on BBC Two, bringing to our screens the story of young woman Ursula Todd, who dies and is reborn time and again.
The four-part period drama plays out against the backdrop of both World Wars.
Based on the novel by Kate Atkinson, Life After Life is the first of two books about the Todd family, with A God in Ruins acting as a companion piece, rather than direct sequel, and focusing on Ursula’s brother Teddy.
The adaptation boasts an impressive cast including ’s Sian Clifford and Mare of Easttown’s James McArdle as Ursula’s parents, alongside ’s Jessica Brown Findlay, Joshua Hill and Patsy Ferran.
Thomasin McKenzie stars as Ursula, but who is she and what has she been in before?
Who is Thomasin McKenzie?
McKenzie is a 21-year-old actress from New Zealand, born in Wellington.
Raised in a family of thespians, her mother is actress and acting coach Miranda Harcourt, while her father is director, producer and writer Stuart McKenzie, known for The Changeover with Timothy Spall and Lucy Lawless.
Her grandmother is performer Dame Kate Harcourt, while her younger sister Davida is also pursuing acting.
What has Thomasin McKenzie been in?
She made her debut in 2012, when she was aged around 12, in Existence, before appearing as a young version of campaigner Louise Nicholas in television film Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story.
Her first major movie was in 2014, in which she played the small role of Astrid.
After appearing in her father’s film The Changeover, McKenzie hit a run of well-received films including Leave No Trace and Tue History of the Kelly Gang, while she also had a recurring role on New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street.
She featured as Queen Philippa of Denmark in in 2019, opposite and Joel Edgerton, and in the heart-rending part of Elsa Korr – the Jewish teenage girl in hiding – in .
McKenzie then appeared in Lost Girls and The Justice of Bunny King, before taking on a role in M Night Shyamalan’s creepy beach thriller Old, where she played Maddox Cappa at 16 years old.
In 2021, she took on ‘Ellie’ Turner in , working closely with as Sandie, as her character experiences vivid dreams of London in the swinging sixties.
was another major film on her CV, in which she appeared as Lola alongside the likes of , , Jesse Plemons and .
The film received and Oscar nominations, converting a few of them to wins.
Her upcoming projects include prison drama Eileen with , and Perfect, directed by, in which she stars as American gymnast Kerri Strug.
Life After Life continues next Tuesday at 9pm on BBC Two.
