‘Butcher & Blackbird’: Meet Emma Laird, the Actress Playing Sloane

Butcher & Blackbird has found its killer couple. Thomas Doherty will play the Rowan Kane to Emma Laird’s Sloane Sutherland, the romantic leads of Brynne Weaver’s dark Ruinous Love book trilogy. The actors will play competitive killers who target other serial killers, their bond deepening the longer their game goes on.

While Butcher & Blackbird‘s demographic is likely familiar with Doherty — with projects like The Invitation and Tell Me Lies behind him — Laird may be new on your radar. Rest assured, after doing a deep dive into her background, we’re confident she’s a solid pick for Sloane. After all, when asked back in 2024 what she wanted to do next, the actress said, “Basically, anything dark and twisted! Directors that do any of those – call me please!”

She’s got her wish! We’ve rounded up all the details about Laird so you can get to know her before she brings one half of Weaver’s beloved book couple to the screen.

Where is Emma Laird from?

Laird will need to put on an American accent for Butcher & Blackbird. She grew up in England, specifically in Chesterfield, a small Derbyshire town.

“I grew up in the north of England and that was really my whole world,” she told Muse. “I never really knew anything other than that. It was very normal. I have three younger brothers, so there was a lot of fighting. My parents were military and I have memories of military base camps. Naturally, I was a cadet. My dad gave me a real love for the Peak District. We camped a lot. I loved the outdoors. My childhood was very boisterous and adventurous and beautiful, but I had no sense of self except my love for the outdoors and my family roots. I had to leave to really find myself.”

That she did. At 16, Laird was scouted by a modeling agency at a music festival and soon moved to London to pursue that. She spent her teenage years modeling and vlogging on YouTube. It didn’t take long for her to want a change. “I hated modeling, so it really felt like I was starting again [when I began] acting,” she explained.

She moved to New York after modeling gave her financial independence, per Vogue. There, she enrolled in New York Film Academy. “I didn’t study straight out of school, so traditional drama school just didn’t happen for me,” she told Muse. “I was working in New York and went to an open day there. It was a right place, right time sort of thing… That school was where I really fell in love with acting. It was intense and embarrassing and so formative. It just opened my eyes to this whole world. I arrived wanting to be an actor, and left knowing I was one.”

How old is Emma Laird?

It’s been a little over a decade since Laird was discovered. She’s 28 years old (and her soon-to-be scene partner Doherty is 31). She made her TV debut in Mayor of Kingstown opposite Jeremy Renner in 2021, playing Iris.

What other movies and TV shows has Emma Laird been in?

Laird has appeared in a number of high-profile projects since then, ranging from period dramas to horror. Apple TV+’s Tom Holland-led The Crowded Room was quickly followed up by Kenneth Branagh’s A Haunting in Venice. Then she had a major role in Brady Corbet’s Oscar-winning film The Brutalist.

The actress may be best known for playing Jimmima in 28 Years Later. She reprised her role in its 2026 sequel, The Bone Temple, and built a backstory for the character. Jimmima grew up in the wild during an apocalypse, with no education, no family, and no art. “I think we watch really dark stuff like that and go, ‘Oh my god, how do people get into that headspace?’ she explained to Vogue. “But it’s actually quite easy.” (See what we mean about her being a perfect Sloane?)

Laird also starred recently in Fackham Hall and HBO’s War series. She recently tried her hand at science fiction in the upcoming Neuromancer movie, and she’ll do another period drama with Richard Eyre’s The Housekeeper. Thriller Blood on Snow with Benedict Cumberbatch is also on her slate.

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‘Butcher & Blackbird’ Movie: Meet Your Sloane & Rowan

Who is Emma Laird dating?

Laird isn’t confirmed to be dating anyone currently, though since 2023, she’s sparked romance rumors with 42-year-old House of the Dragon star Matt Smith. They were spotted kissing in a photo obtained by the Daily Mail. Most recently, they were photographed together again in June 2025, per The Sun.

Butcher & Blackbird, TBA, Prime Video

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