Woman Crush Wednesday: Ella Balinska is Scary Good in ‘Resident Evil’

Hello, everyone, and happy Hump Day! Today is a glorious day, because not only are we halfway through the week, but it’s also time for another Woman Crush Wednesday. where we celebrate the laudable ladies whose memorable and moving performances help to make our new favorite streaming movies and TV shows into hits and home runs. This week, we’re singling out an amazing actress who has already accomplished so much at the age of just 25. She is a multi-talented and dedicated performer destined for greatness so be sure to remember her name as you give it up for her, your WCW, the brilliant Ella Balinska!

WHO’S THAT GAL: Ella Balinska

WHY WE’RE CRUSHING: Balinska stars as Jade Wesker in Netflix Original title Resident Evil, which premieres on the platform this Thursday, July 14. Based on the popular Japanese video game series of the same name, Resident Evil is an eight-episode action-horror series that picks up with Jade Wesker (Balinska) in 2036, 14 years after a viral outbreak called T-virus caused a global apocalypse. Jade vows to do whatever it takes bring down those responsible, all whilst fighting for her life to survive against the Infected. The show also involves a “past” plot set in 2022 that follows Dr. Albert Wesker (Lance Reddick) and his 14 year-old half twin daughters Jade (Tamara Smart) and Billie (Siena Agudong) through tumultuous years that saw the initial outbreak of the T-virus and the discovery of a hidden dark legacy of Albert’s employer, Umbrella Corporation.

Publications (including us here at Decider) and fans alike are already singing the praises for Netflix’s Resident Evil series, so be sure to see Balinska and the rest of the cast’s incredible work in this thrilling reimagining of a beloved gaming story as soon as you can.

WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER BEFORE: Balinska’s professional onscreen career began in 2015, when she played Tanya Mason in comedy-thriller feature film Junction 9. From there, the actress wasted no time in building up her filmography with dynamic performances in a diverse array of shorts like 2015 thriller Thanatos, 2016 action film Hunted, 2017 sci-fi Tiers of the Tropics, and 2017 comedy 10 Men & Gwen. Then in 2018, Balinska broke out into the realm of TV with one-episode guest appearances in medical drama Casualty and crime drama Midsomer Murders before landing the lead role as Nyela Malik in coming-of-age drama The Athena, on which she acted until the show’s conclusion in 2019.

It was in 2019, however, that Balinska had her biggest role to-date starring alongside Kristen Stewart and Naomi Scott as Jane Kano in action-comedy film Charlie’s Angels, immediately taking her career to the next level and making her to a household name around the world. After that, she headlined another feature film, 2020 horror thriller Run Sweetheart Run, cementing her as a hard-working force to be reckoned with on screens both big and small, and all in an astounding span of just five years. With all of this already under her belt, we have no doubt that Balinska has a long and successful acting career ahead of her, and we can’t wait to see what other awesomeness she has in store for the years to come.

WHERE YOU’LL SEE HER AGAIN: Luckily, you won’t have to wait too much longer to see more from Balinska as the actress already has two projects in the works. Look forward hearing her breathe life into Frey Holland in early 2023 action role-playing video game Forspoken, as well as seeing her star as Abby in upcoming sci-fi mystery drama film The Occupant, which follows her character through attempts to escape the harsh and remote Russian wilderness after managing to survive a mysterious plan crash.

For even more from Balinska in the meantime, be sure to follow her on Twitter and Instagram so that you never miss a moment from your wonderful WCW!