Emily Barclay (born 24 October 1984) is a British-born New Zealander actress, whose work has been recognized by the British Independent Film Awards and the Australian Film Institute Awards.
Career Emily Barclay was born in Plymouth to a General practitioner and a landscape designer, and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, where she went to an all-girls school and attended Saturday morning drama classes. At the age of nine, Barclay played Hamlet in a school production and decided to become an actress. At the age of 13, she got herself an agent and supported herself between TV movies by working in a video store.
Diana Rowan (the same casting agent who discovered Anna Paquin and Keisha Castle-Hughes) discovered Barclay in a school play and cast her as Celia in 2004's In My Father's Den, that raised the actress to prominence.Kiwi actor a star attraction via Sydney Morning Herald 11 June 2006 For that film, Barclay won Most Promising Newcomer at the 2005 British Independent Film Awards. She followed by moving to Australia – while continuing part-time with her degree in English and gender studies at the University of Auckland – for a role in the critically acclaimed 2006 crime drama Suburban Mayhem directed by Paul Goldman, for which she collected an AFI Award for Best Actress.
Barclay's performance also lead to an invitation to her first stage performance, on Neil Armfield's 2009 production of Gethsemane in Sydney. Armfield later indicated Barclay to Lee Lewis, who cast her in the play That Face. In 2011, she performed in another Belvoir production, The Seagull, and acted opposite Geoffrey Rush in the Melbourne Theatre Company's The Importance of Being Earnest. In 2012, Barclay performed opposite Hollywood actors Michael Cera and Kieran Culkin in This Is Our Youth, returned to Belvoir with Strange Interlude and debuted at London's Young Vic performing on Three Sisters.
Barclay is currently represented by United Agents.
Barclay also starred in the music video "Big Jet Plane" by Angus & Julia Stone which was directed by Kiku Ohe in 2010.Barclay portrays character "Ella" in Season 3 of Josh Thomas's comedy drama tv show
She has cited her favourite actor as being Ewen Leslie.
On 23 June 2026, Barclay was named in the cast for ABC series The Great White.
Animal rights Barclay is a vegan and has had an active involvement in animal rights, working with the organisation Save Animals From Exploitation (SAFE) in anti-cruelty campaigns, including an appearance in the 2007 SAFE charity calendar.Bad-girl Barclay press.co.nz 10 April 2007
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes2001No One Can Hear YouAmy Burchall2004In My Father's DenCelia SteimerBritish Independent Film Award for Most Promising NewcomerNew Zealand Screen Award for Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role2005CockleJaneShort2006Suburban MayhemKatrina SkinnerAACTA Award for Best Leading ActressIF Award for Best Actress2009Prime MoverMelissa / Calendar Girl2010ZeroGirlShort2010LouRhia2010Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'HooleGylfie (voice)2011Love BirdsBrenda2011WeekenderClaire2012Mr. PipAustralian teacher2016The Light Between OceansGwen Potts 2017EllipsisViv2019BabyteethToby 2020Baby DoneMolly
Television Year Title Role Notes1998Shortland StreetKelly McKinleyTV series1999Alison Bradley"The Duellists", "A Ghost of Our Own"2001Mercy PeakHayley Borden"Her Secret Passion"2003Spin DoctorsTiffany"4.2"2004DeceitKatie McCarthyTV film2005KidnappedMaddyTV film2006The SilenceEvelyn HutchisonTV film2009Piece of My HeartYoung FloraTV filmNew Zealand Film and TV Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in General Television2010LowdownAbi Hart"Hart of Darkness"2015–17GlitchSarah HayesRegular role2015–16Please Like MeEllaMain role2017OffspringGeorgieTV series2017SistersCaseyTV series2019Diary of an Uber DriverGeorgie TV series2021Mr InbetweenZoe TV series2022Wolf Like MeCharlotteTV series2026The F Ward Dr. Lisa JuracekTV series: 6 episodes2027The Great White TBATV series
Stage Year Title Role Notes and awards 2009 Gethsemane Suzette 2010 That Face Mia2011 The Seagull Masha Nominated – 2012 Sydney Theatre Award: Best Actress in a Supporting Role of a Mainstage Production The Importance of Being Earnest Cecily2012 This Is Our Youth JessicaStrange InterludeNinaThree Sisters Natasha2013 Hamlet Ophelia
References
External links