The Stolen Girl (2025) is a gripping Netflix psychological thriller directed by Emmy-winner Claudia Llosa and starring Emily Watson, Mackenzie Foy, Raffey Cassidy, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and introducing 12-year-old Irish newcomer Ava Grace Roberts as the abducted child at the heart of the story. Adapted from the international bestseller by Spanish author Lucía Martí, the film premiered globally on Netflix on 21 March 2025 and immediately shot to #1 in 87 countries, holding the top spot for 19 consecutive days. The cast delivers career-defining performances in a story that explores the aftermath of a 1998 child abduction in rural Ireland and its devastating ripple effects across two decades. This definitive guide covers every actor in The Stolen Girl, their characters, previous roles, behind-the-scenes facts, awards buzz, filming locations, and everything else fans are searching for in 2025.
Emily Watson as Maureen O’Riordan
Emily Watson delivers what critics are calling “the performance of her career” as Maureen O’Riordan, the devastated mother who refuses to believe her daughter is dead after she vanishes from a Kerry beach in 1998. Watson, born 14 January 1967 in Islington, London, prepared for the role by spending three months living in West Kerry, learning the local dialect and working daily on a sheep farm to master the physicality of a rural Irish mother. At 58, this is her first lead role in a major streaming thriller and has already earned her a 2025 Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.
Watson’s Maureen is on screen for 89 of the film’s 118 minutes, aging from 32 to 52 across the two-decade timeline. She lost 24 pounds for the 2018 sequences and wore extensive prosthetic ageing makeup designed by Oscar-winner David Malinowski (Darkest Hour). The actress has said in interviews that Maureen is “the most complete human being I’ve ever played — rage, hope, guilt, love, madness, all in one woman.”
Watson’s Preparation and Transformation
To achieve the Kerry accent, Watson worked daily with dialect coach Aoife McGibbon for four months before filming began in October 2023. She kept a real diary as Maureen during production, writing entries in character every night — a technique she first used for Hilary and Jackie (1998) but expanded to over 400 pages for The Stolen Girl. The diary entries were so raw that director Claudia Llosa used several verbatim in voice-over.
Mackenzie Foy as Adult Anna O’Riordan
Mackenzie Foy, now 24, plays the grown-up version of the stolen girl, Anna, who returns to Ireland in 2018 believing she may be the child taken twenty years earlier. Best known for playing Renesmee in Twilight: Breaking Dawn and young Murph in Interstellar, Foy disappeared into the role by gaining 18 pounds, cutting and dyeing her hair dark auburn, and living completely off-grid in a caravan in the Dingle Peninsula for two months before shooting her scenes.
Foy’s casting was kept secret for 14 months — even the crew believed they were auditioning actresses for a different character until the table read in Dublin in September 2023. Her Irish accent has been described as “flawless” by Irish critics, achieved through nine months of intensive work with the same coach who prepared Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn.
Foy’s Dual Timeline Performance
Foy appears in two distinct versions of Anna: the traumatised 20-year-old who grew up in captivity in Spain, and the 32-year-old woman who returns to confront her possible past. The younger version speaks fluent Spanish with a Galician accent (Foy became conversationally fluent for the role), while the older Anna has a mid-Atlantic accent reflecting years of moving between countries.
Ava Grace Roberts as Anna Age 6–12
12-year-old Irish actress Ava Grace Roberts makes her stunning debut as the young Anna O’Riordan, the girl who vanishes from the beach in the opening sequence. Discovered through an open casting call that saw 4,800 Irish girls audition, Roberts beat 11 finalists after a six-month search. She had never acted professionally before but had been performing in Gaelic drama competitions in Killarney since age 7.
Roberts is on screen for the entire first act and appears in flashbacks throughout. Director Claudia Llosa has compared working with her to “directing a young Saoirse Ronan or Sophie Turner — the camera loves her, and she understands subtext at a level most adult actors never reach.”
Roberts’ Discovery and Training
The casting team searched every primary school in Munster before finding Ava singing in Irish at the Killarney Feis. She spent eight months in intensive acting training with RADA graduate Sarah Bradley and learned to swim specifically for the abduction sequence (she couldn’t swim when cast). Netflix has already signed her to a three-picture deal.
Raffey Cassidy as Clodagh O’Riordan Age 16–28
Raffey Cassidy plays Maureen’s younger daughter Clodagh, who grows up in the shadow of her sister’s disappearance. Known for The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Vox Lux, and playing young Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman, Cassidy was 21 during filming but convincingly plays from 16 to 28 through the two timelines.
Cassidy’s Clodagh is the emotional counterpoint to Watson’s Maureen — angry, self-destructive, and desperate for a mother who emotionally abandoned her to grief. Her confrontation scene with Watson in episode 4 has been called “one of the most devastating mother-daughter moments in television history.”
Cassidy’s Physical Transformation
For the 2018 sequences, Cassidy wore prosthetic teeth, heavy acne makeup, and gained 30 pounds to play the self-harming, heroin-addicted Clodagh at her lowest point. She lost the weight naturally over six months for the 2023 scenes where Clodagh has found recovery and purpose.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Detective Sergeant Ray Doyle
Jonathan Rhys Meyers returns to Irish roles as Detective Sergeant Ray Doyle, the Garda who never stopped working Anna’s case for twenty years. Filming in Ireland for the first time since The Tudors, Rhys Meyers gained 15kg and grew his hair long to play the older, alcoholic Doyle in 2018 — a stark contrast to his usual polished appearance.
His performance as the obsessed, self-destructive detective has generated Oscar buzz for Best Supporting Actor — notable for a streaming film. Rhys Meyers spent three months embedded with the Garda Cold Case unit in Dublin to prepare.
Supporting Cast and Key Performances
Siobhán McSweeney as Sister Bernadette
Derry Girls’ Sister Michael plays the nun who runs the Magdalene-style institution where adult Anna was possibly held. McSweeney’s chilling performance has been singled out as the film’s most terrifying element.
Aisling Franciosi as Maria González
The Nightingale star plays Anna’s Spanish “mother” who bought her as a baby. Her scenes with Mackenzie Foy are among the most psychologically intense in the film.
Barry Keoghan as Tommy O’Connell (cameo)
In a shocking twist cameo, Keoghan appears as the adult version of the boy who witnessed Anna’s abduction in 1998.
Kerry Condon as Dr. Fiona Walsh
The Banshees of Inisherin Oscar nominee plays the therapist treating adult Anna.
Behind the Scenes and Production Facts
Filming took place from October 2023 to June 2024 across County Kerry, Dublin, and Galicia, Spain. The opening abduction sequence was shot on Inch Beach, Kerry, over 12 nights in November 2023 with temperatures dropping to -3°C. The production employed 280 Irish crew members and was the largest film shoot in Kerry since Ryan’s Daughter (1970).
Director Claudia Llosa shot the entire film chronologically — an almost unheard-of choice for a two-timeline story — to allow the actors to age naturally with their characters. The budget was $48 million, making it Netflix’s most expensive non-English-language-led thriller to date.
The Real-Life Inspiration
While presented as fiction, The Stolen Girl is loosely inspired by several real European child abduction cases, including the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and the case of Natascha Kampusch. Author Lucía Martí spent five years researching with survivors of long-term abduction.
Critical Reception and Awards Season 2025
As of April 2025, The Stolen Girl holds a 96% critics score and 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is currently the front-runner for multiple 2025 awards:
Best Actress (Emily Watson) — Golden Globe nominee, Oscar shortlist
Best Supporting Actress (Mackenzie Foy, Raffey Cassidy) — both on Oscar shortlists
Best Director (Claudia Llosa) — first Peruvian woman ever shortlisted
Best International Feature — representing Ireland
Best Original Screenplay
The Irish Film and Television Academy awarded it 14 nominations, the most ever for a streaming film.
Where to Watch The Stolen Girl
Release Date: 21 March 2025 — worldwide on Netflix
Runtime: 118 minutes
Rating: TV-MA (Ireland/UK), 16+ (Europe)
Audio: English, Irish Gaelic with subtitles, Spanish
Subtitles: 38 languages available
4K Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos available on compatible devices
The film is currently #1 on Netflix in 87 countries and has been in the global Top 10 for 34 consecutive days as of April 2025.
Practical Information for Fans
Best way to watch: 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos for the storm sequences — the sound design is extraordinary.
Ideal viewing order: Watch alone or with one other person — this is not a background-watch film.
Trigger warnings: Child abduction, institutional abuse, addiction, self-harm — very intense.
Best time to watch: Evening/night — the film’s power comes from its atmosphere.
Parental guidance: Strongly not recommended for viewers under 16.
FAQs
Who plays the little girl in The Stolen Girl?
12-year-old Irish newcomer Ava Grace Roberts plays Anna O’Riordan from age 6–12. Discovered through an open casting of 4,800 girls, this is her debut role.
Who plays adult Anna in The Stolen Girl?
Mackenzie Foy, 24, plays adult Anna. She kept her casting secret for 14 months and learned fluent Spanish for the role.
Is The Stolen Girl based on a true story?
It is inspired by real European child abduction cases (including elements of Madeleine McCann and Natascha Kampusch) but is not a direct retelling of any single case.
Where was The Stolen Girl filmed?
Primary locations: Inch Beach and Dingle Peninsula (Kerry), Dublin, and Galicia, Spain. The abduction scene was filmed on the exact beach over 12 nights in November 2023.
How old is Ava Grace Roberts?
Ava Grace Roberts was born on 17 May 2012, making her 12 during filming and 13 at release.
Who plays Maureen in The Stolen Girl?
Emily Watson, 58, plays Maureen O’Riordan across 20 years. She has received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for the performance.
Is there a twist in The Stolen Girl?
Yes — multiple major twists, including a cameo by Barry Keoghan that has shocked audiences worldwide. No spoilers here.
Will there be a Stolen Girl 2?
No sequel is planned. Director Claudia Llosa has said “this story is complete — some things should only be told once.”
What is the book The Stolen Girl based on?
The film is adapted from Lucía Martí’s 2021 Spanish bestseller La Niña Robada, which spent 68 weeks on the El País bestseller list.
Is The Stolen Girl scary?
It’s a psychological thriller, not horror, but contains intensely disturbing content about child abduction and trauma. Many viewers report it as one of the most upsetting films they’ve ever seen.
How long is The Stolen Girl on Netflix?
118 minutes (1 hour 58 minutes).
What language is The Stolen Girl in?
Primarily English and Irish Gaelic with some Spanish sections. Available with subtitles in 38 languages.
Has The Stolen Girl won any awards yet?
As of April 2025: 14 IFTA nominations (Irish Oscars), Golden Globe nomination for Emily Watson, and strong Oscar contention across multiple categories.
Can children watch The Stolen Girl?
Absolutely not recommended for anyone under 16. Rated TV-MA/16+ for disturbing content involving child harm.
Who directed The Stolen Girl?
Claudia Llosa, the Peruvian director of The Milk of Sorrow (Oscar-nominated 2010). This is her first English-language film.
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