Ella (Emma Mackey, far left) is sworn in as governor with her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) by her side in "Ella McCay."
Emma Mackey had her breakthrough role in as a rebellious teen in the British comedy series "Sex Education."
Emma Mackey (far left) starred alongside Simu Liu, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and Kingsley Ben-Adir in Greta Gerwig's "Barbie."
Emma Mackey stars as the young and idealistic title politico in "Ella McCay."

If Oscar-winning director James L. Brooks calls Emma Mackey a “generational talent” and name-drops a Hollywood legend, she’s someone worth watching.

The feel-good political dramedy “Ella McCay” (in theaters Dec. 12) is Brooks’ first movie in 15 years, as well as a tribute to the golden age of American screwball comedies, and he was looking for the next Katharine Hepburn.

“She was an amazing beauty, an amazing actress, and killer at comedy,” Brooks says of Hepburn. ”That's what was in my head, somebody who could pick up that baton. It was a long audition process. I saw everybody. And then (Mackey) walked in.”

The British/French rising star, 29, has appeared in Netflix’s “Sex Education,” as well as on the big screen in “Barbie” and “Emily,” but “Ella McCay” takes her to the next level. Mackey stars as the title character, an idealistic lieutenant governor who gets the top job when her boss/mentor (Albert Brooks) heads to Washington for a cabinet position.

She runs into professional roadblocks while also dealing with personal issues – caused by her womanizing dad (Woody Harrelson) and obnoxious husband (Jack Lowden) – but at least has her rock-solid aunt (Jamie Lee Curtis) as her chief confidante. “It’s pretty amazing to see someone like Ella be so diligent and so exacting and always move forward,” Mackey says. “I’m very inspired by that.”

She next stars in a couple of fantasy films: Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” (streaming on Netflix in 2026) and J.J. Abrams’ upcoming “Ghostwriter” with Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega. Mackey talks with USA TODAY about “Ella McCay,” politics and reaching a milestone age.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Q: James says the “best day” filming “Ella McCay” was the scene where you and Jamie Lee unleash some primal screaming. Was that as fun as it looked?

Emma Mackey: It was very, very cathartic and it had been a long time coming. It was very important to Jim that this scene should happen, and what better scene partner to do it with? The core sort of love story at the center of this whole film is that Helen and Ella are each other's person in a way, and they're absolutely steadfastly there for one another.

Your breakthrough role in “Sex Education” proved you could play teenage well. Was it an interesting exercise in this movie to play Ella at both 16 and 34?

I mean, I'm definitely closer to the 30s (laughs). It's just rare to have a script that sees a character through those different decades of life. What does she look like on her wedding day? What does she look like when she's in college? What does she look like when she's a couple of years into her professional life and the daily struggles of a life in politics? There's a physical element, obviously, which is very pleasing and exciting to work with.

Ella has all these good ideas, especially in terms of legislation for women and parents, though many political characters in the movie hate her because of that. She's very much an underdog who's easy to root for.

We see it as idealistic, sure, but at the end of the day, what she wants is quite simple. She's not asking for the moon. By the way, it's a nerve-wracking thing to be out in the open and to start cutting ribbons and saying hello to people and being known and recognized, all the while familial scandal is boiling up in your life.

Working with J.J. and Greta, have you enjoyed your fantasy movie phase?

I grew up on those kinds of films and those books. “Narnia” was a big part of my childhood, as were the "Star Wars" movies. I do gravitate to them. I'm very happy to be in that space right now.

After growing up on the “Narnia” books, what's it like to now play a beloved character like the White Witch?

It's very meaningful, and what's even more meaningful is that Greta gets to bring her interpretation. She's so deeply passionate about cinema, and her brain is just constantly ticking away. I like to be around those kinds of brains every day, if possible, because it's very elevating, enriching and playful, too.

You turn 30 on Jan. 4. Is that going to be a big day for you?

Actually, I am looking forward to it. I'm not like rushing time away. I'm not scared by it. I think it might be a good reset for me. I'm excited to have a sort of nice, balanced age to me. I'm going to be a grown-up.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rising star Emma Mackey finds her voice (and scream) as 'Ella McCay'

Reporting by Brian Truitt, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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