Emily Joanna Carey (born 30 April 2003) is an English actor. She began her career as a child actor on stage and in the BBC One soap opera Casualty (2014–2017, 2021). They went on to play young versions of characters, such as Diana Prince in Wonder Woman (2017), Lara Croft in Tomb Raider (2018), and Alicent Hightower in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon (2022). They also appeared in BBC iPlayer teen series Get Even (2020).
Early life
Carey was born in the London Borough of Barnet. Her family is in the theatre industry. When Carey was as young as three she would help her grandmother, a former West End wardrobe mistress, pair socks backstage. She was scouted by an agent when she was eight. They were invited by Michael Xavier, whom they met through The Sound of Music, to take weekend acting classes at his MX Masterclass, of which they are now a patron.
Career
Carey began her career in 2013 in the West End production of Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and as Marta von Trapp in the Olivier Award-nominated The Sound of Music at Regents Park Open Air Theatre.
The following year, Carey joined the cast of Casualty as Grace Beauchamp, a role they would play until 2017 and reprise in 2021. They also appeared in the video for Idina Menzel and Michael Bublé's cover of "Baby, It's Cold Outside". They played Mary Conan Doyle in the ITV drama Houdini & Doyle. Carey was listed in a Huffington Post article as one of the top five child stars of 2016.
Carey made their feature film debut as young Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) in the 2017 DC Universe film Wonder Woman. This was followed by a role as young Lara Croft in the 2018 Tomb Raider reboot film. They signed with IMG Models in 2019.
In 2020, Carey played Mika Cavanaugh in the BBC iPlayer teen series Get Even, which was distributed internationally on Netflix, as well as the titular Anastasia in the film Anastasia: Once Upon a Time, also on Netflix. They voiced Anne Frank and Mila in the animated films Where is Anne Frank and Monster Family 2 respectively.
In July 2021, it was announced Carey had been cast as young Alicent Hightower (later played by Olivia Cooke) in the 2022 HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon, a Game of Thrones prequel and adaptation of George R. R. Martin's fictional history book Fire and Blood. They also portrayed Teen Wendy in the film adaption of Laurie Fox's novel The Lost Girls.
In June 2023, it was announced that Carey would portray Harriet Manners in the Netflix adaptation of the Geek Girl YA book series by Holly Smale.
Personal life
Carey identifies as queer and uses "she/they" pronouns. Carey helped The Children's Trust launch the #MyBrave campaign. They were in a relationship with musician Kellimarie Willis, who performs in the band RLY, for just over a year.