We talk Pulp Fiction and Mr Sloane with actress Ophelia Lovibond, ahead of tonight’s premier
Londoner Ophelia Lovibond is brimming with enthusiasm about all manner of movie classics, but it was Pulp Fiction that most inspired her to become an actress. “I remember seeing it for the first time and feeling I’d never seen anything like it: how it looked, the crackling dialogue, the irregular chronology – I watched it over and over again and knew I wanted to be in films like it.”
Tarantino may not have called just yet, but 28-year-old is still Hollywood bound. After roles in a string of British film and TV shows, including Nowhere Boy, Inside No. 9 and W1A, she’s appearing alongside Glenn Close in the sci-fi Guardians of the Galaxy. “It was another world altogether – pun intended!” She’s also filmed the 60s-set comedy Mr Sloane. “I play a Haight & Ashbury girl who breezes into Sloane’s life (played by the brilliant Nick Frost) and shakes things up.” Ophelia cites Woody Allen’s Annie Hall as another comedy influence. “It was the first film I’d seen that genuinely combined humour with real dramatic situations. I loved everything about Diane Keaton’s performance – she made me laugh, but also struck me very much as a real person. The balance of the character she created was something I knew I’d want to try too.” Crediting her film literacy to her cinephile mother, Ophelia also raves about Annie Hall and Taxi Driver. “Travis Bickle’s descent was a compelling spectacle to watch and it began my consumption of all De Niro’s films. The Taxi Driver poster remained on my wall for years – alongside one of Juliette Lewis in Kalifornia. My mother must have been so worried!”
Mr Sloane starts tonight at 9pm on Sky Atlantic HD. The first scene is also available now for all to view.
Words: Hannah Smith
Photographer: Jessie Craig
Fashion Editor: Francesca Turner
Make up: Nathalie Eleni and Riona O’Sullivan both using Lancome
Hair: David Wadlow at Premier Hair and Make up and Louis Byrne at The London Style Agency both using Charles Worthington
Fashion Assistance: Francesca Hope
Production: Seona-Taylor Bell