Why Elsa Bloodstone From Disney+'s Werewolf By Night Looks So Familiar

In a voiceover at the beginning of the new Disney+/Marvel Halloween film, "Werewolf By Night," we're told, "The Bloodstone family's patriarch has long controlled the supernatural relic, the bloodstone, a weapon unlike any other." It turns out the patriarch was monster-hunter Ulysses Bloodstone, who has died. Hunters from all over the world have arrived at the Bloodstone mansion for a ceremonial monster hunt that will decide who gets the bloodstone next.

When we meet Elsa Bloodstone, it's clear there's no love lost between her stepmother, Verusa (Harriet Sansom Harris), and herself. We find out that Elsa disappeared twenty years ago, and Verusa tells Elsa that she was "the greatest disappointment of his [Ulysses] life" before storming off. But while Elsa may have disappointed her father, she ends up being the one hunter who not only shows compassion but uses quick thinking and intelligence by teaming up with another for the best possible outcome. Her skills and courage are undeniable, and she shows fairness while also getting revenge on her cruel stepmother.

If the actress who plays Elsa looks familiar, it's because she's the type of chameleon actor that blends into whatever role she's taking on, and she's appeared in quite a range of interesting characters.

Northern Ireland's Laura Donnelly made her onscreen debut in what turned out to be a very busy 2005. First, she had a two-episode arc as Beth on the short-lived drama "Sugar Rush," alongside Andrew Garfield and Lenora Crichlow. Then she appeared in seven episodes of "Casualty" as Fleur Butler and four episodes as Maya Robertson in "Hex" (via IMDb). After starting out 2006 in guest roles in more television shows, she took on a co-starring part in her first film, the horror-thriller "Insatiable" in 2008.

In 2009 she would co-star in "Dread," based on a Clive Barker story (via Google Books). Co-starring Jackson Rathbone in one of his first films after "Twilight," this would also mark the first time Donnelly uses an American accent in a film, as she'd only acted in Irish or United Kingdom-based films up until this point. She plays a woman with a giant birthmark that covers half her body, and she alternates between appearing very confident and then appearing to have low self-esteem. After trying to seduce Rathborne's character Stephen, she sleeps with his friend, Quaid (Shaun Evans), after he shows her attention.

In 2013, Laura Donnelly played Sarah Kay in the Gillian Anderson crime drama "The Fall." She appears in the first episode as the victim of stalker Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) after he breaks into her apartment and steals her underwear while she's on a date with Kevin (Gerard McCarthy). When she comes home, she finds her underwear and a bra on her bed, along with her vibrator, and she calls the police. While they urge her to stay with family, she asks them to leave and goes to bed. After days pass, Spector returns and kills Kay.

Unfortunately for Donnelly, the first episode would be the only one that she was alive in. She appeared in Episodes 2 and 3, in photos or as the dead body. By the end of the second episode, her body was discovered by her sister, and Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Anderson) realizes that Kay's manner of death is identical to two other cases they're working on, which means they're now looking for a serial killer. We don't get a chance to know Kay, but it's clear her sister and niece mean a lot to her, as they're the only family she tells about the break-in.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

From 2014 through 2017, Donnelly played Jenny, the sister of Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), in the insanely popular Starz series "Outlander," based on the series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon. When we first meet her, she's a feisty, outspoken young woman, and she and Claire (Caitríona Balfe) quickly bond. She holds a lot of regret as the reason Jamie ended up arrested and severely whipped and beaten because his actions occurred when he thought she'd been raped. Despite having just given birth, she's quick to go with Claire to help track Jamie down and free him from the English soldiers after he's taken again.

Jenny was a fan favorite, and many fans have been disappointed that the character hasn't appeared since Season 3 and are still hoping she makes a return in "Outlander" Season 7. But Donnelly has spoken in interviews that she hasn't heard from producers, and she's okay with that. "Jenny [Fraser] is like a great grandmother by the time they go back," she told SyFy. "And I'm not sure playing a great grandmother is where my heart lies."

Laura Donnelly's most recent role is in the supernatural Victorian drama "The Nevers," in which she plays Amalia True. A member of a group of people called "The Touched" who are known to have suddenly woken up with special abilities such as creating fire, super strength, and speed. Alien creatures called the Galanthi flew over London and caused the incident but were immediately forgotten. Unfortunately, True and the others like her are considered wicked and dangerous during the puritanical and religious times they lived in. For Donnelly, the role was a dream.

"She's amazing, complex, damaged, but it's really fun to play a character that was going to stretch me dramatically, in terms of my acting, but also allow me to do fighting, which I just love doing," she told SyFy. "[The series] seemed to just have everything in it that I could possibly want all in one part."

For fans of Donnelly and the supernatural, "The Nevers" Season 1, Part 2 is currently in production and should be released by the end of 2022.