“Being part of Rhiannon’s coming-of-rage journey has been a career highlight for me, and to see fans engage with and relate to our oddball Rhiannon, in all her complexity, feels truly special,” Purnell, who also serves as an executive producer on the show, said in a statement. “I cannot wait for audiences to see what she does next. Stay tuned.”
Purnell was a fan favorite on Yellowjackets, but she had a truly breakout year in 2024 starring as the lead in Fallout as well as Sweetpea. (On the animated side, she also voices Jinx on Arcane and Gwyn on Star Trek: Prodigy.) The A.V. Club reviewer Brian Tallerico opines that the actor is even better on Sweetpea than Prime Video’s video game adaptation. “The show builds momentum by regularly throwing new obstacles at its protagonist to see how she’ll respond, and the excellent Purnell makes even its most chaotic moments believable,” he writes in his B+ review.
“Ella Purnell’s killer performance captured the journey of a woman finally finding her voice, and we’re thrilled with the response from critics and viewers,” Alison Hoffman, STARZ Networks President, said in her own statement. “Sweetpea’s unique take on female agency is a perfect complement to STARZ’s slate of programming for women. We’re pleased to continue our partnership with Sky Studios and Ella Purnell in bringing another season of this addictive series to U.S. audiences.”
