Last updated: 21 October 2020

British actress Imogen Poots reflected on her career and shared her experience of working across genres with the likes of Terrence Malick, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins in an interview organised by Shooting People – a community of independent filmmakers, writers and actors from the British Film industry.

The London-born actress made her first on-screen appearance in an episode of the hit BBC One medical drama Casualty in 2004. Her big break came in the form of British post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Weeks Later (2007), which featured an ensemble cast including Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau, Catherine McCormack and Idris Elba. The film fetched Imogen Poots a nomination in the “Most Promising Newcomer” category in the 2007 British Independent Film Awards.

The actress has worked in over 30 feature films since, mostly independent productions, including Fright Night (2011), The Look of Love (2013) – which fetched Poots a British Independent Film Award for the “Best Supporting Actress”, The Awkward Moment (2013), Need for Speed (2014), Knight of Cups (2015) and The Art of Self-Defense (2019).

Imogen Poots shared some insights about the differences between working in films produced by big studios and those funded by independent production companies, and said whilst the work remained the same, she enjoyed the “snacks” and the “big posh cars” that big studios offered. The actress also added that independent films gave her the freedom to explore her character on a deeper level when compared to big budget films where she believed her roles were influenced by studios.

Poots recalled her memories of learning to play a violin in A Late Quartet (2012), working with her co-star Jesse Eisenberg from The Art of Self-Defense (2019), her obsession with her filming outfits, especially shoes, and that she still enjoys doing auditions.

Responding to questions from the audience, the actress said the first film she watched as a child was The Flintstones (1994), talked about her love for the big screen over TV shows and mentioned that scripts are getting better for women in the industry.

The British actress also sympathized with people in the film industry who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 31-year-old is awaiting the release of “The Father”, directed by French filmmaker Florian Zeller in his directorial debut. The drama stars Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman and is set to release in the UK on 8 January 2021.

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