# Jade Croot
**Jade Croot** (born 1999) is a Welsh actress who works across film, television, and stage. She began acting as a child, playing Mary in the science-fiction film *The Machine* (2013) at age 13, and became widely known for playing Leona Bevan in [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4)'s *The Accident* (2019) and Princess Adda in Netflix's *The Witcher*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/) In 2025, Screen International named her a Star of Tomorrow.[2](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2025-jade-croot-actress/5209249.article)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1999, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, South Wales, UK[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/) |
| Screen debut | Mary in *The Machine* (2013), Caradog W. James's science-fiction film, her first feature[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/) • [3](https://resource.download.wjec.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/vtc/2014-15/ext_05_FAW/eng/Uk%20Independent%20-%20The%20Machine/download/Press%20Pack.pdf) |
| Breakthrough TV role | Leona Bevan in Channel 4's four-part drama *The Accident* (2019), alongside Sarah Lancashire[4](https://www.channel4.com/press/press-pack/accident-press-pack) |
| Fantasy role | Princess Adda in *The Witcher* (Netflix, 2019), one episode[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/) |
| Leading film role | The Child in Bryn Chainey's folk horror *Rabbit Trap* (2025), world premiere at Sundance 2025, opposite Dev Patel and Rosy McEwen[2](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2025-jade-croot-actress/5209249.article) |
| Recognition | BIFA breakthrough performance long-list mention for *Rabbit Trap*; Screen International Stars of Tomorrow 2025[5](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/jade-croot) • [2](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2025-jade-croot-actress/5209249.article) |
| Representation | Richard Gibb at Markham, Froggatt & Irwin[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/) |
## Early life and training
Croot was born in [Merthyr Tydfil](https://www.edgepedia.org/merthyr-tydfil), Wales,[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/) and grew up nearby in [Pontypridd](https://www.edgepedia.org/pontypridd), South Wales.[3](https://resource.download.wjec.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/vtc/2014-15/ext_05_FAW/eng/Uk%20Independent%20-%20The%20Machine/download/Press%20Pack.pdf) In interviews she has described being shy as a child and badly bullied during secondary school.[6](https://adarmagazine.com/jadecroot-eng) After watching *The Karate Kid* (the 2010 [Jaden Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/jaden-smith) and Jackie Chan version) she took up karate, where her confidence grew, and then joined the Mark Jermin Stage School, which is where she says her love of acting began.[6](https://adarmagazine.com/jadecroot-eng) • [2](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2025-jade-croot-actress/5209249.article) She became a black belt and competed for several years, winning the Welsh Kata championship for the WKU in 2011 and 2012.[3](https://resource.download.wjec.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/vtc/2014-15/ext_05_FAW/eng/Uk%20Independent%20-%20The%20Machine/download/Press%20Pack.pdf) • [7](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/jade-croot.html)
Her early stage work included performances in *Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat* at Cardiff's New Theatre and *Les Miserables* at Pontypridd's Muni Arts Centre, and she was cast in the UK tour of [Cameron Mackintosh](https://www.edgepedia.org/cameron-mackintosh)'s *Oliver* over Christmas 2011.[3](https://resource.download.wjec.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/vtc/2014-15/ext_05_FAW/eng/Uk%20Independent%20-%20The%20Machine/download/Press%20Pack.pdf) She joined the [Royal Shakespeare Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-shakespeare-company) at 16 and played [Helen of Troy](https://www.edgepedia.org/helen-of-troy) in *Doctor Faustus* there.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/) • [5](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/jade-croot)
## Television career
Croot's first television credit was an episode of *Casualty* in 2013, playing Thea Priestly, and she appeared in an episode of *Doctors* in 2020 as Meg Ringwood.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/)
*The Accident* was her breakthrough. In the [Jack Thorne](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-thorne) four-part drama for Channel 4, broadcast from October 24, 2019, she played Leona, the rebellious daughter of [Sarah Lancashire](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-lancashire)'s and [Mark Lewis Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-lewis-jones)'s characters, who is left with a lifelong disability after an explosion at a construction site.[4](https://www.channel4.com/press/press-pack/accident-press-pack) Croot has called the role her personal favorite and described working with Lancashire, who played her mother, as a dream come true.[6](https://adarmagazine.com/jadecroot-eng) The same year she played Princess Adda in one episode of Netflix's *The Witcher*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/)
Subsequent television credits include Edith in the Starz series *The Serpent Queen* (2022, four episodes), Pauline Floyd in the [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) true-crime mini-series *Steeltown Murders* (2023, three episodes), and a role as Girl in Flat in the BBC series *The Reckoning* (2023).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/) Of *Steeltown Murders*, directed by [Marc Evans](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-evans), she has said the production kept the victims and their loved ones at the forefront of everyone's minds.[6](https://adarmagazine.com/jadecroot-eng)
## Film career
Croot's first feature was *The Machine* (2013), directed by Caradog W. James. Her teacher put her forward for the role of Mary, a child with [Rett syndrome](https://www.edgepedia.org/rett-syndrome), and she researched the part by studying videos of children with the condition.[3](https://resource.download.wjec.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/vtc/2014-15/ext_05_FAW/eng/Uk%20Independent%20-%20The%20Machine/download/Press%20Pack.pdf) She later played Sarah in the 2024 biblical epic *Mary*, directed by D.J. Caruso.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/) • [5](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/jade-croot)
**Rabbit Trap** marked her most significant big-screen role to date. Bryn Chainey's folk horror premiered at the 2025 [Sundance Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-film-festival) in the Midnight category, and Croot plays The Child, a nameless, genderless being, opposite [Dev Patel](https://www.edgepedia.org/dev-patel) and Rosy McEwen.[2](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2025-jade-croot-actress/5209249.article) • [8](https://dailybruin.com/2025/01/29/sundance-2025-qa-rabbit-trap-captures-the-eerie-sound-of-welsh-folktales) Chainey has said the role was originally written for a teenage boy and that Croot, then 25, was the oldest actor considered for it, calling the casting a risky decision.[9](https://www.creepykingdom.com/post/interview-bryn-chainey-rabbit-trap) Croot has said she approached the part by playing the character as a human rather than a boy.[8](https://dailybruin.com/2025/01/29/sundance-2025-qa-rabbit-trap-captures-the-eerie-sound-of-welsh-folktales) The performance brought a long-list mention for a British Independent Film Award in breakthrough performance.[5](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/jade-croot)
She also appears as Louise in Romain Gavras's comedic thriller *Sacrifice* (2025), about a charity gala hijacked by a radical cult, alongside Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy, Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, and John Malkovich.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/) • [2](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2025-jade-croot-actress/5209249.article) Her next role is Wainwright in Michael Sarnoski's *The Death of Robin Hood* (2026), starring Hugh Jackman and Bill Skarsgård; she filmed it in Ireland in early 2025.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/) • [10](https://www.podscan.fm/podcasts/the-ghost-of-hollywood/episodes/the-death-of-robin-hood-with-jade-croot)
## Stage career
Croot made her West End debut as Tullia in the Royal Shakespeare Company's *Imperium Part I: Conspirator* and *Imperium Part II: Dictator* at the Gielgud Theatre, and later played Sis and Ensemble in the National Theatre's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel *The Ocean at the End of the Lane*.[11](https://tresamagazine.com/2020/02/18/jade-croot/) She has described *The Ocean at the End of the Lane* as a dream come true, having been a long-time admirer of Gaiman's work.[11](https://tresamagazine.com/2020/02/18/jade-croot/)
## Method and recognition
Croot has said she has never attended drama school and prepares for roles by following her instincts, writing out lines repeatedly until they feel natural.[6](https://adarmagazine.com/jadecroot-eng) In its 2025 Stars of Tomorrow feature, Screen International placed her among the year's most promising UK and Ireland performers, following acclaimed performances in *The Accident*, *The Serpent Queen*, and *Steeltown Murders*.[2](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2025-jade-croot-actress/5209249.article)
## References
1. [Jade Croot, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558562/)
2. [Stars of Tomorrow 2025: Jade Croot (actress), Screen International](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2025-jade-croot-actress/5209249.article)
3. [The Machine press pack, Red & Black Films](https://resource.download.wjec.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/vtc/2014-15/ext_05_FAW/eng/Uk%20Independent%20-%20The%20Machine/download/Press%20Pack.pdf)
4. [The Accident press pack, Channel 4](https://www.channel4.com/press/press-pack/accident-press-pack)
5. [Jade Croot Movies on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/jade-croot)
6. [Interview with Jade Croot, Adar Magazine](https://adarmagazine.com/jadecroot-eng)
7. [Jade Croot, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/jade-croot.html)
8. [Sundance 2025 Q&A: 'Rabbit Trap' captures the eerie sound of Welsh folktales, Daily Bruin](https://dailybruin.com/2025/01/29/sundance-2025-qa-rabbit-trap-captures-the-eerie-sound-of-welsh-folktales)
9. [Interview: Bryn Chainey on Folklore, Sound Design, and the Haunting Power of RABBIT TRAP, Creepy Kingdom](https://www.creepykingdom.com/post/interview-bryn-chainey-rabbit-trap)
10. [The Death of Robin Hood with Jade Croot, The Ghost of Hollywood podcast](https://www.podscan.fm/podcasts/the-ghost-of-hollywood/episodes/the-death-of-robin-hood-with-jade-croot)
11. [Jade Croot, TresA Magazine](https://tresamagazine.com/2020/02/18/jade-croot/)
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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 › Welsh actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license