For Japanese-born British actress Sonoya Mizuno, the love for acting came with her fascination for ballet at a young age. After her acting debut in the 2014 movie Ex Machina, Mizuno progressed with on-screen prominence on big as well as TV screens.
After she landed the main cast, Mysaria, in the HBO series House of the Dragon (2022), it didn’t take long to pile up mass attention.
Sonoya previously had her screen time in the Academy Award-winning film La La Land (2016). It followed her works in box-off hits: Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018).
Sonoya Mizuno Is Of Mixed Ethnicity- Who Are Her Parents?
Mizuno was born on July 1, 1986, in Tokyo, Japan, and later moved to Somerset, England, where she grew up. The ‘Maniac’ actress is one of six children in the family.
In interviews, she mentions her brother and sisters; interestingly all of them have “ya” in their names: Saya, Jinya, Mariya, Miya, and Tomoya.
Her father Hajime Mizuno is Japanese while her mother has English & Argentine ancestry. Reportedly, both her parents worked as diplomats.
Age and Height?
As of 2024, Sonoya Mizuno is 38 years old and has a height of 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm).
Began Ballet At 9- Graduate of Royal Ballet School
As reported, Sonoya’s stage actor uncle Edward Duke introduced her to ballet at 9- and she fell for it. He would later inspire her to pursue acting too.
After attending a local ballet school, she enrolled at the Royal Ballet School.
There, she trained for 10 years and worked as a professional ballet dancer for many international companies. It included New English Ballet Theatre, Semperoper Ballet (of Germany), Ballet Ireland, and Scottish Ballet.
By the age of 20, Mizuno took leaps into modeling too. She modeled for high-end brands like Chanel Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen.
Mizuno Appeared As Mysaria In ‘House of the Dragon’
Having worked in Maniac (2018) and Devs (2020), Mizuno got another milestone of TV success in 2022. She played one of the main casts, Mysaria, in the HBO series House of the Dragon.
It premiered on August 21, 2022. The fantasy series is a prequel to Game of Thrones, based on George R. R. Martin’s novel A Song of Ice and Fire.
Based on the events 200 years prior to the events of GOT, 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen (actress Emilia Clarke), it showcases the story of the Targaryen civil war.
In the series, Mizuno’s character Mysaria is the most-trusted ally of Daemon Targaryen (actor Matt Smith).
The latter is the brother of King Viserys I Targaryen (actor Paddy Considine), and uncle of Rhaenyra Targaryen (actress Milly Alcock plays teen version/ actress Emma D’Arcy as a grown-up).
Other major casts in the series include:
- Steve Toussaint (as Lord Corlys Velaryon)
- Emily Carey (as teen Alicent Hightower)
- Olivia Cooke (as grown-up Alicent Hightower)
- Rhys Ifans (as Ser Otto Hightower, Alicent’s father)
- Fabien Frankel (as Ser Criston Cole)
- Graham McTavish (as Ser Harrold Westerling)
More About Mysaria’s Character!
Sonoya’s character Mysaria is from Lys, an island famous for its pleasure houses, where she was sold to. She is close to the Targaryen prince Daemon.
Many fans even commented on her accent- she is not speaking the Common Tongue with a proper British accent. It is unknown what sort of accent she is using- probably from outside the Westeros fans assume.
But in real life, Mizuno has an English accent (no wonder cause she grew up in London). also to comply with her roles, she can put up an American accent as well.
Well, she is the show’s only Asian cast. Moreover, Sonoya Mizuno’s character Mysari is different from the novel which describes her as albino-like with white hair & white skin.
Will There Be Season 2 of ‘House of the Dragon’?
Yes, the anticipated HBO series House of the Dragon is on the run for another season. Only 5 days after its premiere, the show was renewed for Season 2 on August 26, 2022, and is set to premiere in mid-2024.
How and When Sonoya Mizuno Made Her Acting Debut?
The British actress made her acting debut in a guest role in the film Venus in Eros (2012). But, it was her role as Kyoko in the 2014 movie Ex Machina, that marked her acting career take-off.
It was Alex Garland‘s directorial debut movie which co-starred Oscar Isaac (married to screenwriter wife Elvira Lind), Domhnall Gleeson, and Alicia Vikander.
Later, Mizuno would work on Garland’s other projects: Annihilation (2018, film) and Devs (2020, miniseries).
Interesting Fact: While auditioning for ‘Ex Machina’, Sonoya was working on the Scottish Ballet production of Swan Lake. So, accepting the role in the movie meant cutting off ties with them- she took the chance & went to Los Angeles.
Portrayed Caitlin In ‘La La Land’– Other Famous Film Appearances
The sudden success in the movie industry is a rare phenomenon, so after working in Ex Machina, Mizuno had to take side jobs briefly to make the month’s end.
Then, in 2016, she appeared in the Academy Award-winning as well as box-office hit La La Land. It even saw a nomination for the Gold Derby Film Award.
In the romantic musical movie, Sonoya portrayed Caitlyn, one of the roommates of Emma Stone’s character Mia. It also featured Ryan Gosling, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt, and J.K. Simmons.
After that, she worked in back-to-back commercially hit films, Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018). There, she shared the screens with Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Constance Wu, and Henry Golding, among others.
The movies made a box-office collection of $1.264 billion and $238.5 million respectively.
Other film works include Annihilation (2018), All About Nina (2018), The Domestics (2018), and Am I OK? (2022).
Is Sonoya Mizuno Dating or Married? Does She Use Instagram?
Regarding details about her relationship status, the House of the Dragon actress seems low-key. Mizuno is yet to confirm if she is dating or married. Even now, no reports of her boyfriend are on the surface.
She loves to keep her privacy up to herself. Even if the British ballerina-turned-actress is active on Instagram, she doesn’t hint about her romantic life there.
Sonoya likes to call herself a cat mom. As per her interviews, she likes to spend time with her black half-Siamese cat named Darcy. Currently, she lives in her London flat.
FAQs
Mizuno has an estimated net worth of $2 million as of 2024. From an early age, she dedicated herself to ballet dancing & now has a decade-long career in acting. The majority of her income came through acting- she probably earned a salary in 6-digit figures per season as the main cast in House of the Dragon.
Mizuno was born in Tokyo, Japan, but moved to London in childhood. She is British by nationality.
Yes, Sonoyo has an Instagram account @sonoya.
As per IMDB, she will appear in major roles in the upcoming movie Civil War, under post-production. Mizuno will play the lead in the live-action adaptation Mouse Guard co-starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Andy Serkis.
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