Bella Maclean as Taggie O'Hara in Rivals. (Courtesy of Robert Viglasky/Disney)

Who Is Bella Maclean? Introducing Rivals’ Taggie

1 month ago

MacLean is the breakout star of Disney’s new series

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Who Is Bella Maclean? Introducing Rivals’ Taggie

Bella Maclean as Taggie O'Hara in Rivals. (Courtesy of Robert Viglasky/Disney)

Disney’s brand new British series Rivals has everyone talking – chock full as it is with famous British faces. David Tennant, Aidan Turner and Alex Hassell star as our core trio of ambitious men, while Victoria Smurfit, Nafessa Williams, Katherine Parkinson, Danny Dyer, Emily Atack and more also star in the countryside romp. Newcomers come in the form of Turner’s character’s children: TV star Declan O’Hara is married to flirtatious Maud (Smurfit), and the pair have three children. The eldest is their treasured son, Patrick (Gabriel Tierney), the youngest is daughter Caitlin (Catriona Chandler), while the middle child is Taggie (Bella Maclean).

Scene stealer Taggie is 20-years-old, but captures the attention of the 40-something Rupert Campbell-Black (Hassell) – much to her father Declan’s dismay. Played by Bella Maclean, here’s everything you need to know about the actress, plus why you might recognise her.

Who Is Bella Maclean?

Bella Maclean is a 26-year-old British-American actress, who is best known for starring as Taggie in Rivals, Disney’s hotly anticipated adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel of the same name. Born to British parents, she grew up in New York before the family hopped across the Atlantic and settled in East Sussex when she was 10 years old. In 2020, Maclean graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a BA in Acting, and thus her career commenced.

Flash forward to 2024 and Rivals is Maclean’s breakout moment. She plays Taggie, the O’Hara family’s 20-year-old middle child, whose dyslexia has stopped her going to university and filled her with self-scrutiny. In her early days in Rutshire, she divulges to Lizzie (Parkinson) that she only feels like herself when she’s cooking, and the following episodes see her trying to create a catering company – and being a fly on the wall at some of the coterie’s dinner parties and shooting events. Maclean’s performance is being praised as a standout from the series across the board, with her navigation of a relationship with the much older Rupert (Hassell) being described as ‘engagingly complex’.

Taggie is the sibling of elder brother Patrick (Tierney) who is at university, and younger sister Caitlin (Chandler) who is sent to boarding school. Speaking to C&TH, Chandler described a joyous feeling on set: ‘All we did was giggle. The days when the O’Hara family were together were really lovely. Myself, Gabe and Bella became real siblings in our own dysfunctional way. Everyone was truly happy to be there so the vibe on set was always positive and really playful.’

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Maclean also attracted acclaim earlier this year for her role as Bella in London Tide at the National Theatre. If you still can’t place her, you might recognise her from the fourth and final series of Netflix’s Sex Education…

Who Did Bella Maclean Play In Sex Education?

Bella Maclean starred as Jem in Sex Education season 4, opposite Adam (Connor Swindels). Maclean plays Adam’s beautiful and wealthy co-worker at the farm where he starts an apprenticeship. In the season finale, Adam reveals to Jem that he’s bisexual, and she asks him on a date.