Rejected by Hollyoaks but now I’m star of a Spielberg blockbuster
abandoned her studies to appear in BBC mini-series Blackout.
That was followed by threepart thriller The Secret of Crickley Hall, also for the BBC.
But, thwarted in her soap ambitions, Olivia moved to New York City and now lives in Brooklyn. She quickly rose to fame in US TV series Bates Motel with fellow Brit Freddie Highmore, star of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That was followed by horror movies Ouija and The Quiet Ones – in which she played opposite The Crown star Jared Harris. Next came 2015 Sundance Film Festival hit Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. But despite a healthy portfolio, auditioning for the man who made many of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters brought on the stage fright. “I was having a panic attack,” says Olivia. “He’s been an idol of mine since I was a child – I’ve seen nearly all his movies. Then he comes in and he’s so lovely. You’re so disarmed by how charming and kind he is – he gives you a lot of trust, which instills a lot of confidence in you.
“The energy he has, the curiosity and the zest and thirst for life and knowledge… I feel I’ve never had that, even though I’m a third of his age. It’s inspiring.”
She found out she had got the part as she headed off on holiday to Mexico, revealing in a recent chat: “It was the best holiday.
“I was drunk the entire time, on the beach just celebrating.”
Ready Player One is set in 2045, in a world where all of daily life takes place inside a global virtual