Fallout star says her character Lucy is the most brilliantly unhinged combo: "Leslie Knope meets Ned Flanders" and someone who can "also kill you"

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Fallout lead Ella Purnell speaks to GamesRadar+ about how her character Lucy was pitched to her

Ella Purnell as Lucy in Fallout
(Image credit: Prime Video)

If you’ve already started the Fallout TV show, you’ll know Ella Purnell’s Vault Dweller Lucy is a little more complex than her okie-dokie demeanor would have you believe.

In fact, it’s that harder edge – which develops throughout the Prime Video series – that drew Purnell to the role.

"For me, it was when they told me Lucy was someone who could star in a toothpaste commercial and could also kill you, and she was a mixture of Leslie Knope and Ned Flanders. And I was like, ‘Got it. Absolutely sign me up. I’m in," Purnell, who also voices Jinx in Arcane, tells GamesRadar+ of how Fallout was pitched to her.

On Lucy’s time up in the wasteland, in search of her Overseer father Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), Parnell adds: "With Lucy, I think it ignites something. I think it lights this flame in her where she just becomes resilient. It’s all inside her somewhere, she just has to access it. Does it go too far? Does she learn to adapt to find the answer? I don’t know. You’ll have to watch the show to find out!"

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.