Marlo Kelly has this way of looking at you through the screen that makes you feel like you’re either about to be kissed or murdered. Honestly, there is no in-between. If you’ve spent any time on Netflix lately, you’ve probably seen her as the chillingly calm Tatiana Haas in 3 Body Problem, but her journey to becoming one of the most interesting actors in 2026 didn't happen overnight.
She’s a scene-stealer. It’s that simple. From the moment she appeared as the "mean girl" with a tragic soul in Dare Me, it was clear she wasn't just another TV actress. She has this specific, jagged energy. It’s magnetic. You can’t look away, even when her characters are doing things that are, frankly, horrifying.
The Roles That Defined Marlo Kelly
When people talk about marlo kelly movies and tv shows, they usually start with the big streaming hits. But she actually got her start in the Australian soap world. Like almost every great Aussie export—think Margot Robbie or Chris Hemsworth—she put in her time on the long-running series Home and Away. She played Skye Peters back in 2015. It was a grounded start, but you could already see that "it" factor.
Then came the pivot. She moved into much darker territory with Patricia Moore, a 2018 web series where she played the title character. It was a horror-inflected story about a family of cannibals. Yeah, you read that right. It’s gritty, low-budget, and showed exactly what she’s capable of when the training wheels come off.
3 Body Problem: The Big Break
Let’s be real. Most of you are here because of Tatiana Haas. In the massive Netflix adaptation of Liu Cixin’s sci-fi epic, Marlo Kelly plays a fanatic. But she’s not a cartoon villain. She’s quiet. She’s devout. She’s the person who will hand you a VR headset or a bullet with the same serene smile.
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What’s crazy is that Tatiana isn’t even a character in the original books. The showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (the Game of Thrones guys), basically invented her as a composite of several book characters. Marlo took that blank slate and made it terrifying. She actually researched cult psychology to understand how someone could be so "wired wrong" but still feel like the girl next door.
The show was just renewed for a second and third season, which are filming back-to-back in Hungary right now. Expect to see a lot more of her in 2026 and 2027.
Why Dare Me Is Still the Best Thing She’s Done
If you haven't seen Dare Me, go find it. It only lasted one season on USA Network (and then lived on Netflix), but it’s a masterpiece of "teen noir." Marlo plays Beth Cassidy, the captain of a cheerleading squad who is losing her grip on power.
Most "mean girl" roles are one-dimensional. Not Beth. Marlo plays her with this raw, vibrating anger that stems from a really messy home life. There’s a scene in the second episode where she and her best friend Addy "eat" cookies by chewing them and spitting them into a napkin to stay thin. It’s brutal. It’s uncomfortable. It’s exactly why the show has a cult following.
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Marlo’s performance here is what got her noticed in Hollywood. She turned a cheerleader into a Shakespearean tragic figure.
The Full Filmography (So Far)
- Home and Away (2015-2016): Skye Peters. The classic Aussie soap debut.
- Patricia Moore (2018): A lead role in a weird, wonderful horror series.
- Dare Me (2019-2020): Beth Cassidy. The role that changed everything.
- Joe vs. Carole (2022): She played Jamie Murdock in this Peacock series about the Tiger King feud. She was one of the few grounded elements in a very "extra" show.
- 3 Body Problem (2024–Present): Tatiana Haas. The alien-worshipping assassin we can't stop thinking about.
Why She’s Different From Other Rising Stars
There is a specific "Marlo Kelly" vibe. She doesn't go for the "likable" roles. Honestly, a lot of her characters are pretty awful people. But she finds the human marrow in them.
In interviews, she’s mentioned that if she wasn't acting, she'd be "completely lost." You can feel that intensity in her work. She isn't just showing up and saying lines; she’s building these people from the ground up. For 3 Body Problem, she even helped decide what kind of accent Tatiana should have, opting for something hard to place that makes her feel like a "citizen of the world" (or a citizen of whatever the San-Ti want her to be).
What's Next for Marlo?
She’s currently based in New York and is starting to move into the creative side of things. She has mentioned in interviews that she’s in talks to produce and develop projects, including something back home in Australia.
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As for 2026, the big thing is 3 Body Problem Season 2. Production moved from the UK to Budapest, and it’s going to be massive. Tatiana's story is far from over, especially given how the first season ended with her receiving that "gift" from the San-Ti.
Actionable Next Steps
If you're a fan and want to see the "real" Marlo, here is what you should do:
- Watch Dare Me on Netflix. It’s only 10 episodes. It’s a quick binge and arguably her best acting work to date.
- Look for Patricia Moore. It’s harder to find than the big Netflix shows, but it's worth it for the "cannibal family" vibes.
- Keep an eye on 3 Body Problem Season 2 updates. Since they are filming seasons 2 and 3 together, we might get a lot of content all at once in the coming year.
Marlo Kelly is one of those rare actors who can do a lot with a little. She doesn't need a five-minute monologue to tell you her character is hurting; she just needs to look at the camera. That’s why she’s going to be around for a long, long time.