In Rebecca Daly’s The Other Side Of Sleep, a Directors’ Fortnight title at Cannes, Antonia Campbell-Hughes gives an intense, internalised performance as a young girl who sleepwalks her way into a murder in a small Irish town.

Appearing in every frame, she gives the kind of performance audiences cannot forget — and she won’t forget the experience either. “It was method boot camp,” says Campbell-Hughes. “For three months I lived her life, I used only her accent — I became like her.” Now 28, Campbell-Hughes has a few lives behind her already: a period in New York as a punk model and a two-year-stretch as a fashion designer. Six years ago, the Northern Ireland-born actress landed in London determined to make a go of acting. Stints on TV — the sitcom Lead Balloon, drama When Harvey Met Bob — followed, but two years ago Campbell-Hughes decided to “only follow my passion — films, and in particular the art films I grew up with”. Coming up are a lead in Tribeca-title Lotus Eaters, and a part in Rodrigo Garcia’s Albert Nobbs with a starry ensemble cast led by Glenn Close.

Contact: Anna Tune - annatune@independenttalent.com

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