PROVENANCE: Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
AGE: 31.
STAGING A CAREER: Coming from the industrial North of England, Riseborough ended up landing a coveted spot at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in London. “The first year you wander around thinking you made a mistake. They called the wrong person—they thought I was the other one with the dark hair, you know? And that doesn’t stop for quite a while.”
COUNTERPARTS: She relishes the range of roles she has had a chance to play—from Wallis Simpson in W.E. to the Iron Lady in Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (for which she won a TV BAFTA). “It’s one of the things that excite me most about my job—the opportunity and the ability to completely live in somebody else’s rhythm.”
ROUTE TO SUCCESS: With three films coming out this year, including the ensemble drama Disconnect and Oblivion, alongside Tom Cruise, Riseborough has never been busier. Still, she almost always takes the bus in L.A., rather than driving. “My business is to reflect people. If I don’t see any of them, if I only see the inside of a studio and my house for months on end, I miss out on inspiration to draw from.”
I really wish she'd lay off the make-up. She's a natural beauty and doesn't need it at all.
