Hollyoaks actress unrecognisable as she mixes with Hollywood stars on red carpet

Nathalie Emmanuel as Sasha Valentine in Hollyoaks (Image: Lime Pictures)

Hollyoaks alum Nathalie Emmanuel turned heads with her new platinum blonde hairdo as she graced the Hollywood red carpet, looking unrecognisable from her days on the British soap.

The actress shot to fame on E4’s Hollyoaks playing Sasha Valentine. However, Nathalie was a far cry from the familiar Chester village as she rubbed shoulders with Hollywood’s elite at the premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s contentious new film Megalopolis in New York on Monday, September 23. Nathalie dazzled in a floor-length strapless burgundy gown and flaunted her new cropped hairstyle.

Nathalie launched her career portraying Sasha in the soap, where she starred from 2006 to 2010. In the series, Nathalie joined as part of the Valentine family, alongside her brother Calvin, played by Ricky Whittle.

During her Chester stint, Sasha grappled with addiction and had a tumultuous relationship with Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas). Nathalie then catapulted to global stardom thanks to her role as Missandei in the Game of Thrones series from 2013 to 2019, which the actress dubbed a ‘game-changer’, reports OK!.

Nathalie Emmanuel, Francis Ford Coppola and Aubrey Plaza ( Image: Dave Allocca/StarPix/REX/Shutterstock)

Nathalie Emmanuel attends the Megalopolis ( Image: Michael Loccisano/Getty)

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused and Life In Film podcasts in 2022, she said landing the part on Game of Thrones transformed her life. “At the time I had been thinking of going back to school because I felt ‘no one wants to hire me’ and I’m not sure how long I can do this zero-hours retail job. I’m not learning anything and mostly just managing my behaviour with rude customers. It was soul-destroying.”

She added: “I was a fan of the show. I annoyed my agent for a while about getting an audition but I didn’t actually think that was possible. It’s been spoken of widely how they didn’t cast people of colour in regular leading roles so when the opportunity came I was like, ‘This is mine! ‘ But then it dawned on me that I actually had to do it. I was so excited and terrified.”

Now, she’s snagged a starring role in Francis Coppola’s new flick, playing Julia, the Mayor’s daughter caught in a love triangle and seeking her own path in the crumbling city of New Rome. At a star-studded Hollywood bash, Nathalie shone alongside A-listers Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman and Giancarlo Esposito.