In 2010, Élodie Yung was at a crossroads.
Though most people now know her from FOX’s “The Cleaning Lady,” back then, she had made a solid name for herself in her home country of France. Having found her footing through various projects like “La vie devant nous” and “Les fils du vent,” she spent four years as a series regular on the French police procedural “Les Blues,” achieving what many fledgling actors dream of. Yet, Yung still felt limited.
“There was a plateau — a ceiling that I could never overcome in France,” Yung explains. “So, I decided not to do the next season of the series and go to [London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts].”
To some, it may have seemed counterintuitive to leave a slowly-but-surely rising career in France; but, Yung knew that she had to challenge herself in some way to reach new levels. By pausing her work and attending LAMDA, Yung hoped to fill in any gaps and explore acting through different methods and styles.
“When I started in France, I didn’t have any proper training. I learned on the fly, on set and from practicing,” she says.
“I discovered in England that acting is not always something innate — something you have or don’t. It’s a craft, so you can perfect it. When you train, you discover different techniques and collect tools to see what works best for you.”
Enrolling at LAMDA not only provided Yung with new acting skills but also opened new doors for her. She eventually signed with both English and American representation, setting her sights on more global roles. Soon, she found herself on the call sheets for bigger-budgeted international projects like “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” Yung then went on to other mainstream projects that put her in the public eye, like Marvel’s “Daredevil” and “The Defenders,” where she played Elektra Natchios.
All that has led to her leading role as Thony De…
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