You’ve probably seen her face a dozen times lately without even realizing it. Naomi Ackie has this weird, chameleonic ability to just disappear into a role, whether she's rocking a 1920s maid's outfit or charging into a sci-fi battle on a space horse. It’s 2026, and if you haven’t caught up with naomi ackie movies and shows, you’re basically missing out on the biggest career glow-up in modern Hollywood.
Honestly, it feels like she just popped out of nowhere. But that’s not really true. She’s been grinding for over a decade.
From the indie grit of Lady Macbeth to the high-stakes madness of Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, Ackie has navigated the industry with a surgical precision that most actors would kill for. She doesn't just "play" characters; she inhabits them. It’s why Zoë Kravitz hand-picked her for Blink Twice and why she’s currently the frontrunner for the next big DC powerhouse role.
The Early Days and That One Doctor Who Episode
Most people forget she was in Doctor Who. 2015. "Face the Raven." It was a tiny role—just a character named Jen—but it was the start.
Then came Lady Macbeth in 2016. If you want to see where the hype started, watch this. She played Anna, a housemaid who says very little but sees everything. Standing next to Florence Pugh is a tall order, but Ackie didn't just hold her own; she was the emotional anchor of the whole movie. She ended up winning the BIFA for Most Promising Newcomer, and suddenly, the industry bigwigs started paying attention.
When the World Met Bonnie
If you didn't see her in the movies, you definitely saw her on Netflix. Season 2 of The End of the F*ing World was a massive gamble. Adding a new lead to a show that felt "finished" is usually a recipe for disaster.
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Then came Bonnie.
Ackie played her with this unsettling, quiet rage that was both terrifying and deeply sad. She wasn't just a villain; she was a victim of her own obsession. It earned her a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress in 2020. That was the moment she stopped being "that actress from that one thing" and became a household name for TV fans.
A Quick Rundown of Her Best TV Work
- Master of None (Season 3): She played Alicia in the "Moments in Love" arc. It was intimate, slow, and devastatingly real.
- Small Axe: Specifically the "Education" episode directed by Steve McQueen.
- The Bisexual: A recurring role as Ruby that showed off her lighter, more grounded side.
The Blockbuster Era: Star Wars and Beyond
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Playing Jannah was a massive deal. She was a former Stormtrooper who led a rebellion on the backs of giant horse-like creatures (Orbaks). Even if the movie itself had a mixed reception, Ackie was a standout. She brought a sense of history and exhaustion to a character that could have easily been a generic action hero.
The Whitney Houston Challenge
Then came the biopic. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022).
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Taking on Whitney is a suicide mission for most actors. The expectations are impossible. Ackie spent months training to move like her, speak like her, and even though the vocals were mostly Whitney's, the lip-syncing was so precise it felt eerie. Critics called her a "veritable artist of lip-syncing." She didn't just mimic the icon; she found the human being underneath the stardom.
The 2025-2026 Power Move
If 2022 was about proving she could lead a film, 2025 and 2026 have been about total domination.
Earlier last year, we saw her in Mickey 17. Working with Bong Joon-ho (the guy who made Parasite) is the ultimate "I’ve made it" badge. She played Nasha Adjaya alongside Robert Pattinson. It was weird, sci-fi, and totally brilliant.
Then there was Blink Twice (formerly titled Pussy Island). This was Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, and Ackie was the lead. She played Frida, a cocktail waitress who ends up on a private island owned by a tech mogul (Channing Tatum). It was a psychological thriller that required her to be vulnerable, confused, and eventually, incredibly dangerous.
What’s Next: Shelter and Clayface
Right now, the buzz is all about her 2026 slate.
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She’s set to appear in Shelter, a post-production project directed by Ric Roman Waugh. But the real "Internet-breaking" news is her involvement in the DC Universe. Rumors and leaks have placed her as the top choice for the female lead in the upcoming Clayface movie, potentially playing Dr. Caitlin Bates. If that happens, she’s officially entering the superhero stratosphere.
Why Naomi Ackie Still Matters
What people get wrong is thinking she's just another "it girl."
She's not.
She’s a character actor who happens to have the face of a leading lady. Whether she’s playing Sade in I Love Boosters (another 2026 release) or investigating crimes in The Thursday Murder Club, she brings a level of intelligence to her roles that is rare. She knows how to use silence. She knows how to let the camera find the story in her eyes.
If you’re looking to dive into the full library of naomi ackie movies and shows, start with the indies. Don't just watch the big Disney stuff. Go back to Lady Macbeth. Watch The Score. See the range.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Film Buffs:
- Watch the "Education" episode of Small Axe first: It’s her most underrated performance and shows her ability to handle heavy social themes without being "preachy."
- Keep an eye on the 2026 Awards Circuit: Her work in Sorry, Baby has already started picking up Independent Spirit Award buzz.
- Follow her directorial collaborators: She tends to work with bold filmmakers (Boots Riley, Bong Joon-ho, Zoë Kravitz). If she’s in a movie, it’s probably because the script is genuinely interesting, not just a paycheck.
The career trajectory here isn't a fluke. It's the result of a performer who knows exactly when to scream and exactly when to stay perfectly still.