Netflix star Mia McKenna-Bruce has shared the delightfully unorthodox method she used to clinch her career-defining role, during an event to unveil the nominees for one of the film industry's most coveted prizes.
The Dizzying Audition That Started It All
While announcing the nominees for the 2026 BAFTA EE Rising Star Award at London's prestigious Savoy Hotel, the actress opened up about her memorable audition for the 2023 drama How To Have Sex. The 28-year-old, who won the Rising Star award herself in 2024 for her performance in that film, was asked by co-host Ali Plumb to recall her most standout audition experience.
"I think it's going to have to be How To Have Sex," McKenna-Bruce stated, drawing a comparison to nominee Posy Sterling's role in Lollipop. She explained that much of the audition involved improvisation and the challenging task of portraying a convincingly drunk character. Her solution was both simple and effective: she spun around in circles repeatedly to make herself genuinely dizzy.
"Then that makes you feel dizzy. Yeah, I find it's a really good way to play drunk because it makes you dizzy and you kind of go 'woah' and your voice kind of goes a bit funny because you're dizzy," she told the audience, prompting laughter. "So I spent a lot of time spinning around in a circle in the audition room hoping that I'd get the job!"
From Breakout Role to Netflix Lead
The unconventional tactic clearly worked. Her performance as Tara in How To Have Sex, a coming-of-age story about three British teens on a rites-of-passage holiday, earned her widespread critical acclaim. The film holds an impressive 97% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Her portrayal secured her both the BAFTA EE Rising Star Award and a British Independent Film Award, catapulting her into the spotlight.
Fast forward to 2026, and McKenna-Bruce now leads the cast of the highly anticipated Netflix series Agatha Christie's Seven Dials, which debuted on January 15. In the adaptation, she plays the lead role of the inquisitive Lady Eileen 'Bundle' Brent, who must unravel a murder mystery at a 1925 country house party.
The series boasts a stellar ensemble cast, including Helena Bonham Carter, Martin Freeman, and fellow Rising Star nominee Nabhaan Rizwan.
Celebrating the New Rising Star Nominees
At the London event, McKenna-Bruce had the honour of announcing the five actors in the running for the 2026 EE Rising Star Award, the only BAFTA voted for by the British public. The British nominees in attendance were Posy Sterling, Archie Madekwe, and Robert Aramayo. American nominees Chase Infiniti and Miles Caton were unable to attend the ceremony.
Public voting for the award is now open via ee.co.uk/BAFTA and across EE's social channels, with audiences also able to cast their vote on WhatsApp.
Reflecting on her own journey from a dizzy audition to BAFTA winner and Netflix lead, McKenna-Bruce's story serves as an inspiring reminder of the creative lengths actors go to in order to land their dream roles.
