Naomi Ackie is currently making headlines for her performance in Zoë Kravitz's chilling directorial debut Blink Twice, where she plays a cocktail waitress who gets lured to a billionaire's dreamy island for a holiday that turns out to be far from dreamy.

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The actress is no stranger to roles that take a dark turn, however, having starred in the likes of Lady Macbeth alongside Florence Pugh and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as well as stealing the show in The End of the F***ing World season 2.

It's no surprise, then, that the I Wanna Dance With Somebody star is set to appear in some of the most highly anticipated films of 2025, including the cinematic adaptation of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club and Parasite filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's star-studded sci-fi Mickey 17.

But who is she and what else has she been in? Read on for everything you need to know about the 31-year-old actress set to take Hollywood by storm.

Who is Naomi Ackie?

Naomi Ackie attends the European premiere of "Blink Twice" at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on August 19, 2024 in London, England
Naomi Ackie. Toby/Getty Images

Ackie was born in Camden and moved to Walthamstow when she was five. Her father works for Transport for London, while her mother worked in the NHS.

Despite possessing no family ties to the industry, Ackie decided to pursue acting aged 11

"When I was younger, I was more attached to the idea of being famous. I wanted to be the best actor so I could go on a red carpet and do premieres – or be in Harry Potter," Ackie told The Guardian.

"Mum was like, 'Why would you want to be famous? You should be an actor if you want to act.' She was very keen that I do it because I love it, that I study it, and that I become a master of a craft, but never aim for being a star for being a star’s sake."

She added: "I would not have lasted… the amount of times you’re told no, the amount of times you’re told you’re s**t or you’re not good enough, or the things you infer from being told no… If I had been aiming for just pure stardom, I would have given up a long time ago."

Her mother passed away before she booked her breakthrough role in 2016's Lady Macbeth, which followed on from her appearance in the Doctor Who episode Face the Raven alongside Peter Capaldi.

Despite her successes, she was ready to quit the industry when they did not translate into more work.

"I was nearly about to quit. I was still working on side jobs, still trying to make it work, still living at home. I’d had enough. And then Star Wars came along," she told The Hollywood Reporter.

It looks as though the work hasn't stopped coming in since.

How old is Naomi Ackie?

Naomi Ackie is 31 years old.

She was born on 2nd November 1992.

What nationality is Naomi Ackie?

Channing Tatum, director, writer and producer Zoë Kravitz and Naomi Ackie attend the European premiere of Blink Twice at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square
Channing Tatum, Zoë Kravitz and Naomi Ackie. John Phillips/Getty Images

Ackie is English, and was born in London.

Her parents are second-generation immigrants from Grenada, West Indies.

What has Naomi Ackie previously starred in?

Naomi Ackie standing in a field in a yellow outfit
Naomi Ackie.

The Blink Twice actress has appeared in many acclaimed film and TV shows ever since first appearing in Doctor Who in 2015, having come up in the theatre scene.

She played housemaid Anna in 2016's Lady Macbeth and was cast in Idris Elba's directorial debut Yardie in 2018. On TV, she also had small roles in ITV's Vera and Cleaning Up, and Channel 4's The Bisexual.

Her big break came in 2019, when she was cast as former stormtrooper Jannah in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. She then had a starring role in The End of the F***ing World season 2, in which she played antagonist Bonnie.

This was followed by roles in Steve McQueen's anthology series Small Axe and Aziz Ansari's Master of None, before booking Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Is Naomi Ackie on Instagram?

Yes, you can find Naomi Ackie on Instagram @naomiackie.

At present, Ackie has 19.4K followers.

Is Naomi Ackie on Twitter?

No, currently the actress does not currently have a profile on X (formerly known as Twitter).

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