Rochelle Neil
{{Short description|British actress}}
{{Infobox person
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Rochelle Neil
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 2006–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Jesper Borulf|2012}}
| children = 1
| television = {{Plainlist|
}}
}}
Rochelle Neil is an English television and stage actress. She began her career in theatre. On television, she is known for her roles in the Sky One drama Das Boot (2020), the HBO series The Nevers (2021–2023), and the ITV miniseries Three Little Birds (2023).
Early life
Neil was born in the East London Borough of Waltham Forest. She is of Jamaican and Grenadian descent.{{Cite web|url=https://britishperioddramas.com/news/rochelle-neil-interview-who-plays-leah-in-three-little-birds/|title='Three Little Birds' interview: Rochelle Neil plays Leah in '50s Windrush drama|website=British Period Dramas|date=22 October 2023|accessdate=27 April 2024}} Neil began attending the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts when she was 13.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/rochelle-neil-actor|title=Rochelle Neil: actor|website=The Stage|first=Georgia|last=Snow|date=21 June 2014|accessdate=27 April 2024}}
Career
Neil made her professional stage debut in Fantastic Mr Fox at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in 2007.{{Cite web|url=https://openairtheatreheritage.com/actors/rochelle-neil/YX_4cBIAACUA-_YF|title=Rochelle Neil - Our Heritage|website=Open Air Theatre|accessdate=27 April 2024}} She played Mayme in Lynn Nottage's Evening Standard Theatre Award-nominated Intimate Apparel at the Park Theatre.{{Cite web|title=Park Theatre|url=http://parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/intimate-apparel/about|accessdate=27 April 2024|website=Park Theatre}} To prepare for the latter role, Neil learned ragtime piano.{{Cite web|title=Intimate Apparel (Park Theatre)|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/reviews/intimate-apparel-park-theatre_35019.html|accessdate=27 April 2024|website=WhatsOnStage|first=Michael|last=Coveney|date=10 July 2014 |language=en-GB}} She appeared in two Triforce Film Festival short films: Gracie with Kate Dickie and Could You Be My Match.{{Cite web|url=https://vintagemediagroup.com/actress-rochelle-neil-turning-heads/|title=Actress Rochelle Neil Turning Heads Everywhere She Goes|website=Vintage Media Group|date=12 December 2015|accessdate=27 April 2024}}
Neil played Adina in the television film adaptation of Zadie Smith's NW and had a recurring role as Jessica in the fifth series of the BBC Two and Showtime sitcom Episodes.{{Cite web|title=Rochelle Neil|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/rochelle_neil/|accessdate=27 April 2024|website=British Comedy Guide}} In 2018, Neil was invited to take part in the BAFTA Newcomers Program in Los Angeles.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/07/bafta-la-expands-newcomers-program-1202432482/|title=Coming To America: BAFTA LA Expands Newcomers Program To International Talent & Biz|first=Andreas|last=Wiseman|date=24 July 2018|accessdate=27 April 2024}} While in Los Angeles, Neil performed the voice and motion capture of Faye in the EA video game Anthem.{{Cite web|last=Green|first=Jake|date=2019-03-01|title=Anthem Voice Actors - Here's the Voice Cast For Anthem|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/01-03-2019-anthem-voice-actors-heres-the-voice-cast-for-anthem|accessdate=27 April 2024|website=USgamer}}
In 2020, Neil joined the cast of the German Sky One war series Das Boot for its second season as Cassandra Lloyd, a Harlem jazz singer.{{Cite web|url=https://dramaquarterly.com/back-in-deep-water/|title=Back in deep water|website=Drama Quarterly|first=Michael|last=Pickard|date=22 April 2020|accessdate=27 April 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.skygroup.sky/en-gb/article/sky-studios-to-fund-and-distribute-future-seasons-of-award-winning-sky-original-das-boot|title=Sky Studios to fund and distribute future seasons of award-winning Sky Original Das Boot|website=Sky|date=5 December 2019|accessdate=27 April 2024}} As announced in 2019,{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/07/the-nevers-joss-whedons-hbo-sci-fi-drama-series-adds-12-to-cast-1202657064/|title='The Nevers': Joss Whedon's HBO Sci-Fi Drama Series Adds 12 To Cast|first=Denise|last=Petski|website=Deadline|date=30 July 2019|accessdate=27 April 2024}} Neil played Annie Carbey, a criminal with the ability to control fire, in the 2021 HBO science fiction drama series The Nevers.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2021/04/joss-whedon-the-nevers-hbo-rochelle-neil-1234629224/|title='The Nevers': Fire Eating, Androgyny, and Jack the Ripper — Just Normal Prep for an HBO Role|journal=IndieWire|first=Ann|last=Donahue|date=11 April 2021|accessdate=27 April 2024}}{{Cite journal|url=https://collider.com/the-nevers-hbo-nick-frost-rochelle-neil-vinnie-heaven-interview/|title='The Nevers' Stars Nick Frost, Rochelle Neil and Vinnie Heaven on Characters You Don't Want to Mess With|journal=Collider|first=Christina|last=Radish|date=16 May 2021|accessdate=17 April 2024}} After being pulled from HBO Max, the latter half of The Nevers episodes were released on Tubi in 2023. Also in 2021, Neil played Yvonne in the second series of the BBC Scotland thriller Guilt.{{Cite web|url=https://www.memorabletv.com/interviews/guilty-interview-with-rochelle-neil-yvonne/|title=Guilt - Interview with Rochelle Neil (Yvonne)|website=Memorable TV|date=12 October 2021|accessdate=27 April 2024}}
Neil starred as the lead character Leah Whittaker in Lenny Henry's 2023 miniseries Three Little Birds for ITVX, inspired by his mother's story of arriving in Britain from Jamaica in the 1950s.{{Cite web|url=https://banijayuk.com/rochelle-neil-yazmin-belo-and-saffron-coomber-announced-as-the-leads-of-itvs-three-little-birds/|title=Rochelle Neil, Yazmin Belo and Saffron Coomber announced as the leads of ITV's Three Little Birds|website=Banijay UK|date=18 November 2022|accessdate=27 April 2024}} To prepare for the role, Neil read her own Jamaican grandmother's memoir.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/rochelle-neil-interview/|title='There Was A Lot Of Joy On Set': Rochelle Neil On Three Little Birds – Interview|journal=Country & Town House|author=Olivia Emily|date=21 October 2023|accessdate=27 April 2024}} She described the role as "a gift for an actor" due to the characters development, {{cite web |access-date=2 May 2024 |date=February 6, 2024 |first=Brian |last=Jones |title='The Nevers' Star Rochelle Neil on Playing a 'Fighter' in New Series 'Three Little Birds' (Exclusive) |url=https://popculture.com/streaming/amp/news/the-nevers-star-rochelle-neil-playing-fighter-new-series-three-little-birds-exclusive/ |website=Pop Culture}} but told The Independent that the role took an emotional toll, saying "When we finished filming, I stayed in Coventry for an extra week because I just couldn’t stop crying" but that she saw it as a quintessentially "British story, because everyone’s lives changed. Everyone was exposed to new music, new culture… The UK as we know it now would not be the same country if it wasn’t for the immigration that has happened. It’s everyone’s story."{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/three-little-birds-lenny-henry-interview-b2433079.html?callback=in&code=MTQWMJI5ZMUTOWY2YS0ZYJQ1LWIYYTQTMZZHOGMZMDZKZTMW&state=5620fdc8c42149b1858c4f184beb314a|website=The Independent|accessdate=2 May 2024|title= Lenny Henry and the cast of Three Little Birds on their powerful Windrush drama: 'Our long existence here isn't a fairytale'|first=Nicole|last=Vassell|date=22 October 2023}}
Personal life
Neil is based between Stockholm and London and is married with a daughter.{{Cite journal|url=https://1883magazine.com/three-little-birds/|title=Three Little Birds - Rochelle Neil, Yazmin Belo, Saffron Coomber|journal=1883 Magazine|first=Cameron|last=Poole|date=24 April 2024|accessdate=27 October 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.italktelly.com/post/i-talk-to-rochelle-neil|title=I TALK TO Rochelle Neil|website=I Talk Telly|first=Elliot|last=Gonzalez|date=22 October 2023|accessdate=27 April 2024}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2004
| Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | School Girl | Uncredited |
| rowspan="2" | 2012
| Love & War | rowspan="2" | Woman | Short film |
| Café
| Short film |
| 2014
| Steph | |
| rowspan="2" | 2015
| Could You Be My Match | Jada | Short film |
| Gracie
| Younger Gracie | Short film |
| 2016
| The Hand of The Creator | Zoe | |
| 2018
| Nika | Sarah | Short film |
| 2019
| C-5 CO-Pilot | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2006
| Dancer | Episode: "Do You Want to Dance?" |
| 2010
| Sally-Anne Hope | Episode: "Skeletons" |
| 2013, 2015
| Doctors | Kelly Abraham / Laura Garson | 2 episodes |
| 2015
| Shelly Kennedy | Episode: "The Perfect Murder" |
| 2016
| NW | Adina | Television film |
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| Episodes | Jessica | 4 episodes (series 5) |
| Hailmakers
| Celeste | Pilot |
| 2018
| Free Rein: The Twelve Neighs of Christmas | Gigi | Christmas special |
| 2020
| Cassandra Lloyd | Main role; season 2 (7 episodes) |
| 2021–2023
| Annie Carbey | Main role |
| 2021
| Guilt | Yvonne | 4 episodes (series 2) |
| 2023
| Leah Whittaker | Miniseries |
=Video games=
- Anthem (2019) as Faye
=Stage=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2007
| Mrs Weasel | Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London |
| 2009
| Chicago | Go-to-Hell-Kitty |
| 2011–2012
| Ghost | Ensemble | Piccadilly Theatre, London |
| 2013
| Tina Turner (understudy) | Hackney Empire / Savoy Theatre, London |
| 2014
| Mayme | Ustinov Studio, Bath / Park Theatre, London |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|2406518}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neil, Rochelle}}
Category:Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
Category:Black British actresses
Category:English expatriates in Sweden
Category:English film actresses
Category:English people of Grenadian descent
Category:English people of Jamaican descent
Category:English television actresses
Category:English voice actresses