Felicity Jones

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Birthday:

17 October 1983, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK

Birth Name:

Felicity Rose Hadley Jones

Height:

160 cm

Felicity Rose Hadley Jones is an English actress. Jones was born in Birmingham, West Midlands, and grew up in Bournville. Her parents met while working at the Wolverhampton Express and Star. Her father was a journalist while her mother was in advertising. They divorced when she was three, and she was brought up with her brother by her mother alone. She has said that her family is still "extremely close." Her uncle is actor Michael Hadley.She started her professional acting career as a child, appearing at age 12 in The Treasure Seekers (1996). She went on to play Ethel Hallow for one series in the television show The Worst Witch and its sequel Weirdsister College. After Kings Norton Girls School, Jones attended King Edward VI Handsworth School, to complete A Levels and went on to take a gap year (during which she appeared in the BBC series Servants (2003)). She took time off from acting to attend school during her formative years, and has worked steadily since she graduated with a 2:1 from Wadham College, Oxford in 2006, where she read English. While studying English, she appeared in student plays, including Attis in which she played the title role, and, in 2005, Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors" for the OUDS summer tour to Japan, starring alongside Harry Lloyd.On radio, she is known for playing the long-running role of Emma Grundy in The Archers. In 2008, she appeared in the Donmar Warehouse production of The Chalk Garden. Since 2006, Jones has appeared in numerous films, including Northanger Abbey (2007), Brideshead Revisited (2008), Chéri (2009), and The Tempest (2010). She stars in Star Wars spin-off Rogue One (2016) as Jyn Erso. Her performance in the 2011 film Like Crazy (2011) was met with critical acclaim garnering her numerous awards, including a special jury prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In 2014, her performance as Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2014) was also met with critical acclaim, garnering her nominations for the Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA, and Academy Award for Best Actress. Show less «

I would love to play a ... [drifts off for a second, and laughs] I was thinking I'd like to play a snake. But no, not a snake. I'd like to p...Show more »

I would love to play a ... [drifts off for a second, and laughs] I was thinking I'd like to play a snake. But no, not a snake. I'd like to play a superhero, something very different. I think the main trap not to fall into as an actress is not to play the love interest too much. You have to make sure that there's a character there, something to get your teeth into; otherwise there's no point doing it. Show less «

When you're a young actor, there's this pressure to rush. But I hope to be doing this into my sixties and seventies, so I'd prefer to take m...Show more »

When you're a young actor, there's this pressure to rush. But I hope to be doing this into my sixties and seventies, so I'd prefer to take my time. There's so much of a desire in the entertainment industry for newness, a desire to build somebody up and then treat them as old news within six months. I think you'd be naive if you didn't try to hold on to your own way of doing things. Show less «

[on her Like Crazy (2011) character] I like playing someone who wasn't cautious, who was in the moment and made impulsive decisions, which i...Show more »

[on her Like Crazy (2011) character] I like playing someone who wasn't cautious, who was in the moment and made impulsive decisions, which is what attracted me to her in the first place. I think you're attracted to things that are different from yourself in a character because it's more interesting, and you get to play out a fantasy version of yourself. Show less «

The key is working with great directors. A film is so many different people and all their talents, but particularly the directors, because o...Show more »

The key is working with great directors. A film is so many different people and all their talents, but particularly the directors, because of the idiosyncrasies of that person. Show less «

You have to take risks. I realized in doing Like Crazy (2011), if you don't take risks, a true risk, then you're never going to produce some...Show more »

You have to take risks. I realized in doing Like Crazy (2011), if you don't take risks, a true risk, then you're never going to produce something interesting. The risk is of being exposed. I've never done something where I've had to trust the director so completely. Show less «

[on working with Ralph Fiennes] We have similar approaches. We like to prepare extensively [with] time to ruminate on the world you're about...Show more »

[on working with Ralph Fiennes] We have similar approaches. We like to prepare extensively [with] time to ruminate on the world you're about to enter into. But, on the day, trying to be as instinctive as possible. We share that, that way into acting. Show less «

[on acting 'instinctively'] That's the challenge, that's what the camera captures, isn't it? The camera loves spontaneity. As an actor you d...Show more »

[on acting 'instinctively'] That's the challenge, that's what the camera captures, isn't it? The camera loves spontaneity. As an actor you do everything you can so that in that moment something new happens. Show less «

I'm used to doing independent film where the style is a lot more casual. With improvising you obviously find so much out on the day - and in...Show more »

I'm used to doing independent film where the style is a lot more casual. With improvising you obviously find so much out on the day - and in a way, I feel more comfortable doing that. That's the reason I wanted to do The Invisible Woman (2013). It's such a different style of performance. Well, there are lines for a start..With every film that you do you're always so nervous. You feel exposed because you know people will see this eventually. You sort of have to put all that out of your head. What will be will be. But it's nerve wracking. Show less «

I try to inhabit that person and have their thoughts. I don't try to patronize the time. I think human nature is eternal and constant. I don...Show more »

I try to inhabit that person and have their thoughts. I don't try to patronize the time. I think human nature is eternal and constant. I don't think it does fluctuate hugely. There are simply different pressures on people. I think character and impulses are the same. Desires are the same. ...Once you're playing them, you shouldn't be judging them in any way. That's what being an actor is - it's having empathy for people that are different from yourself Once you're committed to that person, your responsibility is to tell that story. Show less «

[o the character of Nelly Ternan in The Invisible Woman (2013)] I loved that she was incredibly proud and willful. And tough. I think there ...Show more »

[o the character of Nelly Ternan in The Invisible Woman (2013)] I loved that she was incredibly proud and willful. And tough. I think there is a toughness to her. She didn't want to be a throwaway floozy. I wanted to show a truthful interaction in her that she was in love with Dickens. But love is a complicated emotion. It's not always straightforward. She loves him, but she also wants to keep her own sense of identity. Show less «

Once you're playing someone, you shouldn't be judging them in any way. That's what being an actor is - it's having empathy for people that a...Show more »

Once you're playing someone, you shouldn't be judging them in any way. That's what being an actor is - it's having empathy for people that are different from yourself. Once you've committed to that person, your responsibility is to tell that story. Show less «

[on taking the role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)] Who knows what it will be, but I just love the idea of doing something on that scale...Show more »

[on taking the role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)] Who knows what it will be, but I just love the idea of doing something on that scale. I like to go see those films as well as small indies. As an actor you have a freedom. I love films that are about people. You can still take interesting stories about people in a larger scale. "Batman" is still about a character. It's working with the right people. It's believing in the actors and the director around you. Show less «

[on working with Ralph Fiennes] At first you're, like, 'Oh my God - it's Ralph Fiennes.' But I found working with him very straightforward. ...Show more »

[on working with Ralph Fiennes] At first you're, like, 'Oh my God - it's Ralph Fiennes.' But I found working with him very straightforward. He's not pretentious at all, and he doesn't patronize you in any way. I've grown up watching his work and love the passion with which he plays every part. I find the people who are really great at what they do are extraordinarily humble people. Show less «

Helen Mirren is not starry in any way. She's fantastic. She is totally self-sufficient and doesn't have loads of assistants around her. In T...Show more »

Helen Mirren is not starry in any way. She's fantastic. She is totally self-sufficient and doesn't have loads of assistants around her. In The Tempest, she said, 'I'm not going to wear any make-up in this film.' She's such a brave actress and she'll take risks. I learned from her that as an actress you always have self-doubt. She said, 'You have to put something out there and let what will happen, happen.' Show less «

The more famous you get, in some ways it makes acting more difficult because you're more known as yourself. There's more of a narrative abou...Show more »

The more famous you get, in some ways it makes acting more difficult because you're more known as yourself. There's more of a narrative about you rather than about the character. Show less «

I was very earnest and focused from quite a young age - and geeky. At school I was called a swot. I always thought that if you just put your...Show more »

I was very earnest and focused from quite a young age - and geeky. At school I was called a swot. I always thought that if you just put your head down and got on with work you'd get away with far more [mischief] than if you were being explicitly naughty, so I studied. Show less «