Lucy Halliday is making waves in the entertainment industry as one of Scotland’s most promising young talents. At just 22 years old, the Paisley-born actress has achieved remarkable success with her debut film performance, earning critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her upcoming role in Hulu’s highly anticipated series “The Testaments,” set to premiere in April 2026, has positioned her as a rising star to watch.
Who is Lucy Halliday
Lucy Halliday is a Scottish actress from Paisley, Renfrewshire, who gained recognition for her breakthrough performance in the 2022 film “Blue Jean”. She was studying medicine before pursuing acting professionally after landing her first role through an open casting call. Halliday is represented by Curtis Brown and Isabelle Sweetland.
Lucy Halliday Biography / Wiki
| Field | Details |
| Full Name | Lucy Halliday |
| Age | 22 years (as of January 2026) |
| Birthplace | Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Profession | Actress, Writer |
| Years Active | 2022–present |
| Education Background | Former Medicine Student, Maths and Physics Degree Student |
| Youth Theatre | PACE Theatre, Paisley |
| Representation | Curtis Brown, My Greenspan |
| Notable Awards | BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actress (2023) |
Lucy Halliday Education
Lucy Halliday was initially studying medicine at university before transitioning to acting. She is also completing a degree in mathematics and physics alongside her acting career. Her formal education was balanced with creative pursuits from a young age.
Early Life
Lucy Halliday was born and raised in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. When she was nine years old, her parents enrolled her at PACE (Paisley Arts Centre Excellence), the renowned youth theatre in Paisley that has produced notable alumni including James McAvoy and Richard Madden. Her parents sent her to PACE after she persistently sent stories written on stapled-together pieces of paper to BBC Glasgow, who eventually asked her to stop.
Halliday performed in various productions through PACE both within the youth theatre and external venues. Despite her early involvement in performing arts, she was adamant about not pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, finding it “terrifying” and unable to imagine it as a profession. She focused on her academic studies, initially pursuing medicine before switching to mathematics and physics.
Lucy Halliday Profession
Lucy Halliday is a professional actress specializing in film and television. She works across dramatic and character-driven roles in independent and mainstream productions. Additionally, Halliday is developing her skills as a writer and screenwriter.
She participated in Convergence, a BFI- and Screen Scotland-supported writers programme, where she developed both short film and feature film scripts while consulting with producers. Her writing focuses on themes of personal growth and human experience, as she describes: “A lot of my writing is about how we’re all growing up until the day you fall off the planet”.
Lucy Halliday Career Journey
Lucy Halliday’s professional acting career began unexpectedly in 2022 when she discovered an open casting call for Georgia Oakley’s film “Blue Jean” on Instagram. She saw the advertisement on the last day of applications and submitted her audition despite having no professional acting experience. It was her first professional audition, and she recalls “Googling how to do an audition” before attending.
After her initial audition, Halliday was called back for a chemistry read with actress Rosy McEwen, and within a week, they began filming. Her portrayal of Lois Jackson, a lesbian teenager in 1980s Newcastle, earned immediate critical acclaim. The performance resulted in a British Independent Film Award (BIFA) nomination in 2022 and a BAFTA Scotland Award win for Best Actress in Film in November 2023.
Halliday described her emotional reaction to reading the “Blue Jean” script, stating she “chucked her phone across the room,” which she has come to recognize as a sign that she genuinely loves a project. She expressed that if she ever gets another role “that can even do half of what Blue Jean does in terms of making people feel heard or seen or valued, that would be an amazing job”.
In 2024, Halliday was named to Screen Daily’s “Stars of Tomorrow” list, recognizing her as one of the industry’s emerging talents. She subsequently landed the lead role of Mary Boyd in “California Schemin’,” the directorial debut of fellow Scottish actor James McAvoy, scheduled for release in 2025.
In March 2025, Halliday secured her most significant role to date as Daisy, one of three protagonists in Hulu’s “The Testaments,” the sequel series to the Emmy-winning “The Handmaid’s Tale”. The series, based on Margaret Atwood’s Booker Prize-winning novel, is set 15 years after the events of the original series and follows Daisy, a Canadian teenager who discovers her connection to the Republic of Gilead. The show is set to premiere on April 8, 2026, with three episodes launching simultaneously, followed by weekly releases.
Halliday has expressed her dream role would be playing Scottish heroine Merida in a live-action remake of Disney’s “Brave,” delivering what was described as an “impassioned speech” about why she would be perfect for the part.
Lucy Halliday Movies, Series
Films:
- Blue Jean (2022) – Lois Jackson
- California Schemin’ (2025) – Mary Boyd
- Static (2025) – Short Film
Television:
- The Testaments (2026) – Daisy, 2 episodes (filming)
Lucy Halliday Controversies
No publicly reported controversies involving Lucy Halliday have been documented. She has maintained a professional reputation throughout her early career and is respected within the entertainment industry.
Lucy Halliday Personal Life
Lucy Halliday maintains a relatively private personal life while balancing her acting career with academic pursuits. She is completing a degree in mathematics and physics alongside her professional work. Halliday is actively involved in screenwriting and participated in the BFI and Screen Scotland’s Convergence writers programme, where she developed scripts for both short and feature films.
Her creative philosophy centers on human growth and experience, stating that much of her writing explores “how we’re all growing up until the day you fall off the planet”. She has developed a method for evaluating scripts, noting that throwing her phone across the room upon first reading has become her indicator of genuinely liking a project.
Lucy Halliday Height and Physical Appearance
While Lucy Halliday maintains a more private profile regarding specific measurements, her presence in major projects like the Hulu series The Testaments has highlighted her distinctive and versatile look:
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Height | 5’5” – 5’7” (approx.) |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Build | Slim |
| Style | Sophisticated, Classic Scottish-Chic |
Why Lucy Halliday is Trending
Lucy Halliday is trending in January 2026 due to the highly anticipated premiere of “The Testaments” on Hulu, scheduled for April 8, 2026. The series is the sequel to the critically acclaimed and Emmy-winning “The Handmaid’s Tale,” based on Margaret Atwood’s Booker Prize-winning novel. Halliday plays Daisy, one of the three main protagonists, marking her first major television role and her entry into a high-profile international production.
The announcement of the release date in late January 2026, accompanied by first-look images, has generated significant buzz around the cast, particularly Halliday as a newcomer taking on such a pivotal role. At just 22 years old, she is being recognized as one of Scotland’s most promising young talents, having won a BAFTA Scotland Award for her debut film performance.
Her rapid ascent from medical student to award-winning actress to lead in a major streaming series has captured media attention and public interest. The fact that she secured the role just three years after her professional debut in “Blue Jean” demonstrates her exceptional talent and has positioned her as a rising star in the entertainment industry.
