Emily Fairn: The Liverpool Actress Making Her Mark on British TV and Hollywood

Introduction

Emily Fairn is a British actress from Liverpool, England. She is known for playing Casey in The Responder, Laraine Newman in Saturday Night, and Anne Plunket in Netflix’s House of Guinness.

Her career started with small opportunities. Nothing was guaranteed. She went through auditions, worked in a vintage clothing shop, and kept trying to find acting jobs.

Then came a big break.

The BBC drama The Responder gave her a chance to act alongside Martin Freeman. More television work followed. Hollywood called, too.

By 2025, she had become part of a major Netflix historical drama. And in 2026, her acting career continued to grow.

Quick Facts About Emily Fairn

Detail	Information
Full Name	Emily Fairn
Date of Birth	16 September 1998
Age	28 years (October 2026)
Birthplace	Liverpool, England
Nationality	British
Profession	Actress
Education	Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Graduation Year	2020
Known For	The Responder, Saturday Night, House of Guinness
First Major TV Role	Casey in The Responder
Famous Film Role	Laraine Newman in Saturday Night
Netflix Character	Anne Plunket in House of Guinness
Years Active on Screen	2022–present
Mother’s Occupation	Banking
Father’s Occupation	Fruit and vegetable importing
Siblings	One younger sister
Marital Status	Not publicly confirmed
Height	Not reliably confirmed
Net Worth	Not publicly verified

Early Life and Childhood in Liverpool

Emily was born on 16 September 1998 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England.

She grew up in a working family. Her mother worked in banking. Her father worked as a fruit and vegetable importer. She also has a younger sister.

Acting was not the obvious choice.

In an interview with British Vogue, she explained that she had been academically strong at school. A university education at Oxford or Cambridge had once seemed possible.

But she loved performing.

Her interest in theatre grew through the National Youth Theatre. Being around young people who shared her love of acting made the idea of becoming a professional performer feel real.

Liverpool remained important to her.

Even after moving to London, she spoke warmly about her hometown and the people who helped her get started.

Her upbringing also taught her something useful. Success takes patience. Money matters, too, especially for young performers who must pay for auditions, travel and training.

Education and Drama School Training

Emily attended the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London.

Getting there was not easy.

For her 18th birthday, she wanted something different from a car or expensive present. She wanted help paying for drama-school applications.

Her mother supported that decision.

According to a September 2025 interview with Air Mail, her mother paid the application fees and travelled with her to London for auditions.

The financial pressure was real. Her family could not afford repeated attempts year after year.

Fortunately, she earned a place at Guildhall on her first attempt.

She graduated in 2020.

Guildhall gave her formal acting training and the chance to work with other young performers. That experience prepared her for professional auditions, stage work and screen productions.

Still, graduating did not mean an acting job would appear immediately.

The tough part came next.

Working Before Her Acting Breakthrough

After drama school, Emily stayed in London.

She found work in a vintage clothing shop on Brick Lane. It helped her pay her bills while she looked for acting opportunities.

At the same time, she kept auditioning.

Some auditions involved advertisements. Others were for television and film work. Like many new actors, she spent time submitting auditions without knowing whether anyone would call back.

It was a difficult stage.

But she kept going.

Then she got an opportunity that connected her acting ambitions with the city where she had grown up.

The BBC was making a police drama in Liverpool.

Emily won a role.

That programme was The Responder.

Career Breakthrough With The Responder

Emily first attracted wider attention through the BBC crime drama The Responder in 2022.

She played Casey, a young woman whose life becomes connected to the troubled world surrounding police officer Chris Carson.

Martin Freeman played Carson.

The drama follows a police officer working night shifts in Liverpool while dealing with pressure at work and problems in his personal life.

Emily’s role brought her into an established television production early in her professional career.

The setting mattered.

She was acting in Liverpool, using her own regional background to help tell a story set in familiar surroundings.

In her British Vogue interview, she recalled how her mother and sister visited the filming location at night, hoping to catch a glimpse of her working.

It was a proud family moment.

She returned as Casey in the second series, which aired in 2024.

The programme helped open doors to other productions. Soon, she was working in comedy, historical drama and film.

Television Roles That Built Her Reputation

After The Responder, Emily began appearing in several well-known British productions.

Her career did not follow one style. She played contemporary characters, appeared in comedy dramas and worked on stories set decades or centuries in the past.

Rain Dogs

In 2023, she appeared in Rain Dogs, a British comedy-drama starring Daisy May Cooper.

Emily played Frida.

The series follows a mother trying to raise her daughter while dealing with money problems, difficult relationships and the pressures of everyday life.

Her appearance added another television credit during a busy early period of her career.

Black Mirror

The same year, she appeared in Netflix’s Black Mirror.

She played Suzie in the episode Demon 79.

The episode is set in 1979 and follows a shop assistant whose life takes a disturbing turn.

The production offered a different acting experience from The Responder. Its setting, costumes and darker story gave her the chance to work in a period-based psychological horror drama.

COBRA: Rebellion

Emily also appeared as Polly Wright in the third series of the political thriller COBRA, known as COBRA: Rebellion.

The series follows the British government as it deals with serious national emergencies and political pressure.

Her character appeared in multiple episodes.

Mary & George

In 2024, she appeared in Mary & George, a historical drama starring Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine.

Emily played Jenny.

The series follows Mary Villiers and her son George as they seek power and influence at the court of King James VI and I.

It became another period production on her acting record.

By this point, she had started building experience across different genres.

Hollywood Film Debut and Saturday Night

One of Emily’s best-known film performances came in Saturday Night, released in 2024.

She played Laraine Newman, a member of the original Saturday Night Live cast.

The film was directed by Jason Reitman.

It tells the story of the tense period before the first episode of the American comedy programme aired on 11 October 1975.

Emily joined an ensemble cast that included Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cooper Hoffman, Willem Dafoe and several other actors.

Playing a real person brought a new challenge.

Laraine Newman was already known for her comedy work. Emily had to portray someone whose career was part of American television history.

The movie became an important addition to her screen credits, giving her experience in a major American film production.

Other Films and Movie Performances

Her film career includes several smaller and larger productions.

Chuck Chuck Baby

Emily played Amy in Chuck Chuck Baby, a musical drama written and directed by Janis Pugh.

The film follows people working in a chicken factory in North Wales, with friendship, relationships and music forming much of its story.

It premiered in 2023.

Joy

She played Lily in Joy, a 2024 British drama about the development of in vitro fertilisation, commonly called IVF.

The film tells the story of the people whose medical work helped bring about the birth of the world’s first IVF baby.

It added another historical story to her film experience.

The Choral

In 2025, Emily appeared in The Choral, directed by Nicholas Hytner and written by Alan Bennett.

She played Bella Holmes.

The film stars Ralph Fiennes and follows a Yorkshire choral society during the First World War.

It shows how war affects ordinary people, their relationships and their community.

Working on the film gave Emily another opportunity to appear alongside experienced British performers.

Elicit

Emily also appeared in the 2023 short film Elicit.

She played Young Felicity.

Short films are part of her published acting credits, although her television roles have attracted considerably more attention.

Her West End Theatre Experience

Emily has worked on stage as well as on screen.

In 2023, she appeared in the London production of Brokeback Mountain at the @sohoplace theatre.

She played Alma.

The production starred Lucas Hedges and Mike Faist.

Based on Annie Proulx’s story, the play follows two men whose relationship develops against the pressures of society and their personal lives.

Stage work demands something different.

There are no second takes during a live performance. Actors must maintain their characters throughout the show and respond to the energy of the audience.

Her part in Brokeback Mountain helped establish her theatre credentials alongside her growing television career.

House of Guinness and Her Netflix Success

Emily gained considerable attention for playing Anne Plunket, née Guinness, in Netflix’s House of Guinness.

The series premiered in September 2025.

Created by Steven Knight, the writer behind Peaky Blinders, the historical drama follows members of the Guinness family after the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness.

The story takes place mainly in 19th-century Dublin.

Business, family relationships and social expectations all affect the characters.

Emily plays Anne, one of the Guinness children.

Her co-stars include Anthony Boyle, Louis Partridge, Fionn O’Shea and James Norton.

Who Is Anne Plunket?

Anne is the daughter of Sir Benjamin Guinness.

Her story shows the limits placed on women from wealthy families during the period.

Although she belongs to a powerful family, she faces personal difficulties involving marriage, health and independence.

Emily’s performance helps give the series a more personal side.

While other family members compete for money and influence, Anne must deal with expectations about how a woman should behave.

The series is inspired by historical figures, though parts of the story are fictionalised.

Preparing for the Role

Getting the part required several auditions.

Netflix’s published cast coverage states that Emily went through three audition rounds.

Once filming began, the role brought a new experience.

She wore period costumes, attended dance lessons and filmed scenes involving grand houses and horse-drawn carriages.

In her British Vogue interview, she spoke about how unusual those experiences felt compared with everyday life.

Some filming also took place in Liverpool.

That made the project especially meaningful for her, giving her the chance to work close to home while taking part in a major international streaming production.

Movies and TV Shows List

Below are her publicly documented screen roles through October 2026.

Year	Production	Role
2022–2024	The Responder	Casey
2023	Rain Dogs	Frida
2023	Black Mirror: Demon 79	Suzie
2023	COBRA: Rebellion	Polly Wright
2023	Chuck Chuck Baby	Amy
2023	Elicit	Young Felicity
2024	Mary & George	Jenny
2024	Saturday Night	Laraine Newman
2024	Joy	Lily
2025	House of Guinness	Anne Plunket
2025	The Choral	Bella Holmes
2026	It Gets Worse	Abi

Her theatre work includes the 2023 London production of Brokeback Mountain, in which she played Alma.

Release dates and production years may differ by country.

Latest Career Projects in 2026

Emily continues to work in British television and film.

One of her main 2026 projects is It Gets Worse, a Channel 4 comedy created by Leo Reich and produced by A24.

She plays Abi.

The story follows three young friends living in London. Their adult lives have not developed as they expected, and housing problems make things harder.

Emily stars alongside Leo Reich and Olive Gray.

The comedy also gives her a chance to move away from the historical drama roles for which many viewers know her.

The series is scheduled for an October 2026 launch.

She is also linked to The Ministry of Time, with the role of Margaret Kemble listed in entertainment industry databases.

Another reported film project is The Man Who Stole Portugal. Its complete release details have not been established.

Netflix has also announced a second season of House of Guinness. A confirmed release date for that season was not available at the time of writing.

These projects show that her career is still developing, with work spanning television comedy, historical drama and film.

Family and Relationship With Her Parents

Family support was an important part of Emily’s early acting story.

Her mother helped her apply to drama school and accompanied her to auditions in London.

Her father worked in the fruit and vegetable business.

She also grew up with a younger sister.

Their names have not been reliably confirmed in publicly available interviews.

Emily has spoken positively about her family and her connection to Liverpool.

In her 2025 interview with British Vogue, she described being proud of where she came from.

Her family also visited her while she was filming The Responder.

That small moment says a lot.

Her acting career was growing, but the support she received at home remained important.

Personal Life and Relationship Status

Emily keeps much of her private life away from public interviews.

There is no reliable public confirmation of her being married or having a husband.

The identity of a current boyfriend or romantic partner has also not been established through dependable public sources.

She has not publicly confirmed having children.

Her relationship status should not be guessed from photographs, social media rumours or unrelated celebrity websites.

Most of her published interviews focus on acting, family, fashion and her career.

Age, Birthday and Height

Emily was born on 16 September 1998.

She turned 28 in September 2026.

Her birthplace is Liverpool, England, and her birth sign is Virgo.

Her exact height has not been consistently documented by a dependable professional source.

The same applies to her weight and body measurements.

Rather than publish unsupported numbers, it is more accurate to leave those details unconfirmed.

Her Love of Vintage Fashion

Emily has a strong interest in vintage clothing.

That interest began before she became widely known as an actress.

She worked in a vintage shop in London while looking for acting jobs, and her personal style has often reflected older fashion periods.

In her British Vogue interview, she discussed wearing clothing inspired by the 1960s and 1970s.

Flared jeans, platform boots, old-fashioned blouses and vintage jackets have all been part of her wardrobe.

She has also spoken about changing her style over time.

Her interest in historical clothing fits naturally with many of her acting roles, although it is something she enjoyed long before appearing in major period dramas.

Hobbies and Interests Away From Acting

Outside professional work, Emily has spoken about fashion, family and spending time with her dog.

In 2025, she told British Vogue that she had adopted a Romanian rescue dog.

She also expressed an interest in doing more comedy roles.

At that time, she had already worked in several serious dramas, including stories involving difficult emotional situations.

Comedy offered a different direction.

Her casting in It Gets Worse later gave her a chance to work in that genre.

She has also spoken about wanting to spend more time with her family.

Net Worth and Acting Income

Emily earns her living through professional acting work.

Her credits include British television, international films, Netflix productions and West End theatre.

Still, her exact income is private.

No reliable public financial records confirm her net worth, salary per episode or total assets.

Online estimates should be treated carefully because they rarely explain how their numbers were calculated.

Her career success is documented through professional credits, but a personal wealth figure cannot be verified from those credits alone.

Achievements and Career Recognition

Emily’s career has included several notable milestones.

In 2023, Screen International selected her as one of its Stars of Tomorrow.

The annual feature identifies emerging talent working in film and television.

That recognition came early in her career.

Her appearance in Brokeback Mountain also attracted attention from theatre critics.

Later, Saturday Night introduced her to a major American film production, while House of Guinness gave her a prominent role in an international Netflix series.

These are meaningful professional achievements.

There is no verified record, however, of her winning an individual BAFTA, Emmy or Academy Award.

Why Her Career Stands Out

Emily’s rise did not happen overnight.

She trained in London, worked outside acting, submitted auditions and faced the uncertainty that comes with starting a creative career.

Her first major television role was set in her hometown.

From there, the work became more varied.

She acted in a BBC crime drama, appeared in a popular Netflix anthology, performed in West End theatre and joined a Hollywood ensemble film.

Then came House of Guinness.

The Netflix production gave her one of her most widely recognised roles.

Her experience also shows the value of strong theatre training and being willing to play different kinds of characters.

She has not limited herself to one genre.

For a young actress still building her career, that range matters.

Final Thought

Emily Fairn has built an impressive acting record in a relatively short period.

Her story began in Liverpool. Drama school came next. Then years of auditions and small opportunities.

The hard work paid off.

Today, audiences can watch her in crime dramas, historical stories, comedy and film.

Her role in House of Guinness introduced her to a wider international audience, while her work in Saturday Night and The Responder shows how much experience she has already gained.

And her career is still young.

With more projects in development, she has plenty of room to keep growing as a performer.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is Emily Fairn?

Emily Fairn is a British actress from Liverpool. She is best known for The Responder, Saturday Night and Netflix’s House of Guinness.

2. How old is she?

She is 28 years old as of October 2026. Her birthday is 16 September 1998.

3. Where was she born?

She was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England.

4. Which drama school did she attend?

She studied at Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London and graduated in 2020.

5. Who does she play in House of Guinness?

She plays Anne Plunket, née Guinness, the daughter of Sir Benjamin Guinness.

6. Is she married?

Her marital status has not been publicly confirmed through reliable sources.

7. What was her first major television role?

She played Casey in the BBC police drama The Responder, which premiered in 2022.

8. What is her net worth?

Her exact net worth is not publicly verified. No dependable financial source confirms a specific amount.

Spark Daily