Memphis Eve Sunny Day Iris Hewson (born 7 July 1991)[1] is an Irish actress. A daughter of activist Ali Hewson and singer Bono, she had her first major role in the 2011 drama film This Must Be the Place, and subsequently starred in the 2014 series The Knick. She appeared in films such as Blood Ties (2013), Bridge of Spies (2015), and Robin Hood (2018).
Hewson was born in Dublin, Ireland, the second daughter of activist Ali Hewson (née Alison Stewart) and U2 lead singer Bono (Paul David Hewson). Her name is derived from her time and date of birth (7 a.m. on 7 July), as "eve" is the middle of the word "seven".[2] Her godfather is musician Gavin Friday.[3]
She has an older sister, Jordan, and two younger brothers, Elijah and John.[4] She attended nearby Dalkey School Project primary school, and St. Andrew's College in Booterstown, also in Dublin, for secondary education. The U2 song "Kite" was inspired by a moment when Bono took a kite up on Killiney Hill with Hewson and her sister, but the kite blew away and smashed.[2]
Although Hewson's parents were against her performing,[8] she took part in the acting programme at the New York Film Academy. In 2010, she appeared in the music video and accompanying short film for Irish band The Script's song "For the First Time".[9]
She portrayed Yvonne in the 2013 thriller film Blood Ties.[10] In July 2013, Jack Quaid and Hewson asked fans to help them fund a new film called Roadies using crowdsourcing.[11] In September of that year, she appeared in the romantic comedy film Enough Said as the daughter of James Gandolfini's character Albert.[12] In November 2013, she was nominated for the Tatler Irish Woman of the Year Award for her work in films.[13]
In 2020, she starred as Anna Wetherell in the drama The Luminaries. Broadcast on BBC One in June, it was based on Eleanor Catton's 2013 novel, set in New Zealand during the gold rush of 1866, and also starred French actress Eva Green. She plays Anna Wetherell, a young woman who migrates to the country's South Island and is soon trafficked into the sex trade.[17] She subsequently starred in the Apple TV+ limited series, Bad Sisters.[18] In 2024, she joined the Netflix mini-series The Perfect Couple released in September 2024.[19]
Personal life
Hewson grew up in Killiney, an affluent suburb of Dublin;[20] she later lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[21][22] She graduated from New York University on 22 May 2013; her father, Bono, declined an offer of an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from NYU on the same day, stating he wishes to focus on "being a proud father".[23]
Hewson dated One Tree Hill actor James Lafferty from 2010 to 2015.[24] Hewson moved back to Ireland and was based at the family home during and after the COVID-19 pandemic; she remained based in Killiney as of early 2023.[4][25]
^RTT Staff Writer (2013). "Bono Has An Up-and-Coming Actress Daughter". rttnews.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013. Hewson will also star in Steven Soderbergh's upcoming TV drama The Knick.
