Louise Brealey (born 27 March 1979 in Bozeat, England) is an English actress, writer and journalist. She is best known for her role as Molly Hooper on the BBC's Sherlock. She has written about the arts for various publications and has had a play she wrote, Pope Joan, performed by the National Youth Theater. An outspoken feminist, she says the fact that her role as Molly has become an inspiration for young women has been a source of "great amusement" for her friends and family.
Selected Filmography:
- Hotel Babylon (2008): Chloe.
- Sherlock (2010-2017): Molly Hooper.
- Law & Order: UK (2011): Joanne Vickery.
- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011): Hairdresser.
- Father Brown (2013): Eleanor Knight.
- Ripper Street (2014): Dr. Amelia Frayn.
- Victor Frankenstein (2015): Sexy Society Girl.
- BACK (2017): Cass.
Tropes:
- Performance Anxiety: She once played the triple role of Cassandra, Andromache and Helen of Troy in a modernized production of The Trojan Women. The latter role required her to wear a Modesty Towel at one point, which subsequently drops to the floor. Having never been naked on stage before, she was extremely nervous about it. But she ultimately came to see it as an empowering experience, since Helen drops her towel in order to be bold and to show her enemy that she won't go down without a fight.
- What Could Have Been: She auditioned for the part of Rose Tyler in Doctor Who. She described it as her worst audition because Christopher Eccleston said to her, "I remember you, you did that interview for Premiere". The interview in question had included some less-than-flattering comments about Eccleston that Louise's editor had put in after the fact.
