Georgina Wahed chats with Felicity Jones

Birmingham born 27 year old actress Felicity Jones began is best known to audiences for starring as school bully Ethel Hallow in the television series The Worst Witch. Since then she has starred in countless television and film productions such as Weirdsister College (the sequel to The Worst Witch), Doctor Who, Brideshead Revisited, Chéri and Cemetery Junction.

Here she chats with Georgina Wahed about her new romantic comedy Chalet Girl. She plays Kim alongside Gossip Girl heart throb Ed Westwick and acting legends Bill Nighy and Brooke Sheilds….

Tell me about Chalet Girl?

Chalet Girl is about a girl who lives in East Acton and has a bit of a tedious job working at a fast food chain. She’s looking for a job to work in hospitality and has an interview where the only job going is working as a chalet girl in the Alps. Unfortunately Kim doesn’t know how to ski or snowboard but she needs the money, So she takes the job and goes out to Austria. She works for a very rich family who own their own chalet. And it’s about her finding out who she is, falling in love and becoming an awesome snowboarder.

What did you think of the cast and the script on your initial read through?

Well, I was full of fear obviously because of the tremendous cast to be surrounded with and some great comic actors. I’d never encountered this type of comedy before, I’ve always been keen to do comedy and drama so it was quite daunting. But luckily Phil, the director has a very relaxed approach and from the very beginning we met on numerous occasions, he wanted me to be very much a part of the process because Kim is in every scene. He was very open about discussing script changes and anything, we worked on it together. So I felt very comfortable.

What did you do when you stopped shooting in the snow?

There was a bit of jagermeister consumption.

Are you a fan of Jager bombs?

No I had a horrific night, won’t touch the stuff ever again. But it was just good fun, I hope it comes through in the film – there’s a lot of joy in it, but it’s just us having a good time behind the camera and in front of the camera.

I was going to say it looks like your having a ball, because you know sometimes you can see the strain on actors.

No no, it felt very free. It’s always hard work, there’s always so much to shoot everyday. But I think being in the Alps and everyone being away from home and making a film about feeling good about things the process is always going to be light hearted.

So your character, professional skate boarder. Did you learn anything?

I did! That’s the most incredible achievement of my life; I’ve learnt to skateboard. To snowboard is one thing. Everyone has tried it but no one seems to have the will power to see it through. I wanted to learn how to skateboard as well as snowboard so I could understand Kim. The way she moves effects the way you behave depending on what you are doing. So I went to Bay 66 in Notting Hill and had lessons there with a wonderful young skateboarder and fell over many times, but I actually leant how to do it, so I was very proud of myself.

Would you go on a skateboard now?

I would do yeah. It’s opened up a whole other world, there’s something extremely liberating about being able to do those kinds of sports.

So how was it filming in the snow?

I’d say that I spent ninety per cent of my time out in the snow, I went out a month before to learn how to snowboard for six hour lessons a day. So I spent most of the time sliding around on the floor before I achieved anything.

Are most of those stunts done by stunt doubles?

Yeah, but I do all the ground work! I go down the beast, but someone else does the air.

Have you ever had a holiday romance before?

I don’t think I have you know. I’ve never encountered it.

What are the big differences between shooting film and TV?

I think now because of the speed of film it’s not too dissimilar to television in a way. You know cause the schedules are always so busy. I think as an actor it doesn’t make a difference when making film or television. I think it’s just about telling the story of the character as best you can.

We’re from The Fan Carpet, so can I just ask you a few things to get to know you abit better?

Bags or Shoes?

Can I have both? I can’t choose between them, that’s like choosing between children. [laughs]

It would have to be bags.

Drama or Comedy?

Oh my god! You can’t do this to me! What about Com-dram?

Elizabeth Taylor or Eva Gardner?

Elizabeth Taylor

Brown or Blue eyes?

Brown

Skiing or Snowboarding?

Snowboarding

Adventure holiday or relaxing holiday?

Adventure holiday

Justin Bieber or The Jonas Brothers?

Justin Bieber, with that hair cut, you can’t beat it.

Tomboy or Fashionista?

Tomboy

What was the first thing you said this morning when you woke up?

Oh blimey!

And what was Bill Nighy and Brooke Sheilds like?

Just wonderful, I’ll be working with Bill Nighy again, I love every bit of his work, mostly his performance in Love Actually. They’re just generally really good people. I think that’s what the film represents. Brooke Sheilds is just the best, cause she has all these stories cause she’s met everyone, so just just sit listening to her in awe.

You get advice from people in the industry a lot, do you want the advice?

Yes absolutely! It’s a tough industry, it’s a tough world. When you meet people like Brooke and Bill who have managed to retain their excitement, you know since they’ve been doing it so long bt they still care immensely. I think you’d be stupid not to learn from them.

Describe the movie in three words.

Spirited, Witty and Hopeful.

Felicity Jones Photos | Chalet Girl Film Page

CHALET GIRL HITS THE SLOPES ON MARCH 16