JESSICA PLUMMER

‘THE GIRL BEFORE’ IS VERY MUCH THE GIRL OF NOW. ASTRID JOSS MEETS OUR SENSATIONAL COVER STAR JESSICA PLUMMER

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“IT REALLY IS OKAY TO GET BACK TO REAL LIFE WHEN THE SHOW’S OVER”

If Jessica Plummer is not on your radar, please recalibrate that radar. But in a world where we’re deluged by a waterfall of daily ‘newness’ – not to mention a need and desire to be constantly updated with information – we’d be forgiven to switching off to much of it. New launches, new talent, new anything… it’s weirdly addictive but exhausting. I’ve become exceptionally good – and fast! – at filtering.

Back to Jessica. How joyous it was to discover her and her oh-so-brilliant performance in the BBC and HBO Max adaptation of JP Delaney’s best-selling thriller The Girl Before. She plays Emma, opposite the perfectly cast Gugu Mbatha-

Raw and David Oyelowo. Reviews have hailed Jessica as the highlight of the series and dubbed her ‘the next Suranne Jones’.

The drama showcases her natural talent in multiple ways but, like many viewers,

I found Jessica as a person to be the real fascination. Actors upgrade to stars when they display a certain something that pushes us as viewers to follow them and their work beyond the medium in which they appear. And Jessica is so unbelievably good at what she does that you are helplessly drawn in, as if you know her.

Some have heard of her from her first major role, in 2017’s How to Talk to Girls at Parties, alongside Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman. Others know her as Chantelle Atkins in EastEnders. Some may even remember her beginnings in the top-ten-charting girl band Neon Jungle, which Jessica says gave her the grit and teeth for the acting world: ‘I learnt early on that not everything that glitters is gold, nor is everything a given, and to take every opportunity. But, equally, it really is okay to go back to real life when the show’s over.”

When I joke about how fabulous life could have been in a girl band – a band that played with Jessie J and Taylor Swift –

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“I’M GOOD AT TAKING RISKS. I DON’T TURN DOWN MANY OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE”

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I can’t imagine my own seven-year-old knowing what to do with a Hollywood movie script, but the young Jessica was thrilled: ‘This and Jennifer Lopez made me realise that – through dancing, singing, acting and simply performing – you could let go and feel a huge sense of release and enjoyment.’

Now Jessica has secured her dream job, she feels it’s a constant learning curve, as opposed to simply turning up on set, day after day, and getting on with it. ‘One of the hardest aspects for me is allowing myself to be vulnerable, to completely let go,’ she admits.

‘In The Girl Before, I had to dance around in one particular scene where I was all alone, and the key was to appear carefree – even though I had thirty pairs of eyes behind the cameras staring at me.’

Jessica thrives on such challenges, believing that is where the opportunities for improvement arise. ‘One thing I’m good at is taking risks,’ she declares. ‘I don’t turn down many opportunities that are out of my comfort zone. Your craft is better if you explore and, while everyone is different, I learn my art by being with other actors. I learnt a lot from

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“ONE OF THE HARDEST ASPECTS FOR ME IS ALLOWING MYSELF TO BE VULNERABLE”

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watching David [Oyelowo] and Ben [Hardy] in The Girl Before.’

Unexpectedly, Jessica tells me that one thing that really helps her is to give her characters a fragrance. Emma’s was Jo Malone’s Lime Basil and Mandarin: ‘It has a positive punch.’

Having watched the series, this makes total sense. The styling of a character is a huge element of every actor’s work when they inhabit and portray a person. Fragrance aside, this is something that she is more than happy to leave to the professionals: ‘I love fashion and am a shopping addict, but I don’t have a set style. If anything, I love stealing ideas from characters, as I did with Emma.’

On our cover shoot, Jessica proves the easiest person I’ve ever worked with: big smiles all round with an abundance of positive energy. That said, as both of us joke, life’s not so hard when you’re being styled in Chanel top to toe.

‘Give me trainers over heels any day!’ she smiles. ‘I love to look effortless, even though I aspire to a glamorous look. As I’ve got older, I appreciate more timeless pieces. I’d love to own a sustainable capsule wardrobe that will last forever and that I can pass on to my daughter.’ I tell her that I love the neat and chic French style of the Chanel wardrobe and jewellery. ‘They’re the type of pieces I wear in my dreams,’ she agrees. ‘And, for those who know me, I’m turning thirty this year – and I really love jewellery!’

As for hair and makeup, she says it’s like acting: experimenting and enjoying the moment. ‘I loved the red lip Zoë [Taylor, makeup maestro] gave me, which I wouldn’t normally be confident enough to wear. But she chose the right shade and it looked amazing. I also loved the freckles! She made me feel like we were in the Caribbean.

‘As for my hair, it’s my safety blanket so I feel best when it’s out. But my curls need to be groomed, so I was happy. You need to feel happy and confident to do your best work.’

I’ll definitely be seeing Jessica again – on-screen and, I hope, in person. She’s the kind of woman you can’t help wanting to be friends with.

“FOR THOSE WHO KNOW ME, I’M TURNING THIRTY THIS YEAR – AND I REALLY LOVE JEWELLERY!”