Her Current Gig: Poppy in Mike Leigh’s bubbly, urban ‘road trip-y’ comedy-drama, Happy-Go-Lucky. London Bridge may be falling, but not in Poppy’s eccentric rosy world. She’s a full-on, free-spirited school teacher, who brings a contagious laugh and sheer optimism to every situation she encounters; even when things get really hairy with her xenophobic, foul-mouthed driving teacher (Eddie Marsan), who falls for the brunette, kicking and screaming–literally.
You Know This Face Because … of her eye-catching small role (as a blonde) as Colin Farrell‘s stand-by-her-man girlfriend in Woody Allen’s crime thriller Cassandra’s Dream, co-starring Ewan McGregor. More so, you art house kids will remember Sally’s startling turn as a 1950s pregnant, rich girl desperate for an abortion in Vera Drake.
Why So Fresh?: The envelope please … She’s got the Oscar buzz. This rising star’s been cleaning-up across the globe: from her Best Actress win the Berlin Fest to nabbing Breakthrough Actress of the Year (while James Franco won it for Actor) at the Hollywood Film Festival, she’s been sprinting her way to a nomination, with an infectious smile. So come February, when catty cooler talk gets hot over who’s gonna win the office Oscars ballot, feel confident you’ll know one of the five in that V.I.P. category.
In Her Own Words …
Trying on the Part: “I would go out shopping with the costume designer, as Poppy, and shop specifically with her in mind. I do that with every movie. The costume designer [in Leigh films] is like the make up department and the art department–they’re very involved early on.”
Testing Out Her Signature Laugh: “It’s funny because I can remember the point that I was finding the laugh in improvisations. I was almost “trying on” different laughs and trying not to be aware of it when improvising. I remembered him [Leigh] saying, “There’s something not quite right, the laugh isn’t there yet, is it?” I said, “Well, I don’t know; I don’t know what’s coming out of my mouth.” … A couple of weeks went by and he said, “It’s there isn’t it?” [Smiling] I didn’t know when it arrived or what made it arrive … I don’t like to know–because if you [as an actor] become aware of it, then it can somehow unravel.”
Driving Lessons from a Neurotic Bigot: “She is who she is, but that doesn’t stop her from opening herself up to learn. She affects him [her driving instructor] in an incredibly profound way, as he does her. She feels a great deal for him, and especially by the [sketchy] end; and it’s incredibly hard for her to let go of him.”
LAST WEEK’S FRESH FACE: Toby Kebbell
