ELLE MALAYSIA – Jodie Whittaker being cast as the 13th Doctor in BBC1 series Doctor Who is a huge step in opening up traditionally male roles to female actors (your move, Bond). Jodie’s Doctor will be the first time the character has regenerated into a female form.

Not unaware of this monumental moment for the British TV series is Lily James, the star of Baby Driver (interesting fact: she is also dating Matt Smith, who played the 11th Doctor for three seasons).

“I’m so excited about Jodie; we actually went to the [Guildhall School of Music and Drama] at different times,” Lily said this morning at the Baby Driver press conference in Kuala Lumpur. “I’ve always been a real fan of hers, I think she’s the perfect person to take on the role.”

Since its inception in 1963, the lead character in Doctor Who has always been male. Even his arch-nemesis, the Master, has had a female incarnation who was played by Michelle Gomez.

“I think having a woman [in the Doctor’s role] is just spectacular, and it’s about time,” Lily added. “I think everyone was ready, that everyone was feeling like ‘I can’t wait’. I think it’s brilliant. Jodie’s going to bring new life, and new energy and hopefully just blow open the audience even further than she already has.”

Lily’s character Debora in Baby Driver is just one of two female supporting roles – the other is Eiza González’s Darling. They may not be the criminal masterminds in the film, but to Lily, they also contribute to the landscape of strong female characters on film.

“On one hand, you’ve got Debbie who is sort of a loyal girl that wants to hit the road, and then you’ve got Darling who’s shooting double machine guns and is totally badass and gangster,” Lily explained. “I think you’ve got two very different, brilliant women in the film and so I think it’s really well represented – it’s a really bold kind of show.”

THE TALKS – Ms. James, how do you usually feel the night before your first day on set?
It’s weird because I’m not that nervous anymore. I don’t stay up all night getting nervous about work. I do get frightened of not being good enough. I’ll get quite anxious after days where I’ve had a big emotional scene, I worry that I haven’t given enough or I get frightened that I haven’t been true enough. So that’s a kind of fear that lasts pretty much the whole shoot. But it’s doesn’t make me nervous, weirdly — except in auditions.

Do you still audition?
I still audition but it’s done in a different way. It’s like I meet the director now and we talk about the role. There are less of those relentless, open call ranks… What I really love is when you’re in an audition or the first day on a film set where you’re like, “Hi, pleased to meet you and I’m proposing to you today,” and you’ve literally never met them before. (Laughs) I’m quite used to being flung into a false intimacy with someone on set. I like when things are a bit more relaxed because that’s when I’m a bit better I think. Like, if I audition and I don’t know the scenes well, I’m accidentally funny, or I do more of what you can’t do when you’re actually working.

When is the last time that happened?
Well, when I auditioned for Baby Driver, and I was thinking a lot about the American accent, so much that it became the focus rather than the actual scene, like, “Fuck, what am I actually doing in the scene?” (Laughs) It ended up coming out in quite a natural way. I feel like because I’m British and the way that I’ve started, you know, I’ve ended up doing period dramas, more classical stuff. I’ve gone down that route… I really wanted to break out of that kind of style and genre.

Were you starting to feel like the prototypical English Rose character?
Yeah, I wouldn’t say that is even more me, that’s just what I’ve been doing. It’s not even necessarily where I’m most comfortable — it’s just kind of where English girls from drama school end up going. Cinderella and those roles make people think of me in a certain way, and I’m excited to change that perception. Making more contemporary film is the route that I want to keep going down so I can express myself in a manner that is closer to me as a person.

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Lily, Ansel Elgort and director Edgar Wright attended a press conference for ‘Baby Driver’ earlier today (July 17) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A few days ago (July 12), Lily was in Australia for the Sydney premiere of ‘Baby Driver’ alongside one of her brothers and co-star Ansel Elgort. She is wearing an elegant Alessandra Rich dress.

DEADLINE – Baby Driver star Lily James is shifting gears and is set to test her singing talent in Universal’s upcoming movie musical sequel Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! She will join returning Mamma Mia! cast members Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, and Christine Baranski.

James will play the role of “Young Donna” to Streep’s present-day Donna as the film goes back and forth in time to show how relationships forged in the past resonate in the present.

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! reunites producers of the original film, Littlestar’s Judy Craymer and Playtone’s Gary Goetzman. Craymer was also the creator and producer of the smash-hit stage musical. Ol Parker (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) is set to write and direct the sequel. Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus will return to provide music and lyrics and serve as executive producers. Universal’s Senior Vice President of production Kristen Lowe and Creative Executive Lexi Barta will oversee production for the studio.

The sequel, which is slated for a July 20, 2018 release date, comes 10 years after the initial film, which grossed more than $600 million worldwide. The movie musical was set on the Greek island of Kalokairi and based on the iconic songs of Swedish supergroup ABBA.

In addition to starring in the smash summer hit Baby Driver, James is known for the titular role in Disney’s live-action Cinderella. She can be seen in the Focus Features’ forthcoming Winston Churchill biopic Darkest Hour and recently wrapped the modern Western Little Woods as well as the drama Guernsey.

Lily and Ansel Elgort are featured on the cover of Voyage magazine, July/August issue. Digital scans have been added to our gallery, enjoy!