# Oona Chaplin
**Oona Chaplin** (Oona Castilla Chaplin, born 1986 in Madrid, Spain) is a Spanish-British actress known for playing Talisa Maegyr in *Game of Thrones*, Zilpha Geary in *Taboo*, and Varang, the antagonist of [James Cameron](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-cameron)'s *Avatar: Fire and Ash* (2025)[1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D91831.html) • [2](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/oona-chaplin/). She belongs to a prominent acting family: her mother is the actress [Geraldine Chaplin](https://www.edgepedia.org/geraldine-chaplin), her father the Chilean cinematographer Patricio Castilla, her maternal grandfather [Charlie Chaplin](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-chaplin), her grandmother Oona O'Neill, and her great-grandfather the playwright Eugene O'Neill[3](https://www.abandomoviez.net/db/persona.php?id_persona=19369&lectura=3). She was named after her grandmother[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2025/12/21/oona-chaplin-a-fiery-force-in-avatar-fire-and-ash_6748727_30.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986, Madrid, Spain; full name Oona Castilla Chaplin[1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D91831.html) |
| Family | Daughter of Geraldine Chaplin and Patricio Castilla; granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin and Oona O'Neill; great-granddaughter of Eugene O'Neill[3](https://www.abandomoviez.net/db/persona.php?id_persona=19369&lectura=3) |
| Training | Gordonstoun School in Scotland, then the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating in 2007[5](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/sep/23/on-my-radar-oona-chaplin-dark-crystal-doris-lessing-david-hockney-aniwa-gathering) |
| Breakthrough role | Talisa Maegyr in *Game of Thrones* (seasons 2 and 3, 2012-2013)[6](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-91831/filmographie/) |
| Signature recent role | Varang, leader of the Ash People, in *Avatar: Fire and Ash* (2025), performed through performance capture[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2025/12/21/oona-chaplin-a-fiery-force-in-avatar-fire-and-ash_6748727_30.html) • [7](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/oona-chaplin-dropped-bts-fact-making-avatar-fire-and-ash-wasnt-expecting-music-simon-franglen) |
| Upcoming | *Avatar 4* (expected 2029) and *Avatar 5* (expected 2031), again as Varang[8](https://www.movieinsider.com/p27022/oona-chaplin) |
| Languages | Fluent in Spanish, English, and French[3](https://www.abandomoviez.net/db/persona.php?id_persona=19369&lectura=3) |
## Family background
Her name carries three generations of cinema history. Her grandmother, [Oona O'Neill](https://www.edgepedia.org/oona-oneill) (1925-1991), was the daughter of the Nobel Prize-winning playwright [Eugene O'Neill](https://www.edgepedia.org/eugene-oneill) and married Charlie Chaplin in 1943, when she was 18 and he was 54; she remained his wife until his death in 1977[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0152253/bio/) • [10](https://www.chaplinsworld.com/content/dam/cwo/theme/imagepourtheme/presse/07---docs-officiels/Dossier_de_presse_ENG.pdf). Her mother, Geraldine Chaplin, was the first of their eight children and an acclaimed actress in her own right[11](https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/pub/media/resources/9781474427982_Geraldine_Chaplin_-_Introduction.pdf). Her father, Patricio Castilla, is a Chilean cinematographer descended from the Mapuche people; he married Geraldine Chaplin in 2006, twenty years after Oona's birth[3](https://www.abandomoviez.net/db/persona.php?id_persona=19369&lectura=3) • [4](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2025/12/21/oona-chaplin-a-fiery-force-in-avatar-fire-and-ash_6748727_30.html).
Chaplin's grandfather died in 1977, nearly a decade before she was born, and her grandmother died when Oona was five; she has described a single remembered meeting with her, playing with her [Siamese cat](https://www.edgepedia.org/siamese-cat)[12](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/chance-and-choice). She grew up between Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, and has said she initially resisted acting as a career and considered studying economics before a school play changed her mind[5](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/sep/23/on-my-radar-oona-chaplin-dark-crystal-doris-lessing-david-hockney-aniwa-gathering) • [13](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/12/08/la-gran-ironia-es-que-trabajamos-como-en-teatro-pobre-oona-chaplin-habla-sobre-como-ha-sido-grabar-avatar-fuego-y-ceniza-cadena-ser/).
## Training and early career
After graduating from RADA in 2007, her television debut came the same year in *Spooks*[5](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/sep/23/on-my-radar-oona-chaplin-dark-crystal-doris-lessing-david-hockney-aniwa-gathering). Her agent's CV lists early screen work including a role in the [James Bond](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-bond) film *Quantum of Solace* (2008) and the Italian horror film *Imago Mortis* (2009)[14](https://profile.tagmin.com/3ai591js1727wamq9i71ves728re1lhyf0cx).
## Television roles
**Game of Thrones and The Hour.** She played Marnie Madden in two series of the BBC's *The Hour* (2011-2012), then rose to wider recognition as Talisa Maegyr, a healer who marries [Robb Stark](https://www.edgepedia.org/robb-stark), in seasons 2 and 3 of HBO's *Game of Thrones* (2012-2013); her character is killed in the Red Wedding episode[6](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-91831/filmographie/) • [4](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2025/12/21/oona-chaplin-a-fiery-force-in-avatar-fire-and-ash_6748727_30.html). In a 2012 interview she noted that a casting director had once classed her as "miscellaneously ethnic," a label that limited her to roles such as terrorists or [Brazilians](https://www.edgepedia.org/brazilians) before *The Hour*[15](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/nov/04/oona-chaplin-the-hour-interview).
She followed with appearances in *Black Mirror* (2014, as Greta in "White Christmas"), *The Crimson Field* (2014), and the BBC/FX series *Taboo* (2017) opposite [Tom Hardy](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hardy), playing Zilpha Geary[5](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/sep/23/on-my-radar-oona-chaplin-dark-crystal-doris-lessing-david-hockney-aniwa-gathering) • [2](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/oona-chaplin/). Later television credits include Lisa Page in the CBS docudrama *The Comey Rule* (2020) and Maddy De Costa in Netflix's spy drama *Treason* (2022)[2](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/oona-chaplin/) • [16](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/oona-chaplin/).
## Film work
Her film credits include *What If* (2014) with [Daniel Radcliffe](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-radcliffe), *Aloft* (2015) with [Jennifer Connelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-connelly), *The Longest Ride* (2015, as Ruth), the Spanish film *Tierra firme* (2017), and *Realive* (2016)[16](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/oona-chaplin/). In the independent feature *Anchor and Hope* (2017), directed by Carlos Marques-Marcet, she and [Natalia Tena](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalia-tena) played a couple living on a houseboat in London[5](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/sep/23/on-my-radar-oona-chaplin-dark-crystal-doris-lessing-david-hockney-aniwa-gathering). She played Katie in Sacha Gervasi's HBO film *My Dinner with Hervé* (2018), alongside Jamie Dornan and Peter Dinklage[2](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/oona-chaplin/), and Rachel in the 2022 film *Lullaby*[16](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/oona-chaplin/).
## Avatar: Fire and Ash
In *Avatar: Fire and Ash* (2025), the third installment of James Cameron's *Avatar* franchise, Chaplin plays Varang, leader of the Ash People, a Na'vi tribe seeking revenge after a volcanic eruption devastates their land[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2025/12/21/oona-chaplin-a-fiery-force-in-avatar-fire-and-ash_6748727_30.html). The role was performed through performance capture[7](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/oona-chaplin-dropped-bts-fact-making-avatar-fire-and-ash-wasnt-expecting-music-simon-franglen). She has described Varang as having "suffered immense trauma" and said she studied [Zoe Saldaña](https://www.edgepedia.org/zoe-saldana)'s portrayal of Neytiri to craft the character[17](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies/varang-star-oona-chaplin-studied-zoe-saldanas-neytiri-to-craft-her-avatar-fire-and-ash-villain-but-varang-has-suffered-immense-trauma-and-so-she-doesnt-trust-the-world-like-neytiri-does/). Preparing for the role, she trained with weapons including sabers, bows, and kali sticks, a Philippine martial art[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2025/12/21/oona-chaplin-a-fiery-force-in-avatar-fire-and-ash_6748727_30.html). During filming in 2017 she lived in a cabin in Cuba[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2025/12/21/oona-chaplin-a-fiery-force-in-avatar-fire-and-ash_6748727_30.html).
She is attached to *Avatar 4* and *Avatar 5*, listed with expected release years of 2029 and 2031, respectively, again as Varang[8](https://www.movieinsider.com/p27022/oona-chaplin).
## Life outside acting
Chaplin has described living on a farm in [Northern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-california) with her partner, their young daughter, and fellow activists, practicing permaculture[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2025/12/21/oona-chaplin-a-fiery-force-in-avatar-fire-and-ash_6748727_30.html). She maintains ties with Indigenous leaders internationally, a connection she traces to her family's environmental consciousness and her father's Mapuche heritage[13](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/12/08/la-gran-ironia-es-que-trabajamos-como-en-teatro-pobre-oona-chaplin-habla-sobre-como-ha-sido-grabar-avatar-fuego-y-ceniza-cadena-ser/).
## References
1. [Oona Chaplin, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D91831.html)
2. [Oona Chaplin, B-Side Management](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/oona-chaplin/)
3. [Próximos proyectos de Oona Chaplin, abandomoviez.net](https://www.abandomoviez.net/db/persona.php?id_persona=19369&lectura=3)
4. [Oona Chaplin: A fiery force in 'Avatar: Fire and Ash', Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2025/12/21/oona-chaplin-a-fiery-force-in-avatar-fire-and-ash_6748727_30.html)
5. [On my radar: Oona Chaplin's cultural highlights, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/sep/23/on-my-radar-oona-chaplin-dark-crystal-doris-lessing-david-hockney-aniwa-gathering)
6. [Oona Chaplin: Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-91831/filmographie/)
7. [Oona Chaplin Dropped An Insane BTS Fact About The Making Of Avatar: Fire And Ash, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/oona-chaplin-dropped-bts-fact-making-avatar-fire-and-ash-wasnt-expecting-music-simon-franglen)
8. [Oona Chaplin Movie Credits, Movie Insider](https://www.movieinsider.com/p27022/oona-chaplin)
9. [Oona Chaplin Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0152253/bio/)
10. [Did you know? Press dossier, Chaplin's World](https://www.chaplinsworld.com/content/dam/cwo/theme/imagepourtheme/presse/07---docs-officiels/Dossier_de_presse_ENG.pdf)
11. [Geraldine Chaplin, Introduction, Edinburgh University Press](https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/pub/media/resources/9781474427982_Geraldine_Chaplin_-_Introduction.pdf)
12. [Chance and Choice, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/chance-and-choice)
13. ["La gran ironía es que trabajamos como en teatro pobre": Oona Chaplin habla sobre 'Avatar: Fuego y ceniza', Cadena SER](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/12/08/la-gran-ironia-es-que-trabajamos-como-en-teatro-pobre-oona-chaplin-habla-sobre-como-ha-sido-grabar-avatar-fuego-y-ceniza-cadena-ser/)
14. [Oona Chaplin CV, B-Side Management / Tagmin](https://profile.tagmin.com/3ai591js1727wamq9i71ves728re1lhyf0cx)
15. [Oona Chaplin: 'With the new series anything can happen', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/nov/04/oona-chaplin-the-hour-interview)
16. [Oona Chaplin, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/oona-chaplin/)
17. [Varang star Oona Chaplin "studied" Zoe Saldaña's Neytiri to craft her Avatar: Fire and Ash villain, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies/varang-star-oona-chaplin-studied-zoe-saldanas-neytiri-to-craft-her-avatar-fire-and-ash-villain-but-varang-has-suffered-immense-trauma-and-so-she-doesnt-trust-the-world-like-neytiri-does/)
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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 › Spanish actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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