Rosy McEwen

Rosy McEwen is a British actress. She won a British Independent Film Award for her performance in Blue Jean (2022). On television, she is known for her roles in the TNT series The Alienist (2020) and the Channel 4 drama Close to Me (2021). Her other films include Vesper (2022).

Early life
McEwen attended an all-girls Catholic school in London. When she was 12, she auditioned for the film adaptation of Atonement and made it to the final two against Saoirse Ronan.

McEwen studied History of Art at the University of Leeds and then trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Born with the surname Byrne, she took her mother's maiden name McEwen to avoid confusion with fellow actress Rose Byrne. McEwen had a role in The Cherry Orchard at the Bristol Old Vic and the Manchester Royal Exchange. She also had early television roles in Cranford and Waking The Dead.

Stage roles
McEwen spent time with the Royal Shakespeare Company and won acclaim for her performances in Timon of Athens and Tamburlaine. McEwen appeared as Desdemona in Clint Dyer's production of Othello at the Royal National Theatre in London, a role The Evening Standard said she “knocked out of the park”.

Screen roles
On screen, she appeared with Luke Evans and Dakota Fanning in the Netflix series The Alienist. She played Christopher Eccleston’s daughter in the Channel 4 miniseries Close to Me and alongside Eddie Marsan in the science fiction film Vesper. She also has an upcoming role in the Rosemary’s Baby prequel, Apartment 7A alongside Julia Garner.

McEwen had the lead role in the film Blue Jean released in the United Kingdom in February 2023. Her performance was variously described as a “revelation”, “riveting”, and “excellent”, as well as being “a powerful, internalised performance”. For the portrayal McEwen earned the award for best lead performance at the British Independent Film Awards in December 2022, a category in which McEwen beat Sally Hawkins, Florence Pugh and Bill Nighy.