Mia McKenna-Bruce, star of the upcoming Netflix Agatha Christie adaptation Seven Dials, has admitted she feels she would have been taken more seriously in the entertainment industry if she had a “posher” accent. The 28-year-old actress, who hails from Bexley, Kent, rose to prominence with her breakout role in the 2023 coming-of-age film How To Have Sex.
In a new interview, McKenna-Bruce disclosed that she used to change her accent often to fit in. “I feel like I’m taken more seriously or would be taken more seriously if I spoke with a posher accent,” she told The Times, adding: “Slowly I’ve settled into the comfort of this is my voice.” Both her upcoming projects – Seven Dials and the ITV drama The Lady – require her to adopt a more refined tone of voice.
In Seven Dials, co-written by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall, McKenna-Bruce plays sleuth Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brunt alongside a cast that includes Helena Bonham-Carter and Martin Freeman. Speaking at the series’ red-carpet launch, she revealed she suffered a broken foot during production and was forced to shoot a pivotal scene while injured.
She is also currently filming Sir Sam Mendes’s Beatles biopics, a quartet of movies each focusing on a different band member. McKenna-Bruce will portray Maureen Starkey, Ringo Starr’s first wife, with Barry Keoghan playing the drummer. Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, and Joseph Quinn will depict Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison respectively. The films are due for release in April 2028.
The actress admitted she had little knowledge of The Beatles before being cast. “We sang ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and ‘Yellow Submarine’ at school, but it wasn’t my jam,” she said. “Now, I’m like, Oh my God, The Beatles are underrated.” She also noted she had held the secret for nearly a year before the announcement, unable to tell even her family “because they have the biggest mouths in the world.”
