Profile interview: Tamsin Egerton (The List, Issue 657)

Born
26 November 1988, Hampshire, England

Background
Having followed her older sister to a BBC audition at their local youth theatre as a child, Egerton started to get TV parts immediately, traveling the world for various productions before she had turned 15. She bagged her first movie role in 2005 in British comedy Keeping Mum, after which her head-turning looks kept the ‘stunning blonde’ roles coming, including teen sexpot Chelsea in the recent St Trinian’s remakes.

What’s she up to now?

Starring in Noel Clarke’s multi-stranded action caper 4.3.2.1 as Cassandra, the naïve rich-girl who travels to New York for a web-organised blind date that goes horrifically wrong. Egerton features in the film’s most bizarre scene, when cult American director Kevin Smith pops up as a fellow passenger on her flight.

On Cassandra
‘She’s not grown up on an estate and seen friends lose their virginity at 13; she’s naive and innocent. That’s what drew me to her, because I’m known for promiscuous Chelsea, whereas this character is not all about guys, she hasn’t lost it, she covets it and she falls in love.’

On doing nude scenes
‘I would never do an American Pie and “get my tits out” for no reason, because it’s grotesque, it’s unnecessary. But for my storyline you need the nudity, because you need to feel uncomfortable in the scene. It was very awkward, but that’s what it’s meant to be. I think, being a girl, it’s hard [to avoid]. Guys get to play with guns and we get to be in our lingerie.’

On acting with Kevin Smith
‘He was a bundle of energy, and very sweet, but he got really personal really quickly! He was asking about my sex life after five minutes of meeting, and I was like ‘erm, Kevin?’ while he’s saying ‘well me and my lady ...’ and I’m like ‘no, this is so weird!’’

Interesting fact
Egerton was in the final audition to play the 9-year old Joan of Arc in Luc Besson’s 1999 film The Messenger.

Read my review of 4.3.2.1

4.3.2.1 is general release from 2 June. This interview first published in The List magazine.

4.3.2.1 (The List, Issue 657)

The shadow of Quentin Tarantino looms large over Noel ‘Adulthood’ Clarke’s ambitious second film, in which four girls (Emma Roberts, Tamsin Egerton, Ophelia Lovibond and Shanika Warren-Markland) have the weekend from hell. Clarke and his co-director Mark Davis aim admirably high, pushing against British drama traditions, telling interconnected stories with a cast of oddball characters spouting quirky dialogue via a narrative that playfully keeps reality at arms length. But while the resulting mash-up of conflicting tones and styles is entertaining and features moments of bizarre inspiration, 4.3.2.1 is ultimately less than the sum of its parts.

The set-up is promising – the girls’ parallel stories play out one after another, with the film rewinding to the same initial point after each one – but Clarke’s script is undisciplined, overflowing with ideas and not focused into a coherent and meaningful whole. A constant stream of attention-grabbing cameos adds to the patched-together feel, and the more dramatic story elements aren’t developed enough to hold much weight. The four actresses are great though, and their strong performances do a lot to carry the film through its weaker moments. Ophelia Lovibond (pictured) is particularly impressive.

3/5

4.3.2.1 is released on 2nd June. This review first published in The List magazine.