Jenna Coleman felt like Billy Elliot after being rejected by a drama school.
The 32-year-old actress was cast in the British soap ‘Emmerdale’ in 2005 whilst she was auditioning for various drama schools, but Jenna admitted that one particular rejection left her feeling like the aspiring dancer in the Stephen Daldry-directed film.
Asked about her biggest disappointment, Jenna shared: "Receiving a letter saying I didn’t get into drama school. I felt like Billy Elliot. It was a crushing moment."
On the other hand, Jenna revealed the period following her exit from ‘Emmerdale’ in 2009 was one of the happiest times of her life.
The brunette beauty – who subsequently starred in ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Me Before You’ – found the lack of certainty in her career to be a source of excitement.
She told the Guardian newspaper: "There was a moment in my early 20s when I’d finished ‘Emmerdale’ and didn’t know what was next.
"I drove from LA to San Francisco listening to Tracy Chapman and it felt like one of those pure moments of uncomplicated joy."
In 2018, Jenna argued there’s a "void" of good roles for actresses.
The ‘Victoria’ star acknowledged that progress has been made, but also stressed that more needs to be done to tackle inequality within the entertainment industry.
She said: "I think this year has proved there’s an active interest in seeing a spectrum reflected back at you, rather than a stereotype, and people at the top realising that will sell and that’s what people want.
"But I do think there’s still a way to go – if you’re not playing the young girl or the mum or the older lady, there’s quite a void in roles for women."
Jenna Coleman ‘felt like Billy Elliot’ after drama school rejection
