Get to Know Simona Brown, the British Actor Leading Netflix's Behind Her Eyes Adaptation

Updated on Feb 11, 2021 at 5:50 PM

Simona Brown is making huge waves in the entertainment industry. Most recently, she's starring as the lead in Netflix original series Behind Her Eyes, in which she plays Louise, a single mother who falls for her boss David. After a chance encounter with his wife, Adele, she realizes that not only is David married, but also that their relationship has a darkness that she's suddenly being pulled into.

But while this may be Brown's most high-profile starring role to date, it's certainly not her first — not even close. Most notably, she appeared alongside Olivia Colman and Tom Hiddleston in The Night Manager in 2016, and then starred with Alexander Skarsgård and Hollywood darling Florence Pugh in the 2018 thriller The Little Drummer Girl.

Keep reading to get to know Simona Brown a little bit better before she takes Netflix by storm when Behind Her Eyes premieres on Feb. 17.

She Attended the Same Drama School as John Boyega

Much of Simona's life and career has taken place in England's capital city, having trained at The Identity School of Acting in London. Simona is in good company as an alumnus of the school, since it was also attended by John Boyega, who has starred in the Star Wars franchise, and Chance Perdomo, who you may know as Sabrina's wise but sassy cousin in Netflix's The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Her First Major Role Was, Well . . . Pretty Major

Simona's first major role was in the TV adaptation of J.K. Rowling's book ]The Casual Vacancy, where she appeared in all three episodes as Gaia Bawden. As far as first major acting roles go, this one was a hugely important one. The series itself didn't garner extraordinary reviews, but she did get to act alongside Michael Gambon, aka Professor Albus Dumbledore.

Simona Was as Starstruck as We'd Be Acting Opposite Olivia Colman

In 2016, Simona starred in the BBC adaptation of the John le Carré novel The Night Manager alongside The Crown's Olivia Colman. "I think I was in a state of shock for the whole filming process as I was just sat opposite Olivia Colman and I've always watched her onscreen," she told UK publication The Resident. "She's a really great, warm character to be around. And then Hugh Laurie would just stroll up with cakes for everyone — I used to watch him in Stuart Little! It was bizarre to be around so many big acting names and it was great to watch and observe and take it all in as a valuable learning experience."

This Isn't Her First Netflix Series

Simona initially appeared within the Netflix extended universe (so to speak) in Kiss Me First. The 2018 miniseries is a Black Mirror-meets-Ready Player One sci-fi drama, and you can stream it now!

American Audiences Might Know Her From Guilt

Simona has appeared in quite a few UK projects at this point, but American audiences might recognize her from the short-lived Freeform series Guilt, where she played Roz Walters.