Eline Powell

Powell is the daughter of Belgian pharmacologist Rudi Pauwels and clinical researcher Carine Claeys, who in 1994 were two of the co-founders of the biotech company Tibotec.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/01/20/powell/ |title=Powell dives into 'Siren' role |last=Bobbin |first=Jay |work=Boston Herald |quote=Her pharmacologist father founded a biotech company (with her mother) in their homeland and a molecular diagnostic company in Switzerland, and he has been a leading force in the treatment of the HIV virus. |date=20 January 2019 |access-date=23 January 2019}} She was born in Leuven and lived in Mechelen until she was fourteen years old.{{Cite web|last=Debie|first=Eline|date=25 April 2018|title=Vlaamse Eline Powell speelt hoofdrol in 'Siren': 'Maar ik sluit Belgische series zeker niet uit'|url=https://www.flair.be/nl/chillax/series-films/eline-powell-hoofdrol-in-siren-maar-ik-sluit-een-belgische-serie-zeker-niet-uit/|url-status=live|access-date=23 January 2019|work=Flair|quote=Ik ben in 1990 in Leuven geboren en heb dan tot mijn 14 jaar in het Mechelse gewoond. Daarna even in Zwitserland, om vervolgens definitief naar Engeland te verhuizen. Daar ben ik aan mijn studie aan de Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in Londen begonnen. (I was born in 1990 in Leuven and then lived in Mechelen until I was 14 years old. Then in Switzerland for a short while, and then permanently moved to England. That is where I started my studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109133015/https://www.flair.be/nl/chillax/series-films/eline-powell-hoofdrol-in-siren-maar-ik-sluit-een-belgische-serie-zeker-niet-uit/ |archive-date=9 November 2021}} After a short stay in Switzerland, she moved to England, but she has Belgian citizenship and considers Belgium her home.

She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 2011 with a BA degree in acting.{{cite web|url=https://www.rada.ac.uk/profiles?aos=acting&yr=2011&fn=eline&sn=powell|work=rada.ac.uk|title=Eline Powell - RADA: The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art - Student}}

Powell started her career in a short student film For Elsie, where she played the role of Mila, a mobster's daughter who wants to learn the piano in one day. Her performance earned awards from the Beijing Student Film Festival and the Student Academy Awards, USA;{{Cite web |url=https://showbizpost.com/who-is-actress-eline-powell-from-siren-her-wiki-siblings-affair-bio-boyfriend-dating-single-parents-net-worth/ |title=Who is actress Eline Powell from "Siren"? Her Wiki: Siblings, Affair, Bio, Boyfriend, Dating, Single, Parents, Net Worth |last=Vanselow |first=Arthur |work=Showbiz Post |quote=After RADA, Eline launched her career by starring in the short comedy-drama film “For Elsie” in 2011, next to Blake Ritson and Olegar Fedoro, actually also the directing debut of David Winstone. Eline won several awards for her work on the film, including Audience Award from the Beijing Student Film Festival, and Honorary Foreign Film Award from Student Academy Awards, USA, among others. |date=24 July 2018 |access-date=23 January 2019}} and the film's director, David Winstone, received the Foreign Film Gold Medal at the 39th Annual Student Academy Awards in 2012.{{Cite web |url=https://www.oscars.org/videos-photos/39th-student-academy-awards-highlights |title=The 39TH Student Academy Awards Highlights |publisher=Oscars.org |quote=39th Student Academy Awards -- Foreign Film (Gold Medal): David Winstone |year=2012 |access-date=23 January 2019}}

In 2012, she had a small role (Angelique) in Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/06/quartet-review-film-dustin-hoffman|title=Quartet – review|last=French|first=Philip|date=5 January 2013|work=The Guardian|access-date=25 January 2019|quote=Dustin Hoffman ... makes his confident directorial debut at 75}} Quartet.{{Cite web |url=http://www.pixel51.com/blog/archives/37343 |title=Siren's Eline Powell – Early Film Appearances |work=Pixel51 |quote=Powell’s character Angelique gives Cedric (Michael Gambon) a manicure, is a server in the dining hall, and has an assignation in the tall grass with co-worker Simon (Luke Newberry).

|date=15 July 2018 |access-date=24 January 2019}}

In 2014, Powell played the title role in the Italian drama film Anita B. directed by Roberto Faenza, for which the 2014 Capri, Hollywood International Film Festival named her that year's Breakout Actress.{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/imitation-game-tops-capri-hollywood-760950 |title=The Imitation Game' Tops Capri, Hollywood Film Festival |last=Ford |first=Rebecca |work=The Hollywood Reporter |quote=Breakout Actors - Ryan Gage (The Hobbit) and Eline Powell (Quartet) |date=2 January 2015 |access-date=23 January 2019}}

{{Cite web |url=http://www.caprihollywood.com/en/contact-us/news/421-young-actress-eline-powell-received-qcapri-breakout-actress-awardq-for-the-movie-qanita-bq-.html |title=Young Actress Eline Powell Received The 2014 "Capri Breakout Actress Award" For The Movie "Anita B." |publisher=Capri Hollywood |date=4 January 2015 |access-date=23 January 2019 |archive-date=25 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125131007/http://www.caprihollywood.com/en/contact-us/news/421-young-actress-eline-powell-received-qcapri-breakout-actress-awardq-for-the-movie-qanita-bq-.html |url-status=dead}} The Hollywood Reporter, on the other hand, criticized her performance as "ineffective.. failing to convey any traces of the suffering her character has obviously endured."

In 2016, she appeared in two episodes of Game of Thrones as Bianca, a young actress plotting to murder her rival.{{Cite web |url=http://www.allocine.fr/diaporamas/series/diaporama-18671680/ |title=Siren : qui est Eline Powell, la troublante sirène de la nouvelle série ? |last=Chiapello |first=Juliette |work=Allocine |quote=Bianca, qui interprétait Sansa Stark, faisait alors appel aux assassins de Braavos afin qu'ils la débarrassent de sa rivale, et qu'elle puisse reprendre le rôle phare de Cersei Lannister. (Bianca, who played Sansa Stark, then called on the assassins of Braavos to rid her of her rival, so that she could take over the leading role of Cersei Lannister.) |date=29 March 2018 |access-date=23 January 2019}}

She had small roles in Novitiate and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, both released in 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/novitiate-review-967071|title='Novitiate': Film Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=21 January 2017|access-date=26 March 2018|first=Leslie|last=Felperin|quote=...Liana Liberto, Rebecca Dayan, Eline Powell...}}{{Cite web |url=https://tv.bt.com/tv/tv-from-bt/siren-star-eline-powell-5-reasons-to-watch-her-new-syfy-mermaid-drama-11364268130550 |title=Siren star Eline Powell: 5 reasons to watch her new SYFY mermaid drama |last=Hannam |first=Laura |work=BT.com |quote= She played scheming actress Bianca in Game of Thrones and a Syren in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. And she is now the star of SYFY drama Siren, a dark take on the mermaid fantasy theme. |date=2 May 2018 |access-date=24 January 2019}}

In August 2016, Powell was cast to star in the Freeform series Siren playing Ryn, a feral mermaid who comes to a small coastal village in search of her sister.{{cite magazine|url=https://deadline.com/2016/08/the-deep-pilot-eline-powell-rena-owen-claws-jason-antoon-1201807868/|title='The Deep' Pilot Casts Eline Powell & Rena Owen; 'Claws' Adds Jason Antoon|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=24 August 2016|magazine=Deadline}} To prepare for the role, Powell studied legends of mermaids and sea creatures.{{Cite web |url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2019/01/25/1887826/eline-powell-interview-mermaid |title=Eline Powell: Interview with the Mermaid |last=Tomada |first=Nathalie |work=The Philippine Star |quote=The first earliest mermaid mentioned in history books was Atargartis in Assyria, a thousand BC. In Africa, you have Mami Wata. I was looking at all different countries and their versions of mermaids.|date=25 January 2019 |access-date=25 January 2019}} To develop ideas for the mermaid's body language, she worked from videos of marine and other predators.{{Cite web |url=https://articles.crookesmagazine.com/2018/04/12/interview-eline-powell-actress-siren/ |title=Interview: Eline Powell – an actress at the height of her powers with 'Siren' |last=Crookes |first=Adam |work=Crookes Magazine |quote=I watched a lot of Blue Planet and looked at different predators, particularly mammals in the sea AND on land. I just played around and picked what I thought would work best. |date=12 April 2018 |access-date=24 January 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://talknerdywithus.com/2018/03/31/exclusive-interview-with-sirens-eline-powell/ |title=Exclusive Interview with Siren's Eline Powell |last=Clark |first=Terri |work=Talk Nerdy With Us |quote=I love the very quick movements of cheetahs that make people jump a bit... But I also love the fluidity of bigger mammals, like whales and orcas. |date=31 March 2018 |access-date=24 January 2019}} For the mermaid's newly learned speech, Powell was inspired by the accent of Icelandic singer Björk. She also worked with a free diver to learn monofin techniques for underwater swimming and fast turns.{{Cite web

|url=https://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/siren-eline-powell-157097/ |title=It's Not Easy Being a Mermaid — Just Ask 'Siren' Stars Eline Powell and Alex Roe |last=Gross |first=Ed |work=Life and Style Magazine |quote=With Alex [Roe] commenting that the movement of the mermaid is very much Eline at work and not effects, she explains that when she got the job while in London, she had already begun training with a 'top level free diver' who had appropriate monofins, including really broad ones which are used in swimming competitions. |date=29 March 2018 |access-date=4 September 2021}}

Reviews of Siren were generally positive about Powell's performance,{{Cite web |url=https://www.themarysue.com/freeform-mermaid-show-siren-review/ |title=Review: Freeform's Mermaid Show, Siren, Is a Fresh Take on an Old Tail |last=Mason |first=Jessica |work=The Mary Sue |quote=The biggest strength is in the lead performance by Powell as Ryn. Powell is not only unearthly in her look, but never lets us forget that Ryn is not human. She manages a balance of innocence and raw, animalistic danger that’s fascinating to watch any time she’s on the screen. |date=26 March 2018 |access-date=26 January 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/04/tvs-new-horror-mermaid-show-siren-is-gruesome-and.html |title=TV's New Horror Mermaid Show Siren Is Gruesome and Great. Freeform Should Let It Stay That Way. |last=Gunderson |first=Alexis |work=Paste Magazine |quote=In the meantime, I will be marveling at how unsettlingly convincing Eline Powell is as a crackingly intelligent, always-learning predator barely containing her inhumanity. |date=19 April 2018 |access-date=24 January 2019}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.pixel51.com/blog/archives/40827 |title=PIXEL 51's Ten Best Newfound Things of 2018 |work=Pixel 51 |quote=Ryn reacts to some humans with anger tinged with hunger, to others with affection infused with a slight air of superiority. Accustomed to being at the top of the food chain, she does not find humans very threatening, but she does find them interesting. Watching this character develop was the highlight of the year. |date=24 December 2018 |access-date=24 January 2019}} with IndieWire saying, "Powell's ability to embody a being who is mainly a physical presence, yet fill it with wonder, fear, and menace without uttering a word, is magnetic."{{Cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/siren-review-mermaid-tail-tale-freeform-1201944990/ |title='Siren' Review: A Murderous Mermaid Is the Only Thing Keeping Freeform's Tepid Series Afloat |last=Nguyen |first=Han |work=IndieWire |quote=Powell's ability to embody a being who is mainly a physical presence, yet fill it with wonder, fear, and menace without uttering a word, is magnetic. Even when she begins to speak broken English, that can't diminish the intensity of her performance. |date=29 March 2018 |access-date=24 January 2019}} The Tampa Bay Times praised her performance as one of "Siren's biggest strengths" (the other was its Pacific Northwest setting.){{Cite web |url=https://www.tampabay.com/blogs/media/2018/03/27/review-the-mermaids-in-siren-dont-want-to-be-part-of-your-world/ |title=Review: The mermaids in 'Siren' don't want to be part of your world |last=Tatham |first=Chelsea |work=Tampa Bay Times |quote=Siren's biggest strengths come from Powell's performance as an apex predator of lore and the show's Pacific Northwest setting — a popular backdrop for pulpy YA television. |date=27 March 2018 |access-date=24 January 2019}} TV Guide, on the other hand, reviewing the pilot, complained that Powell "looks weird...performs the act of staring weird, as though she's trying with all her might to pop her eyeballs out of her head through sheer will."{{Cite web |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/siren-season-1-episode-1-review-recap-mermaids/ |title=Siren's Strangeness Saves the Supernatural Genre From Drowning in Predictability |last=Surette |first=Tim |work=TV Guide |quote=I hope I can say this, she looks weird. And by "looks weird" I mean performs the act of staring weird, as though she's trying with all her might to pop her eyeballs out of her head through sheer will. |date=29 March 2018 |access-date=25 January 2019}}

Siren, which was the top new cable drama during spring 2018, was renewed in October for a second season, premiering on 24 January 2019.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/10/siren-season-2-premiere-date-trailer-new-york-comic-con-freeform-mermaid-drama-1202476619/|title='Siren': Season 2 Premiere Date, Promo & First-Look Photo For Freeform's Mermaid Drama – NY Comic Con|work=Deadline Hollywood|last=Pedersen|first=Erik|quote=Siren was the No. 1 new cable drama during its spring run this year.|date=4 October 2018|access-date=25 January 2019}}

In December 2018, Powell announced her engagement to British director and animator Lee Lennox.{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq3mQmrDQqV/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/elinepowell/1925175632527690389 |archive-date=25 December 2021 |url-access=registration|title="OKAY YES" to my love and fiancé @missing_pixel ❤️ It was so wonderful sharing this with the @siren family on set the next day. Thank you so much dear friends both cast and crew for all the sweetest well wishes! You are love 🙏🙏❤️❤️|author=Eline Powell|website=Instagram|date=1 December 2018|access-date=7 January 2019}}{{cbignore}}

She announced her pregnancy on Instagram April 2021. She later gave birth to a girl in July 2021.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Twitter|elinepowell}}
• {{IMDb name|4730958|Eline Powell}}
• [https://www.spotlight.com/6213-5642-1964 Casting page] at Spotlight (company)

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Category:1990 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century English actresses

Category:Belgian television actresses

Category:Belgian film actresses

Category:Belgian expatriates in England

Category:People from Leuven