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Emerald Fennell was born in Hammersmith, London, into a creative family. Her father was a jewelry designer.
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She was influenced by many people, like Roald Dahl, Gothic Fairytales, and Angela Carter, because she was into feminist horror and satire in films.
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Fennell had a hard time with dyslexia, but it gave her a better advantage in storytelling.
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Fennell studied English Literature at Greyfriars, Oxford. At that time, she acted in student productions, which helped her gain the attention of talent agents.
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Fennell had a minor role alongside Keira Knightley, which marked one of her first main screen performances.
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Many female directors were becoming noticed, and Fennell's debut aligned with Women like Greta Gerwig and Olivia Wilde.
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Britain went through political difficulties, which influenced the fourth one in the film Saltburn and some of her TV work.
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The film Promising Young Women was heavily influences by the movement and the exposure of Harvey Weinstein which centered around rape culture.
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Because her personal life is so private, we do not know many details, but she married producer and filmmaker Chris Vernon, who assists her with some of her work.
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She played Camilla Parker Bowles and got lots of praise for the complexity of her character.
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When Fennell took over, she earned an Emmy nomination for the series and added a new layer of femme-forward energy.
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Promising Young Woman was planned to be theatrically released earlier, but had to be pushed back and changed to a hybrid model because of the pandemic. The film was still very successful and won many awards.
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At the Sundance film festival, the movie shocked audiences with its nature. It was then picked up by Focus Features and became a successful film.
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Fennell won an Oscar for best original screenplay because of the diversity and accountability of her films, and it was a big breakthrough for women in the directing and screenwriting field.
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She was recognized by Time as an influential leader who was shaping the future. She was highlighted for her bold and strong storytelling after Promising Young Woman.
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Fennell revealed she was pregnant with her first child at the Oscars while filming Promising Young Woman.
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She won an Oscar for best original screenplay and was the first British woman to win the award solo. She gained more attention because of her layered storytelling.
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The erotic thriller was made, and it was produced by Margot Robbie's LuckyChap.
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This film was released, and viewers either loved it or did not enjoy it. It was a dark and exciting film that made headlines and proved she was a filmmaker who was not afraid of stepping out of the normal filmmaker's ways.
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There is talk about Fennell maybe writing and directing the film about a magician superhero.
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The Guardian – Profile of Emerald Fennell
Catherine Shoard. “Emerald Fennell: the Wickedly Funny Screen Princess of Darkness.” The Guardian, 29 Mar. 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/29/emerald-fennell-the-wickedly-funny-screen-princess-of-darkness. Accessed 22 June 2025. -
IndieWire – Saltburn Review
Ryan Lattanzio. “Review: Saltburn’s Gothic Camp Shows Why Emerald Fennell Is a Filmmaker to Watch.” IndieWire, 12 Sept. 2023, https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/saltburn-review-emerald-fennell-1234901015/. Accessed 22 June 2025. -
IMDb – Emerald Fennell
Emerald Fennell. IMDb, IMDb.com, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2193504/. Accessed 22 June 2025. Variety – Margot Robbie Promising Young Woman
Rebecca Rubin. “Margot Robbie, Emerald Fennell, Josey McNamara on Promising Young Woman Podcast.” Variety, 6 Apr. 2021, https://www.variety.com/2021/awards/awards/margot-robbie-emerald-fennell-josey-mcnamara-promising-young-woman-podcast-1234941060/. Accessed 22 June 2025. -
Gold Derby – Saltburn Oscar Speech
Mattergenz. “Did Emerald Fennell Thank Saltburn in Her 2021 Oscar Speech?” Gold Derby, 2023, https://www.goldderby.com/article/2023/saltburn-emerald-fennell-2021-oscar-speech/. Accessed 22 June 2025.