A Star in Her Own Right
She may have grown up in one of the most famous households in British entertainment, but Ella Loudon has never been content to coast on her surname. The 34-year-old actress, writer and model — Daniel Craig's daughter from his marriage to actress Fiona Loudon — has spent years quietly building a career on her own terms, and 2026 looks very much like the year it all clicked into place.
Ella's most notable stage work, a two-hander play called Women of Will, took centre stage at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer to considerable attention. Written by playwright Siofra Dromgoole and starring Ella alongside seasoned stage actor Nigel Gore, the production is inspired by the late Tina Packer's celebrated exploration of Shakespeare's female characters — reimagined here as a conversation sparked by an unlikely friendship in a pub.
Shakespeare, Empathy and a Decade-Long Bond
For Ella, the project was deeply personal. She had long harboured a complicated relationship with Shakespeare — hardly surprising, perhaps, given how the plays are often taught in British schools.
"When you're brought up in the UK, we're forced to learn it instead of learning to appreciate it," she told Theatre Weekly. "She just made me look at it in a different light. I suddenly wanted everyone else to be able to have that opportunity to see it as well."
That "she" is Tina Packer, whose work transformed Ella's understanding of the Bard entirely. Packer passed away earlier this year, making the Fringe run feel all the more poignant. Dromgoole was fortunate enough to share two video calls with Packer before her death, describing the experience as both inspiring and liberating. "It felt like she was giving everything she could and all the information she could and then saying, 'Run with it,'" Dromgoole recalled. "It felt like there was a big act of trust going on."
Ella's connection with Gore, who performed in the original production alongside Packer, has added another layer of depth to the show. "He knows the work in such a deep way," she said. "I've known him for over a decade." The pairing gives the production a lived-in warmth that critics and audiences have clearly responded to.
Fashion, Family and a Stepmum's Impeccable Taste
Away from the stage, Ella has been refreshingly candid in a recent interview with fashion title ACHTUNG — and it is her comments about her blended family that have caught the most attention. Asked about her most treasured wardrobe pieces, she offered a touching roll call of hand-me-downs and heirlooms from the three most important women and men in her life.
From her father, a well-worn knit: "A white wool jumper that my dad gave me that I've had since my early teens, with the words 'Salty Dog'. It's shrunk a bit in the wash, but it still looks and feels chic." From her mother Fiona: a vintage Versace corset acquired in her late teens, described simply as something Ella treasures. And from her stepmother, Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz, an introduction to a designer that has clearly left a lasting impression.
"My step mama got me into the designer Ossie Clark, and I now have a few of his iconic pieces. The floral prints and crepe fabric are delicious, they make me feel sexy and confident and smile from the inside."
It is a rare and warm glimpse into a family that has always guarded its privacy fiercely. Craig and Weisz, who married in 2011 and welcomed a daughter, Grace, in 2018, are famously tight-lipped about their home life. Rachel has spoken about the "morning chaos" of getting the children to school, noting on one occasion that Ella stepping in to help with the youngest had been a genuine lifesaver — a detail that quietly speaks volumes about the bond between stepmother and stepdaughter.
On Screen and On the Rise
Beyond the stage, Ella has also been building her screen presence. Her most recent film credit is a supporting role in One Night Only, alongside Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro — a project that puts her squarely in the company of some of the most in-demand young talent working in film today.
With a Fringe triumph behind her, a film release to her name and a fashion sensibility shaped by some genuinely legendary influences — not least a father who once went viral for his LOEWE campaign — Ella Loudon is fast becoming a name worth knowing entirely on her own merits. The Bond connection may open doors, but it is increasingly clear she has no intention of relying on it.
