Irish musical theatre actresses People from Castleknock Actresses from County Dublin Irish film actresses Irish television actresses