Bo Bragason, an actress with a quietly impressive background, is cast to portray one of video games’ most iconic female characters. The young, rising British actress has garnered a few credits on television, film, and the stage. Born to be an actress, Bragason had an early start in her career. Yet, it is her portrayal of Princess Zelda that many believe will be her international breakout role.
With her casting as Princess Zelda, Bo Bragason is poised to bring the wise, powerful Hylian princess to life for a whole new audience. The film, The Legend of Zelda (2027), marks a major expansion of Nintendo’s storytelling into the cinematic realm. Here’s a look at the life and career of Bo Bragason, the first actress to portray Princess Zelda in a major live-action movie.
Bo Bragason’s Early Life
Actress Bo Bragason was born in the cathedral city of Chichester, England, in 2004. However, Bragason had an international upbringing as she spent most of her early years in other European countries. She moved to and lived in Luxembourg for seven years, and also spent an additional three years of her formative years in France. This early exposure to different cultures and languages helped shape her life, contributing to her versatility as an actress. Thanks to her brief stay in France, Bragason is fluent in French.
However, when Bragason and her family returned to England around the age of 10 in 2014, they settled in North West England, in Mere, Cheshire. While living in Cheshire, Bo Bragason attended Knutsford Academy, which also had a Studio school site. It was there that Bragason’s passion for drama blossomed through her participation in the Knutsford Little Theatre. Bragason later refined her skills with the National Youth Theatre and weekend classes at Manchester’s David Johnson Drama School.
Bo Bragason Made Her Acting Debut at Age 3
Bo Bragason first stepped onto the screen at the tender age of three. She appeared as a toddler in the 2007 French-language film L’Amour Caché (Hidden Love). Although brief, Bragason’s Early role marked the beginning of an on-screen journey that would resume a decade later, when she made her professional debut. This unique early start, followed by structured training at places like Knutsford Little Theatre and the National Youth Theatre, cultivated in her a deeper appreciation for acting long before she took on substantial roles in her teens.
Where You Recognize Bo Bragason From
Although not yet a household name, actress Bo Bragason has stayed relatively busy in her decade-long career. She made her professional acting debut in 2017, in the BBC One three-part miniseries Three Girls. A year prior, she was used for motion capture in Young Luna for the Japanese animated fantasy film Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (2016). Three Girls’ audiences may recognize Bragason from her portrayal of Rachel Winshaw. Her character was one of the younger siblings at the center of the drama, directly connected to the story’s core as Hollywood Winshaw’s (portrayed by Molly Windsor) sister.
No Bragason spent the rest of the late 2010s guest-starring in a few TV shows. However, it wasn’t until the mid-2020s that she began to land multiple projects. On television, she joined the main cast of the short-lived Disney+ British historical fantasy adventure series Renegade Nell (2024). She also starred in the 2024 British crime drama The Jetty as Amy Knightly. The show quickly became one of the most-watched British TV shows of that year, attracting over six million viewers. On the big screen, Bragason landed a major role in the British comedy horror The Radleys. Cast as Clara Radley, Bragason played one of the teenage kids of Damian Lewis and Kelly Macdonald’s characters in the vampire-themed series.
Bo Bragason Won an Award for Her Performance in a Short Film
Although she has yet to receive the attention of major award institutions, Bo Bragason has already won an award in her young career. Before her known television roles, Bragason co-led the cast of Tim Price’s short drama film Through the Dunes. In the movie, she plays Lily, a girl seeking to continue her family’s tradition of burying the family’s Christmas tree at Formby Dunes every year. Bragason was nominated for and won the 2021 Best Short Competition’s Award of Merit. Interestingly, in the same year, 2021, she made her theater debut as Vera in the Force Majeure production at London’s Off-West End theater, the Donmar Warehouse.
