Ella Rumpf is a Swiss actress who gained international recognition for her role as Alexia in the popular 2016 horror/drama film Raw, which won the Sutherland Trophy at the BFI London Film Festival in 2016.

ELLA RUMPF BIOGRAPHY: AGE, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION

Ella Rumpf was born on February 4, 1995 (Ella Rumpf’s age 29) in Paris. She grew up in Zurich, Switzerland. Her father is a psychotherapist, and her mother is a lecturer.

Rumpf attended the Steiner School, where she experienced her first taste of acting when she won the lead role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at age fourteen.

From 2013 to 2015, Rumpf studied at the Giles Foreman Center for Acting in London and finished her studies at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

ELLA RUMPF BIOGRAPHY: CAREER

At 16 years old, Rumpf made her debut film appearance in the drama Summer Outside, which was released in 2012. A few years later, Rumpf starred in the horror/drama film Raw alongside fellow cast member Garance Marillier. She proceeded to play the lead role in the action film Tiger Girl in 2017 while also landing herself a supporting role in the drama/comedy The Divine Order. In 2022, Rumpf appeared in the HBO crime television series Tokyo Vice.

In an exclusive interview with uInterview at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Rumpf and her fellow crew member Sverrir Gudnason revealed whether or not they drew on any personal fears for their roles in the newly released comedy film Northern Comfort.

“Well, I, in periods of my life, had my own fear of flying,” Gudnason confessed. “Because when I was a kid, I didn’t have it. Then the more I flew, the more I felt the fear because, somehow, you know, it’s like if you buy one lottery ticket, you don’t stand a chance, but if you’re flying all the time, you might win the lottery, you know?” Gudnason smiled. “So, I developed this fear of flying. Now it’s gone away again, but it was fun to get into this thing and to shoot this movie because I think many people have this fear.”

“Yeah, and it also seems to be about a lot of things other than fear of flying,” commented Erik Meers, founder of uInterview.

“Yeah, it’s about letting go,” Gudnason continued. “And just…”

“Confronting your fears,” Rumpf interjected. “I mean, it’s really about how every individual just confronts their fears and how they learn to embrace it, and everybody has a different way to do that, and it’s I think, really funny to see how every individual character in this film is overcoming these fears or trying to overcome this fear,” Rumpf stated. “I think that’s really the premise of this movie, like how do you embrace your fear?”

Rumpf and Gudnason were then asked which scene they felt was most fun to film.

“I mean, all the scenes have been so fun to shoot with the whole crew,” Rumpf mentioned. “I think we had so many really, really good moments that are unforgettable, but I think, like one moment, we spent three days in this belly of an airplane, where we were shooting, that was shaking us like for three days,” Rumpf cackled. “And I think after three days, we were all having sick stomachs, getting shaken around in this airplane.”

“We also had a great day in the north of Iceland shooting in this beautiful lagoon,” Gudnason commented. “Like it’s a natural lagoon out in the snow and it’s warm as a bathtub. It’s wonderful really, but we spent I think eight hours in that lagoon that day, which was just fine. It was just fine, but it was an experience to just have bath pants on and just shoot for eight hours in a lagoon.”

When asked what message she would like the audience to take away from the film, this is what Rumpf had to say:

“I generally don’t like to say what people should feel when they watch a movie or what it gives away. I think it’s for everybody to feel by themselves. But I think it’s a really funny way to open up the question about fear and that we’re all confronted with that and that we can be more open about these moments in life.”

Rumpf also went on to reveal her experience with acting that made her decide she wanted to pursue it as a profession.

“I was 14 when I did my first school play,” Rumpf said. “We played Romeo and Juliet, and I played Juliet, and I guess that was when I discovered acting for myself. It was not very serious at the time, but I made everything to get into auditions somehow because I just wanted to continue playing around.”

“You were a little old to play Juliet, though,” Gudnason chimed in. “She’s supposed to be thirteen.” 

“Yeah, I was a bit too old,” Rumpf chuckled. “But yeah, that’s how I got into acting. I think that’s how I discovered it, and then lately, I just start one movie and then you make another movie and then it just started to become more serious like, ‘Oh, OK this profession is actually so rich in experience and what you learn with it and what you can experience from film to film.” 

ELLA RUMPF BIOGRAPHY: PERSONAL LIFE

Rumpf was raised bilingual and speaks fluent English and German. She also knows how to converse in French and Swiss German at a native level.

In 2014, Rumpf won the role of Ali in the multi-award-winning feature drama film War. She shaved her head for the part, and although the role was demanding, it ultimately made her nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Swiss Film Awards.

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