ON the VERGE
Jessica Barden, 27, is the standout star of Channel 4’s award-winning The End Of The F***ing World, a tale of young runaways wanted for murder. As it returns to our screens this autumn, here are the five things you need to know about her.
1. MY PARENTS ARE ALIENS WAS HER TV DEBUT
‘Being a child actor is overrated,’ says Jessica. At age 13, she began working as an extra one day a week in Yorkshire, filming My Parents Are Aliens. ‘It’s really boring being a child actor, because you do your filming and then you go to school and you don’t get to hang out with anyone else on set’. Nevertheless, she went on to play the role of Kayleigh Morton in Coronation Street before starring in dark comedy The Lobster alongside Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman.
2. SHE LOVED WORKING ON THE END OF THE F***ING WORLD
When asked to describe the show, Jessica said: ‘It’s eccentric, sad, truthful, musical… and a really good time.’
3. ALESSANDRO MICHELE IS HER MOST FAMOUS FAN
Gucci’s creative director surprised Jess by inviting her to take over the brands’s Instagram Stories for the AW18 show, where she sat front row with Chloë Sevigny. ‘I had never been to a Fashion Week before, I just used to watch the shows on my laptop,’ she says. ‘When you meet the person behind the work, it means so much more when you get to wear their clothes.’
4. RIHANNA IS HER CHARACTER INSPIRATION
For her legendary dance scene in season one of The End Of The F***ing World, Jessica’s first thought was: ‘What would Rihanna do?’ She opted for Pulp Fiction-style movements mixed with a bit of Liza Minnelli. ‘I like dancing, so the scene was extremely natural for me. We did it in one take – lots of people asked me if it was choreographed, but it was just on the spot.’
5. JACK O’CONNELL IS HER NEXT CO-STAR
Next, Jess stars in Jungleland with Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) and Jack O’Connell (Skins, Unbroken). ‘I’m close to my brothers, so it was great to work on a project unravelling the vulnerability of men. It’s just as important to consider men’s representation as women’s.’