Ella Purnell Shares Which Funny Part of Playing Lucy Bothers Her the Most: “You know how annoying it is?”

Ella Purnell, the actress who plays Lucy in the hit Prime Video series Fallout, recently opened up about a quirky challenge she faced while filming. During a panel at MegaCon Orlando, she shared a behind-the-scenes story that left fans amused.

Lucy, her character, loses a finger in the show and gets a replacement that doesn’t quite match the rest of her hand. This odd detail turned into a daily hassle for Purnell on set.

The replacement finger, which looks pale and lifeless, had to be painted onto her hand every single day. Purnell explained that the process was far from fun. She said, “You know how annoying it is to have that finger painted on me every single day? This finger is the bane of my life. It’s the worst thing.”

The constant painting and removal became a chore, and the nickname it earned on set didn’t help. The makeup designer, Mike Harvey, started calling it the “poop finger,” and the name stuck.

She added, “I think it was Mike Harvey, who was the makeup designer, and he started calling it poop finger and it caught like wildfire, and everybody started saying it, and then they, yeah, that’s the name of it now. It’s on the call sheet. It’s a number on the call sheet.”

The trouble didn’t stop at the application process. Purnell noted that taking the paint off was just as frustrating. She said, “And then you have to take it off, you put it back on, it’s very annoying. I just have this, like, poop finger all the time. I have to tell people when I go home at the end of the day, like, this is… It’s okay, I’ll freak out, it’s just…”

The lingering paint even caused awkward moments off set, as she had to explain it to people when she got home. Understandably, she’s had enough of it. “Whatever, it’s just very annoying. So I don’t want to lose any more fingers. I just don’t want to lose any fingers. I’m over it, I’m over the trigger,” she admitted.

In Fallout, Lucy’s finger swap happens after a dramatic encounter with The Ghoul, played by Walton Goggins. He cuts off her finger as payback after she bites his off. Later, a medical robot stitches a spare one onto her hand.

The show keeps this grim detail as a dark, funny twist, and it’s become a recognizable part of Lucy’s journey. With season two already in production, Purnell might have to deal with the “poop finger” routine a bit longer.

It’s hilarious that something as small as a painted finger became such a big deal for Ella Purnell. It shows how even the coolest jobs can have annoying little quirks. I respect her for laughing it off and sharing the story—it makes her feel real and relatable. The “poop finger” nickname is a perfect mix of gross and funny, and it’s easy to see why it caught on.

What do you think about this behind-the-scenes struggle? Have you ever had a tiny annoyance turn into a big headache? Share your thoughts in the comments below!