Ella Beatty Steps into the Spotlight as Lizzie Borden on Netflix

Ella Beatty, 26, is set to make her mark in Hollywood with her lead role as Lizzie Borden in Netflix's anthology series 'Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.' Borden was accused of the brutal 1892 hatchet murders of her parents, Andrew and Abby Borden, and was acquitted the following year.

Beatty acknowledges the privilege that comes with her famous parents, screen legends Annette Bening and Warren Beatty. "I totally acknowledge that there is an inherent privilege and exposure that comes from having well-known actors as parents," she told Vogue in 2024. "And I really hope that I can offer something meaningful."

Growing up immersed in the film industry, Beatty spent considerable time on sets and in dressing rooms, which she says contributed to her lifelong desire to act. "I don't know anything else. I have no other context for the world," she explained when asked about her parents' influence. She described her parents as "loving, supportive, incredible artists" who taught her to view the world through an artistic lens from a young age.

Beatty honed her craft through community theater, appearing in productions of "Annie," "The Lion King," and "The Little Mermaid." Despite her family's connections, she did not pursue child acting. Instead, she studied drama at The Juilliard School in New York, graduating in 2022.

Her professional acting career began with a role as Kerry O'Shea in the FX anthology series "Feud: Capote v The Swans." She later made her Broadway debut in Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins' play "Appropriate," stepping in for Elle Fanning. It was during this time that she formed a friendship with actress Sarah Paulson, who was initially unaware of Beatty's famous lineage. Paulson later remarked on their Zoom interview, "My interest in you, my estimation of you as a performer, had nothing to do with that."

Beatty also appeared on screen in the 2025 Oscar-nominated comedy-drama "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" and returned to the stage for a production of Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts and Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Class."

For "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story," Beatty reunites with Paulson. "I am so excited for viewers to experience our exploration of Lizzie Borden's story and the questions that her life animates to this day," Beatty told Netflix's Tudum. "It has been a dream come true to investigate this complicated person's psychology and to examine an American crime that feels almost mythic in proportion."

Co-creator Ian Brennan stated that casting Beatty as Borden felt natural. "She can have a real blank slate of a face," Brennan said. "She exudes this sense of innocence. There's so little photographic evidence of Lizzie, but the iconic daguerreotype of her—she's got such a strange look. There's something about Ella that was able to match that inscrutability."

The Netflix "Monster" anthology series has achieved significant viewership. The first season, "The Jeffrey Dahmer Story," starring Evan Peters, became a global phenomenon. Subsequent installments, including "The Menendez Brothers" and "The Ed Gein Story," also garnered substantial attention and critical recognition for their lead actors.

Beatty's upcoming projects include a role in the film adaptation of "The Bell Jar," directed by Sarah Polley and starring Billie Eilish.

"Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on Thursday, September 17.