Honestly, if you haven’t heard the name Emily Davis yet, you’ve definitely seen her face pop up in some of your favorite prestige dramas. She isn't just another face in the crowd. She’s one of those "actor's actors" who seems to slide into a role so completely that you forget you’re watching a performance.
You might know her as Roxie from Tulsa King or maybe you caught her haunting turn in The Patient. But there’s a lot more to her filmography than just a few guest spots on streaming giants. She has this uncanny ability to play characters who are vibrating with a specific kind of internal tension. It’s hard to look away.
The Role That Changed Everything: Reality Winner
Most people started paying serious attention to Emily Davis because of a play, not a movie. But that play, Is This A Room, basically redefined what "verbatim theater" could be. She played Reality Winner—the former NSA contractor who leaked documents about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Davis didn't just play her. She inhabited the literal FBI transcript of the interrogation. Every "um," every awkward pause, every dog bark mentioned in the files. Ben Brantley from The New York Times called it one of the most "trenchantly observed" performances he'd ever seen.
When the show moved to Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre in 2021, it wasn't just a theater event. It was a cultural moment. That performance is the DNA of everything she does on screen now. She brings that same high-stakes, "I might explode or I might just disappear" energy to her television roles.
💡 You might also like: Dark Reign Fantastic Four: Why This Weirdly Political Comic Still Holds Up
Emily Davis Movies and TV Shows: A Breakdown of the Hits
If you’re looking to binge her work, you’ve got plenty of options across the big streamers. She tends to gravitate toward gritty, atmospheric projects.
- Tulsa King (Paramount+): She plays Roxie. In a show dominated by Sylvester Stallone’s massive personality, Davis manages to carve out space that feels grounded and real.
- The Patient (Hulu): She appeared as Mary in this psychological thriller. Even in a limited capacity, she held her own against Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson.
- American Rust (Showtime/Freevee): As Sue Herlitz, she fit perfectly into the rusted-out, melancholic vibe of the Pennsylvania rust belt.
- Servant (Apple TV+): This M. Night Shyamalan production is weird. Like, really weird. Davis guest-starred as Heather, and she nailed that specific "something is deeply wrong here" tone the show thrives on.
- High Maintenance (HBO): One of her earlier TV spots as Jennie. This show was famous for finding incredible New York theater talent, and Davis was a perfect fit.
Independent Cinema and Voice Work
Don't sleep on her indie film credits. The Plagiarists (2019) is a strange, lo-fi comedy-drama where she plays Allison. It’s the kind of movie that feels like a fever dream about intellectual property and social awkwardness.
She also has a massive presence in the animation and voice-over world, though often under the radar. She contributed voices to the psychedelic animated film Cryptozoo and the cult-favorite My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea.
What Makes Her Different?
A lot of actors try to be "likable." Emily Davis doesn't seem to care about that. She cares about being accurate.
📖 Related: Cuatro estaciones en la Habana: Why this Noir Masterpiece is Still the Best Way to See Cuba
She has this background with the theater company Half Straddle, where she’s worked since 2009. That group is known for being avant-garde and experimental. When you spend a decade doing weird, challenging plays in New York and Europe, you develop a toolkit that "standard" TV actors just don't have.
There is a specific stillness in her work. Think about her in The Harbinger (2022). She plays Mavis in a horror movie that deals with the isolation of the pandemic. It’s a heavy role. She has to carry the weight of both supernatural dread and very real, human loneliness. Most actors would overplay it. She just... exists in it.
The "Other" Emily Davis Confusion
Let's clear something up. If you Google "Emily Davis movies," you might see some stuff about Until Dawn or Grand Theft Auto.
That's a different person.
👉 See also: Cry Havoc: Why Jack Carr Just Changed the Reece-verse Forever
The character "Em" in the video game Until Dawn was actually voiced and motion-captured by Nichole Sakura (formerly Nichole Bloom). There’s also an older comedian and actress named Emily Davis who was active in the 70s and 80s.
The Emily Davis we’re talking about—the one from Tulsa King and Is This A Room—is a powerhouse of the modern New York stage and screen scene. She's the one winning Obie Awards and Lucille Lortel Awards for her lead performances.
What to Watch Next
If you want to see her at her most "Davis-y," track down the film Gwen in Corpus. Not only does she star as the titular Gwen, but she also wrote and directed it. It’s a short film, but it gives you a direct line into her creative brain. It’s raw, a little uncomfortable, and deeply human.
She’s also part of the 2023 Off-Broadway production of Three Sisters as Natasha. Even though it's theater, the reviews often highlight how she brings a modern, almost cinematic intensity to Chekhov.
Actionable Tips for Following Her Career
Keeping up with character actors can be tough because they don't always get the big "superhero movie" press tours.
- Follow the Director: If you see a project directed by Tina Satter, check the cast list. There is a high chance Emily Davis is involved.
- Look Beyond the Credits: Many of her best performances are in indie shorts or voice-heavy projects like Loophole.
- Check the Broadway Cast Recordings: While not a "movie," her work in verbatim theater is often documented in ways that are just as engaging as a film.
She is currently filming new projects for 2026, and given her track record with Paramount+ and Apple TV+, expect to see her name high up on the call sheet for the next "prestige" binge-watch. She isn't just a guest star anymore; she's becoming the reason people tune in.