Playful
Sophisticated
opposite Catherine Keener and Philip Seymour
Hoffman.
The same year, Imogen joined Colin Farrell and
Anton Yelchin for the much anticipated remake of the
80s horror-comedy, Fright Night. She most recently
starred in the 2014 motion picture Need for Speed
opposite Aaron Paul.
It seems 2013 may have been the 26-year-old’s
strongest year to date. Not only did she shine in Filth,
but it was also the year that she landed her first (and
to-date only) BIFA for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ in
Michael Winterbottom’s biography, The Look of Love.
Her brilliant
portrayal of the
complex, fragile
and morally
corrupted Debbie
– the daughter
of the erotic
business empire
entrepreneur
and self-dubbed
‘Britain’s richest man’ Paul Raymond – is tinged with
tragedy and emotional turmoil. Dogged by a drug
addiction and constantly striving to impress her
father, she crams so much soul into the story.
Her cover of the classic Dusty Springfield track,
upon which the film is titled, is so powerful that it
verges on being overwhelming. It’s a haunting delivery
that makes even the emptiest of rooms just that little
bit dustier as it plays into the end credits.
Whether turning her hand to camp horrorcomedies like 2011’s Fright Night remake, or the
action-packed video-game adaptation of Need For
Speed, or even good old poetic arthouse dramas
by veteran director Terence Mallick and his Knight
of Cups, released earlier this year, Imogen Poots’
potential seemingly knows very few bounds.
So why has Imogen Poots still not garnered the
wider recognition she deserves?
One answer might be that it’s simply down to
Glamorous
her peripatetic choice of roles. A quick flick through
her most recent three releases on IMDb reveals
respectable if somewhat unimpressive scores of 6.9
(Frank & Lola), 5.7 (A Country Called Home) and 7.3
(Green Room).
Fans will be holding their head in their hands at
the news of her future projects including a Cameron
Crowe TV comedy show called Roadies, helmed by
Luke ‘the lesser’ Wilson. The Apatow Productions
movie, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, is due for
release later this year and promises a starring role for
the actress alongside the unreliable Will Arnett and
flavour-of-the-month
Andy Samberg. No
doubt another “5.7
to 7.3” rating in the
making.
We no longer live in
a golden age of movie
stars. Rarely does an
individual big-shot
Hollywood studio pick
out a Janet Gaynor, Bette Davis or Katharine Hepburn
(as fantastic as they were) and make them known the
world over.
Modern audiences like to consider themselves
too sophisticated to be spoon-fed the same old actors
in ever-so-slightly different roles, year after year. It
pushes actors and filmmakers to take greater risks.
Sometimes they pay off, sometimes they end up just
paying the bills.
But in the case of chameleon actor Imogen Poots,
who’s to say “whither goest thou?” And that in five
year’s time we won’t all be remarking that it’s a good
job Poots took a punt on yet another wildcard project
– and one that finally sees her deservedly graduate
from BIFA to Academy Award?
One thing’s for sure, it certainly won’t be a surprise
to anyone who has watched her excel in some truly
electrifying performances over these past 10 years.
Imogen Poots, soon a name to conjure with? n
“[Roadies is] a new experience
and I just adore the filmmaker
and the rest of the cast. I’m
just really excited to do it.”
They say:
“Frankly
it’s time
for a brutal
rethink.
And / or
perhaps a
new agent.”
- David
Edwards,
Mirror film
critic
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