# Freya Allan
**Freya Allan** (born 2001) is a British actress best known for playing Princess Cirilla of Cintra, usually called Ciri, in the Netflix fantasy series *[The Witcher](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-witcher-tv-series)*, a role she has held since the show's first season in 2019. She has since taken lead roles in film, playing the human Mae in *Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes* (2024) and starring in the horror film *[Baghead](https://www.edgepedia.org/baghead-2023-film)* (2023).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2001; she has said she was born in London and moved to Oxford as a child, while some listings give Oxford, Oxfordshire, as her birthplace[1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D853229.html) • [2](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/film/features/freya-allan-on-kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-interview-39447/) |
| Signature role | Ciri (Princess Cirilla of Cintra) in *The Witcher*, 2019–2025, 32 episodes[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8463347/) |
| Breakout film | Mae, the lead human role in *Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes* (2024), directed by Wes Ball[4](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/client/freya-allan/cv/acting/?_wpnonce=297a2b2470) |
| Other films | Iris in *Baghead* (2023); Young Eva in *Gunpowder Milkshake* (2021)[4](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/client/freya-allan/cv/acting/?_wpnonce=297a2b2470) |
| Awards | Two Saturn Award nominations for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series, for *The Witcher*[5](https://concreteplayground.com/sydney/arts-entertainment/film-tv/freya-allan-interview-baghead) |
| Upcoming | *Black Palace*, a Jack the Ripper-era thriller directed by Nick Hamm, completed filming in 2026; also attached to *Europa*, *Triton*, and *Faithfull*[6](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/english/news/2026/Sep/08/freya-allans-black-palace-completes-filming) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8463347/) |
## Early life and training
Allan grew up in England and has described a peripatetic childhood: born in London, she moved to Oxford, spent a year in Australia with her mother, and lived in the Pyrenees, where she attended a French school before returning to school in Oxford.[2](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/film/features/freya-allan-on-kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-interview-39447/) Her parents separated when she was one, and she was an only child until age 11.[2](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/film/features/freya-allan-on-kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-interview-39447/) She was on stage before she was six, in primary-school productions; her first role was a wolf in a Nativity play, which she persuaded the teachers to rewrite as a vegetarian wolf.[2](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/film/features/freya-allan-on-kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-interview-39447/)
She trained at British drama schools.[1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D853229.html) Her early credits include brief appearances in the television series *Into the Badlands*, on which she played the young Widow (also called Minerva), and *The War of the Worlds*, as well as short films including *Bluebird* and *Christmas Tree* (both 2017).[7](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/witcher-princess-ciri-freya-allan) • [1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D853229.html)
## The Witcher
Allan was 16 years old when she auditioned for *The Witcher*, a Netflix adaptation of [Andrzej Sapkowski](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrzej-sapkowski)'s novels that she was initially unfamiliar with; she has said that, unlike many auditions where she felt miscast on paper, "I look right for it."[8](https://freya-allan.org/2022/02/14/who-what-wear-in-conversation-with-the-witchers-freya-allan/) She was cast as Ciri, the crown princess of Cintra and the ward of the monster-hunter [Geralt of Rivia](https://www.edgepedia.org/geralt-of-rivia), and appeared in the series from its first season in 2019.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8463347/) In the first season her character flees her kingdom after an invading army lays siege to the royal palace.[9](https://time.com/5752962/netflix-witcher-review/) In season 2 Ciri trains as a witcher-in-training, and by season 4 she lives in hiding among a band of vagabonds called the Rats under the alias Falka.[10](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-witcher-season-4-cast?inapp=trueOs)
She played the role across eight years and four released seasons, with a fifth and final season, in which [Liam Hemsworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/liam-hemsworth) takes over the role of Geralt from [Henry Cavill](https://www.edgepedia.org/henry-cavill), scheduled for 2026.[11](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/the-witcher-ciri-actor-says-she-considered-quitting-the-show-with-former-star-henry-cavill-hes-the-geralt-i-grew-up-with/) • [12](https://youmark-images.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/WHAT-NEXT_-Netflix-Line-Up-2026-1.pdf) Allan has said she considered leaving the show when Cavill exited after season 3, telling interviewers that "he's the Geralt I grew up with," but stayed through the final seasons.[11](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/the-witcher-ciri-actor-says-she-considered-quitting-the-show-with-former-star-henry-cavill-hes-the-geralt-i-grew-up-with/) For seasons 4 and 5 she returned to Sapkowski's novels closely, telling GamesRadar+ that she "really wanted to make sure I knew every nook and cranny of Ciri's story in the books"; showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich described her arriving at meetings with a dog-eared, underlined copy.[13](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/ciri-actor-freya-allan-says-the-witcher-season-4-has-some-of-her-favorite-ciri-storylines-so-she-dived-back-into-the-books-to-do-them-justice/) She has called the series her drama school.[14](https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a60719645/freya-allan-hollywood-rising-interview-2024/)
## Film work
Allan's film career began with supporting parts, including Young Eva in *[Gunpowder Milkshake](https://www.edgepedia.org/gunpowder-milkshake)* (2021).[4](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/client/freya-allan/cv/acting/?_wpnonce=297a2b2470) Her first lead film role was Iris in *Baghead* (2023), a horror feature directed by Alberto Corredor, adapted from his own short film; she described the physical demands of the genre in interviews, saying "you have to surrender yourself to the genre."[4](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/client/freya-allan/cv/acting/?_wpnonce=297a2b2470) • [15](https://www.gamesradar.com/baghead-freya-allan-interview-challenges-of-filming-horror-movie/)
**Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.** In 2024 she played Mae, the main human character in [Wes Ball](https://www.edgepedia.org/wes-ball)'s *Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes*, set generations after the earlier reboot trilogy, in which her character forms an uneasy alliance with the chimpanzee Noa ([Owen Teague](https://www.edgepedia.org/owen-teague)) while concealing her own agenda.[4](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/client/freya-allan/cv/acting/?_wpnonce=297a2b2470) • [16](https://apnews.com/article/6fbd13196311d67812e5483a349869ac) For most of the film she was the only human on screen, acting opposite co-stars fitted with motion-capture equipment.[17](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/freya-allan-kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-interview) The film was her first cinema release, a goal she had set herself as a teenager.[2](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/film/features/freya-allan-on-kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-interview-39447/)
## Upcoming projects
Allan leads the cast of *Black Palace*, a period thriller directed by Nick Hamm and written by Jon Croker, set in autumn 1888 London amid the [Jack the Ripper](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-the-ripper) panic; she stars with [Kodi Smit-McPhee](https://www.edgepedia.org/kodi-smit-mcphee), and the cast includes [Joe Anders](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-anders), Raffey Cassidy, Iain Glen, Juliet Stevenson, and Martin Clunes. The film follows a young woman sent by Queen Victoria to spy on her wayward grandson. Production ran in the UK from June 2026, and the film completed filming and entered post-production in September 2026, with New Regency handling worldwide sales.[6](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/english/news/2026/Sep/08/freya-allans-black-palace-completes-filming) • [18](https://www.screenglobalproduction.com/news/2026/06/24/freya-allan-kodi-smit-mcphee-lead-nick-hamm-film-black-palace)
She is also attached to *Europa*, a road movie from filmmakers Bjorn Franklin and Johnny Marchetta billed as a contemporary "Thelma & Louise" set in Europe, co-starring María Pedraza, William Abadie, and [Toby Kebbell](https://www.edgepedia.org/toby-kebbell), and to the films *Triton* and *Faithfull*, in which she plays [Marianne Faithfull](https://www.edgepedia.org/marianne-faithfull).[19](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8463347/news/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8463347/)
## References
1. [Freya Allan, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D853229.html)
2. [Star rising: Freya Allan on 'Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes' and her career so far, Rolling Stone UK](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/film/features/freya-allan-on-kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-interview-39447/)
3. [Freya Allan, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8463347/)
4. [Freya Allan credits, United Agents](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/client/freya-allan/cv/acting/?_wpnonce=297a2b2470)
5. [Sticking with the Supernatural as a New Horror Heroine, Concrete Playground](https://concreteplayground.com/sydney/arts-entertainment/film-tv/freya-allan-interview-baghead)
6. [Freya Allan's Black Palace completes filming, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/english/news/2026/Sep/08/freya-allans-black-palace-completes-filming)
7. [Freya Allan's Metamorphosis from Young Princess to Wizened Witcher, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/witcher-princess-ciri-freya-allan)
8. [Who What Wear: In Conversation With The Witcher's Freya Allan](https://freya-allan.org/2022/02/14/who-what-wear-in-conversation-with-the-witchers-freya-allan/)
9. [Netflix's The Witcher Is the Latest Disaster in a Year of Terrible Post-Game of Thrones Fantasy TV, Time](https://time.com/5752962/netflix-witcher-review/)
10. [The Witcher Season 4 Cast and New and Returning Characters, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-witcher-season-4-cast?inapp=trueOs)
11. [The Witcher Ciri actor says she considered quitting the show with former star Henry Cavill, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/the-witcher-ciri-actor-says-she-considered-quitting-the-show-with-former-star-henry-cavill-hes-the-geralt-i-grew-up-with/)
12. [WHAT NEXT? Netflix Line Up 2026](https://youmark-images.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/WHAT-NEXT_-Netflix-Line-Up-2026-1.pdf)
13. [Ciri actor Freya Allan says The Witcher season 4 has "some of her favorite Ciri storylines", GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/ciri-actor-freya-allan-says-the-witcher-season-4-has-some-of-her-favorite-ciri-storylines-so-she-dived-back-into-the-books-to-do-them-justice/)
14. [Freya Allan on 'The Witcher' Season 4 and Liam Hemsworth Hate, Elle](https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a60719645/freya-allan-hollywood-rising-interview-2024/)
15. [The Witcher's Freya Allan explains the challenges of filming her first horror movie Baghead, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/baghead-freya-allan-interview-challenges-of-filming-horror-movie/)
16. [Movie Review: 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' finds a new hero, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/6fbd13196311d67812e5483a349869ac)
17. [The Secret Weapon of 'The Witcher' Makes It to the Big Screen, Inverse](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/freya-allan-kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-interview)
18. [Freya Allan, Kodi Smit-McPhee to lead Nick Hamm's 'Black Palace', Screen Global Production](https://www.screenglobalproduction.com/news/2026/06/24/freya-allan-kodi-smit-mcphee-lead-nick-hamm-film-black-palace)
19. [Freya Allan – News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8463347/news/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames A to Ba*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license