Jenna Coleman has achieved acclaim through her role as Queen Victoria in the hit period drama Victoria, but the star has had a pretty amazing acting career all round! From starting out as Jasmine Thomas in Emmerdale, the 32-year-old has gone on to star in everything from Marvel blockbusters to rom-coms. To celebrate season three of the ITV show back on our screens, find out more about the other acting roles that put Jenna on the map…
Doctor Who
Although the UK audience might have recognised Jenna before Doctor Who thanks to her four-year stint in Emmerdale, it was most certainly her casting as Clara Oswold that put her on the map. Replacing Karen Gillan as the Doctor's new companion, Clara was a great sidekick for the Doctor thanks to her bubbly personality and serious smarts. Oh, it also turned out that she was the 'impossible girl', and saved the Doctor's life constantly over the centuries. It's a long story, but let's just say that Jenna most definitely made her mark on the show before bowing out in 2015.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Blink-and-you'll-miss-her, but Jenna had one of her earliest roles as Connie in Captain America: The First Avenger. In the Marvel blockbuster, Connie was one of the women who attended the World Exposition of Tomorrow with Steve Rodgers and his friend, Bucky. Unfortunately, since Steve was frozen in ice in the 1940s and woke up in the modern day, chances are we won't see Jenna reprising her role any time soon.
Me Before You
Me Before You is a love story that follows Lou, a bubbly but financially challenged woman who takes a job as a carer for Will, a quadriplegic who lived a highly active lifestyle before an accident left him paralysed and depressed. In the film, Jenna plays Lou's little sister, who is both supportive of her sister but also chasing her own dreams – leaving Lou to financially support their parents on her own.
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Speaking about her role to Interview Magazine, Jenna said: "I kept thinking about my auntie a lot. She’s somebody who knows who she is—she really knows who she is—but she's kind of annoying in a way. She's one of those people who will always tell you the truth even when you don't want to hear it… And as sisters, I think [Katrina and Louisa are] an interesting pair because they're complete opposites. They're totally different; it's a bit of a love-hate relationship, in a way."
The Cry
The Cry was the thriller that had everyone talking in 2018. The story followed Jenna as Joanna, a new mum who goes through any mother's worst nightmare when her child goes missing – or does he? Speaking about the role, she told Vogue about playing a mum of a newborn baby, explaining: "It's so much about motherhood, and the bond with your child. Obviously I'm not a mother so it was an interesting thing to have to be so deeply connected with. Luckily, I've got loads of friends who have just had babies, so they were incredibly helpful. A couple of them who are actors as well sent me really raw, visceral details about the day-to-day realities of what it's like to be a mother."
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Death Comes to Pemberley
Jenna is an expert at period dramas, and it was probably her turn as Lydia Bennett in Death Comes to Pemberley that helped her out! In the Pride and Prejudice spin-off, Jenna plays Elizabeth's younger sister who is hit by tragedy when her husband, the no-good Wickham, is accused of murder.
