Name: Romola Garai
Date of Birth: 6 August 1982 She is currently at university reading English. She used to sing in a jazz band. A casting agent scouting at her school for young girls, chose her for her first acting role in The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000) (TV). [2000] Can play the violin. Was brought up in Hong Kong and Singapore until she was 10. She has three siblings: one brother named Ralph and two sisters named Rosie and Roxy. She is of Hungarian descent and her great grandfather is Bert Garai, founder of Keystone Press Agency in London in 1924. ... Her two oldest siblings Ralph and Rosie were adopted as babies before she and her sister were born. She had no professional dancing experience before arriving on the set of Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004). Born on the same day as Adrianne Curry. Director Fran?ois Ozon affectionately calls Romola "his muse". Enjoys cooking and traveling in her spare time. Has visited Hong Kong, Singapore, Malta, Venice, Australia, Italy, Belgium and Indonesia. Real hair color is blonde but she occasionally dyes it in real life and for movie roles. Is a huge fan of The Simpsons, in fact her favorite TV character of all time is Lisa Simpson. Was Fran?ois Ozon's first and only choice for the role of Angel Deverell in The Real Life of Angel Deverell. While filming Dirty Dancing two : Havana Nights became good friends with Diego Luna. They remain close and have a very strong bond. Favorite movies are The Wizard of Oz, Fargo and Orlando. Was Joe Wright's first choice for the role of Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice before Keira Knightley auditioned. But Joe being a huge admirer of Romola's talent then offered her the role of Briony in Atonement as he really wanted to work with her. Her proudest work as an actress is Angel. Cites Mike Leigh, Michael Winterbottom, Ken Loach, The Coen brothers, David Lynch, Todd Haynes as her favorite directors and would love to work with them in the future. Very good friends with Jamie Bell and Charlie Hunnam whom she met while filming Nicholas Nickelby. Lives in London. Her last name, "Garai", is Hungarian and is pronounced like "Garry". Romola has said her ideal role would be to play the eighteenth century feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797). Frequently appears dancing in scenes from her films, including Angel (2007/I), Daniel Deronda (2002) (TV), (TV)Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), I Capture the Castle (2003), Inside I'm Dancing (2004) and Vanity Fair (2004). Favorite horror movie is The Blair Witch Project. Loves watching documentaries, her favorites include Bowling for Columbine, Road to Guantanamo Bay and Iraq in Fragments. Plans and hopes to write screenplays and direct movies someday. Favorite actresses are Samantha Morton and Emily Watson. Received a standing ovation at the Berlin Film Festival for her performance in Angel. Was officially in the BAFTA long list (Equivalently, the semi-finals) for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, for her role in Atonement (2007), which consisted of 15 finalists for each category (except Animated Film). However, she was eliminated in the next round, during which the five official nominees were selected. [2008]. Attended the National Youth Theatre. Finishing her degree in English Literature from Queen Mary, University of London (2008). Was considered for the female lead in Good (2008), but wasn't able to do it due to schedule conflicts. Named as one of the Actresses of the Year by The Independent (2008) for Angel. Hailed by The Sunday Times Magazine as one of Britain's finest Rising Stars along with Matthew Goode, Hugh Dancy, Eddie Redmayne, Gemma Arterton, Hayley Atwell, Andrea Riseborough, Richard Coyle, Tom Sturridge, Rachel Hurd Wood, Eliza Bennet Daniel Mays and Kaya Scodelario (2009). In January 2008 Romola visited the Syrian-Iraqi border to make a short film called 'No Man's Land' for UNHCR about the 800 Palestinian refugees living in Al Tanaf refugee camp, who have been displaced since the Iraq war. Read more Romola Garai movies (actor)User Comments |
