Hayley Atwell

reference Hayley Elizabeth Atwell—yeah, the name probably rings a bell if you’ve watched anything Marvel in the last decade. Born smack dab in London, she’s got that cool double passport thing: half Brit, half American. Only child, which probably explains some of the confidence, right? Her parents, Alison and Grant, were both into the whole motivational speaking scene, so imagine growing up with that energy around the dinner table. They actually met in one of those “change your life” workshops, classic. Her mom’s English with a bit of Irish sprinkled in, and her dad’s American—Kansas City roots and a dash of Native American heritage (his Native name is Star Touches Earth, which is honestly pretty poetic). Hayley’s parents split when she was just a toddler, so she did the whole summers-in-the-States, school-in-London shuffle. Her mom was big on theater being this almost sacred group experience, so Hayley basically grew up in the cheap seats. The obsession stuck—by age 11 she was watching Ralph Fiennes do Hamlet and probably realized, “Yeah, that’s the job for me.” Fast forward, she ends up acting alongside him in The Duchess, so full circle moment right there. School-wise, she crushed it at Sion-Manning Catholic Girl’s, then did her A-levels at London Oratory. Took a couple years off to travel and dip her toes in casting—because, why not? Graduated from Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2005, which is kind of a big deal in acting circles. Jumped into BBC dramas, landed her first film gig in How About You…, and then Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream. Everything changed when she snagged the role of Peggy Carter in Captain America. Suddenly, everyone knew her name.