Ben Hopkins

Part two of Clash’s Girls On Film feature from October 2010.

One of the stars of Noel Clarke’s intricately plotted film 4.3.2.1., Ophelia Lovibond is on the verge of a major breakthrough. October will see her grace the big screen with a role alongside Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell in London Boulevard, a drama helmed by Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan. “He did The Departed… yeah, that was alright!” she says with a mischievous giggle. “I forced myself to become an insomniac to get into character.”

Next year will also deliver her performance in the new film from Ivan ‘Ghostbusters’ Reitman. Still untitled – rumoured names have included Friends With Benefits and the commercially unpalatable Fuck Buddies – it features Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman in a casual relationship that Kutcher’s character wants to take further. Lovibond’s character, however, has other ideas. “I play this girl called Vanessa who dates Ashton’s character and then dumps him in favour of his…” she pauses. Seated in an otherwise empty room next to a loud photographic studio, she’s still compelled to whisper the final word: “Dad.” That mischievous giggle returns.

She’s more revelatory about her role in 4.3.2.1 as Shannon, the film’s darkest, most complex individual: “She stood out for me as having the most emotional appeal. You meet her at a point where she’s not just going through a crazy three days, but she’s had a tough few years.”

With the likes of Clarke, Reitman and Monahan all recognising her talent, Lovibond’s own future should be a joyride in comparison.