Lily James wasn’t always "the English rose".
The ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ star has regularly been called the nickname because of the string of period roles she has taken but she has insisted she wasn’t always warranted the nickname.
She said: "It’s funny because I wasn’t always the English rose. I didn’t play those roles at drama school, or in my first theatre job. Over time, I’ve sort of morphed into a version of myself that I’ve been cast as. I think largely it’s because of England, because I’m based here. There’s a lot of period drama and England does it really well – it’s our history."
And despite her huge success, the 30-year-old actress admits she still gets nervous and she creates a "caricature" of herself as a "security blanket".
She added: "When I’m a bit nervous and don’t know what to say, I go very jolly hockey sticks, I sound like a boarding-school girl who’s 15 years old and has midnight feasts. It’s like a security blanket – I just become some sort of caricature. Sometimes I think, ‘Lily, for God’s sake, what’s wrong with you?’"
Lily likes to get into her movie roles by going for costume fittings and says that is where she is able to pick up the "internal rhythm" of the character.
She told AnOther magazine: "When I’m filming, the first costume fitting is often where I start understanding how the character moves and stands – their internal rhythm. I’m definitely a physical, sensual person. I like photo shoots – I love shapes and movement. How I move my body makes me feel something."
Lily James: I wasn’t always the English rose
