Mickey Sumner: From Shy Upbringing to Spotlight Success

Born in January 1984 in London to iconic musician Sting and British actress Trudie Styler, Mickey Sumner’s route into the limelight was less than straightforward. In an interview with Rose & Ivy Journal in 2020, Sumner opened up about her childhood, stating, “I grew up as a very shy child, I liked to sink into the background. But I think secretly, I had this desire to be more shiny and to perform.”

Sumner spent her childhood primarily in England but also experienced the nomadic lifestyle of touring with her parents. “I was mainly raised in England … [and] I did first grade in New York,” she explained in the same interview, describing herself as “a very nomadic child.”

Her journey into acting began during her studies at New York’s Parsons School of Design, where she took an interest in video performance. Sumner found that acting allowed her to overcome her shyness by embodying different characters. Connections with friends from NYU, Boston Conservatory, and Bard who were involved in filmmaking projects further fueled her interest. “I started offering myself by saying, if you ever need an actress, I am interested,” she said, voicing her eagerness to participate in their projects.

Sumner began taking acting classes at night, eventually deciding to pursue acting full-time upon graduating, abandoning her initial focus on fine arts. Her break came when she was cast in a film by the Safdie brothers, Benny and Josh, who were her neighbors in New York at the time. Reflecting on the experience, she recounted, “I was in art school in Paris my first year, and Josh texted me saying, ‘I really want you to do a movie … I have this idea called We’re Going to the Zoo, and I want you and your brother to do it.’” This opportunity culminated in a filmmaking venture alongside her six-year-old brother and the Safdie brothers in Boston.