You know the hair. That striking, fiery red that basically became a trademark during the 2010s. But if you only know Rose Leslie from that one scene in a cave or for telling a certain bastard he knows nothing, you’re kinda missing the best parts of her resume.
Honestly, it’s rare for an actor to jump from a massive period drama like Downton Abbey straight into a global phenomenon like Game of Thrones, but Rose did it without breaking a sweat. Since then, her career has taken some pretty weird, wonderful, and high-stakes turns. From submarine conspiracies to legal battles in Chicago, let’s look at the Rose Leslie movies and tv shows that actually define her career.
The Breakthrough: From the Servant’s Hall to the Frozen North
Most people forget she started in the servant’s quarters of Highclere Castle. In the first season of Downton Abbey (2010), Rose played Gwen Dawson. She wasn't just another maid; she was the one with the typewriter, the one who wanted a life beyond polishing silver. It was a grounded, sweet performance that feels miles away from the grit she’d find later.
Then came the North.
When she stepped onto the screen as Ygritte in Game of Thrones, everything changed. It wasn’t just the "You know nothing, Jon Snow" line—though, yeah, that became a massive meme. It was the way she played a wildling who was simultaneously lethal and deeply vulnerable. You’ve probably heard the trivia by now: she ended up marrying her co-star Kit Harington in real life, but on-screen, she was the first person to really challenge the show’s rigid ideas of honor and duty.
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The Underrated Film Gems (And the Misses)
People often overlook her film work, which is a bit of a shame. Have you seen Honeymoon (2014)? It’s this low-budget, super creepy body horror film where she plays a newlywed. It starts as a romantic getaway and ends in a way that’ll honestly make you never want to go into the woods again. It’s arguably her best pure acting performance because she has to shift from "in love" to "terrifyingly alien" so subtly.
She also did the big-budget thing. You might remember her as the "dream-walker" Chloe in The Last Witch Hunter (2015) alongside Vin Diesel.
It wasn't exactly a critics' favorite, but it showed she could hold her own in a high-fantasy action flick. Later, she did Morgan (2016), a sci-fi thriller about an AI, and popped up in Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile (2022) as Louise Bourget. While Louise wasn't the lead, Leslie brought a specific, anxious energy to the French maid role that kept you guessing if she was a victim or a suspect.
Dominating the Small Screen: The Good Fight and Vigil
After the dragons and the wildlings, Leslie moved into the world of high-powered law. In The Good Fight (2017–2019), she played Maia Rindell. The show starts with her character’s family being involved in a massive Ponzi scheme, so she’s basically the most hated person in the room from episode one. It’s a fast-paced, witty show, and seeing her navigate the shark-infested waters of Chicago law was a great pivot.
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If you want pure tension, though, you have to watch Vigil.
In the first season, she plays Kirsten Longacre, a detective on land coordinating with a detective trapped on a nuclear submarine. It was a massive hit for the BBC. By the time season two rolled around (dealing with drone warfare), Rose had solidified herself as one of the go-to actors for British prestige drama.
The Latest and Upcoming Projects: 2024 to 2026
If you’ve been keeping up with her lately, she’s been leaning back into her "period drama" roots but with a twist. In the 2024 series Miss Austen, she played Isabella Fowle. It’s a bit of a different vibe—more about the internal lives of the Austen sisters—but it fits her perfectly.
As we move into 2026, there’s been a lot of talk about her return to the stage and some voice work. She recently took on a massive role in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of The Constant Wife (2025), which received rave reviews in Stratford-upon-Avon. On the screen side, keep an eye out for The Hack (2025), a drama about the UK phone-hacking scandals where she plays a key supporting role as Charlotte Harris.
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A Quick Recap of the Essentials:
- Downton Abbey: The "ambitious maid" era.
- Game of Thrones: The "wildling warrior" era.
- The Good Fight: The "prestige legal" era.
- Vigil: The "modern thriller" era.
- Honeymoon: The "must-watch indie horror" era.
What to Watch Next
If you're wondering where to start, skip the stuff you've already seen on TikTok. Go find Honeymoon if you like being uncomfortable, or dive into the first season of Vigil for a weekend binge. She’s one of those actors who doesn't just "show up"—she changes the chemistry of the scenes she’s in.
Whether it's the 15th-century castle upbringing (yes, she literally grew up in a castle in Scotland) or the LAMDA training, there’s a gravity to her work that makes even the weirdest sci-fi plots feel real.
Go check out her performance in The Time Traveler's Wife (2022) too. It was canceled after one season, which was a total bummer, but her chemistry with Theo James was actually top-tier. It's available on most VOD platforms now if you want to see a different, more romantic side of her acting range.
Your next move: Fire up a streaming service and search for Vigil. It's the best bridge between her "action" roles and her "dramatic" roles, and it'll get you ready for whatever she announces next in 2026.