Interview with Emma Mackey, heroine of the film Hot Milk

By Camille Bois-Martin.

It’s hard to find new ways to introduce the Franco-British actress Emma Mackey, who graces the covers of most international magazines and appears in the latest Hollywood productions. At just 29 years old, the actress first made a name for herself  for her performance in Sex Education in 2019. Although her breakout role remains memorable, she has left the hit Netflix series to pursue new roles, which she’s been stacking up since then.

Emma Mackey: a versatile actress from Sex Education to Hot Milk

Far removed from the pink hair and grunge look of Maeve, the rebellious lead character of the series about teenage sexuality, this versatile actress donned a crinoline to star in Eiffel (2021), then a sultry blood-red dress to embody a murderer in Death on the Nile a year later.

In 2023, she portrayed the 19th-century writer Emily Brontë in Emily, before appearing in the global phenomenon Barbie alongside Margot Robbie – an actress with whom Emma Mackey has often been compared. This year, she takes on the lead in Hot Milk, a drama by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, where she stars alongside Vicky Krieps. Trapped in a complicated relationship with her mother, the British star spends the summer in southern Spain, where she meets Ingrid. She finds herself drawn to Ingrid in a way that shakes up her daily mother-daughter dynamics. Besides, she was at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival to present Julia Ducournau’s new feature film, Alpha.

In short, a diverse range of roles, all of which Emma Mackey plays to perfection. When asked how she chooses her roles during our Parisian encounter, the Franco-British actress replied with a laugh: “Randomly,” before adding, “if the script speaks to me, if it aligns with who I am, I accept. I follow my intuition.”

Emma Mackey as Emily Brontë in the film Emily

It was likely a stroke of serendipity that audiences felt while watching Emily in 2023. Directed by Australian filmmaker Frances O’Connor – thus marking her debut feature film – Emma Mackey captivated the audience as the young, unconventional writer, unable to conform to the strict expectations imposed by British society in the late 19th century.

Often filmed in close-up, her face dominates much of the film. Joyful, anxious, serious, provocative, in love, possessed… The actress showcases a wide range of emotions, through her dark eyebrows and intense gaze. “It was important for me to give life to this historical character,” she explains. “Frances and I didn’t want to turn Emily Brontë into some sort of boring, untouchable statue.”

The vulnerability that Emma Mackey manages to infuse into her character – reminiscent of her tough, yet soft character in Sex Education – makes Emily Brontë feel human, almost tangible, distancing her from the famous, marble-etched historical figure. Indeed, while the real Emily Brontë did exist, the film’s intention is not to present her biography. “It’s not a biopic, I’ve said that many times already,” the Franco-British actress emphasizes. “The sooner you realize that, the easier it is to follow the story that is told.”

“All the films and series I’ve worked on were chosen because they made sense to me.” Emma Mackey

“What drew me to this role?”, Emma Mackey repeats, amused. “Hmm… that was a long time ago now.” It’s true that she received the script for Emily three years earlier. In other words, before all her other major roles on the silver screen. “At the time, I had never really played a leading role. So, I was excited at the idea of immersing myself so intensely in a character.” However, she had only six weeks of filming to slip into Emily’s skin, confined with the rest of the cast and the costumes in a house in Yorkshire – just like the real Brontë family.

Another common characteristic Emma Mackey shares with her character? A passion for literature. Like Emily Brontë, she is a literature addict. French baccalauréat with honours and classical literature graduate from the University of Leeds, she is fully bilingual and has been reading books in both French and English since childhood. She even quotes Sartre in interviews (“Existence precedes essence”) to describe Emily Brontë’s work, Wuthering Heights (1847). She also finds that the scenes depicting French lessons featuring William Weightman and Emily are the most interesting ones in the film and represent pivotal moments in their relationship.

A discreet, very private star

This literary ivory tower is reminiscent of her own personal bubble, away from social media. Since the end of 2022, Emma Mackey has indeed been absent from any social platforms, like Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok, which she decided to quit entirely. Very discreet, she avoids paparazzi and tabloid media between her two homes, London and Marseille.

So, when asked about the emotional preparation for the role of Emily Brontë, she answers in a tone that oscillates between defensiveness and humor. “I followed the script and the director. Everything was there to make the process easier. I’m not about to dig into my personal traumas either!” Despite her status as an international star, the Franco-British actress keeps her life private, her spontaneity and authenticity – qualities that seem to cling to her as much as to the characters she embodies. “I’m not hiding. In Emily, I really opened up. And it cost me a lot. My character has the ability to let go, to let her voice take over, and she manages to express herself fully.”

Her desire for freedom

This freedom, Emma Mackey also grants herself in her career choices, like her decision to leave Sex Education in order to fully express herself in different projects. “I’ve never said yes to things just for the sake of it, that’s really not my style. All the films and series I’ve worked on were chosen because they made sense to me at a specific moment in my life.”

When she started out, Sex Education served as an unparalleled springboard in her new acting career. And above all, the series promoted values that were dear to her. “Now, I mostly want to give my time to projects that are worth it,” Emma Mackey explains with determination in her voice. In 2023, she was recognized for her trajectory with the prestigious British Bafta awards, where she won the coveted “Rising Star” award.

Emma Mackey’s departure from Sex Education

A Bafta night crowned with success, but one that the actress remembers somewhat bitterly. Due to the “bad timing” of the announcement of her departure from Sex Education after season 4, which was made on the day of the ceremony. “They were clever,” she says with biting humor about the Netflix team. “It’s just a bit disappointing because I won an award and the questions I got afterward were almost all about Sex Education.” The reasons for her departure? Emma Mackey was tired of playing a teenager when she is now a grown-up.

The actress attributes her Bafta win to all the teams that gave her a chance, from Netflix producers to her theater professor at the University of Leeds. “I stand on the shoulders of everyone who supported me,” she says, with an eloquence that she admits was lacking during her acceptance speech as she was caught in a whirlwind of emotions. “I panicked at that moment. All I could see was that there were a lot of steps [up to the stage],” she recalls.

But heights don’t intimidate Emma Mackey, who keeps climbing the ladder of the film industry with her new, very ambitious film Hot Milk, alongside the acclaimed Vicky Krieps. Perhaps, she will take on the role of director one day, a position that she envisions wearing in a few years. “I have no pretensions, but the desire is there. I still have a lot to learn,” she concludes, humble and hopeful.

Hot Milk (2025) by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, out now.