Christina Cole- Actor of the Week

Christina Cole

Christina Cole is a young actor with an amazing body of work already, much of which is period drama. Her breakout role was opposite Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth and Anna Chancellor in What a Girl Wants. She finished drama school early to play the snooty, catty Clarissa Payne.

Anna Chancellor and Christina Cole in What a Girl Wants

Clarissa: Oh, very you, lovely. So Henry asked us to give you a few pointers, didn't he? Well, pointer number 1: go home. Mother and I belong here and it's quite clear you just don't fit in. And pointer number 2: while you're packing, keep your grimy little Yankee paws off Armistead Stuart, he's mine.
Daphne Reynolds: If you take your nose out of the air for one second you'll see you're designer, I'm vintage. You've got a mansion, I've got a five floor walkup. You're a snotty little miss cranky pants and I go with the flow, so why would you ever think for one second that I'd ever have the same taste in guys? So here's a little pointer for you. Get over yourself and stop trying to be my daddy's little girl because I'm not going anywhere.

Christina Cole in He Knew He Was Right

From bad girl to nice girl, Christina hit it out of the park as the lovely Nora Rowley in He Knew He Was Right. In the classic struggle of the Victorian lady, she has to choose between love and wealth when she is pursued by two men. Quite an excruciating choice as the men are both wonderful and she plays her dilemma with great sensitivity and believability. I think I would have gone with Mr. Glascock personally, but that might be because I loved Raymond Coulthard as Frank Churchill in the Kate Beckinsale version of Emma. I am soooooo shallow!

Michael Fassbender, Christina Cole and Jemima Rooper in Hex

If your taste runs to witches and the supernatural with a bit of girl on girl action (not my taste, but I work with a woman who would love this) Hex has some pretty great actors in it. Along with Christina Cole as the main witchy type, we have Michael Fassbender (Rochester from Jane Eyre 2011), Jemima Rooper (Amanda Price from Lost in Austen) and Laura Pyper (Jane Fairfax in Emma 2009).

Christina Cole as Blanche Ingram in Jane Eyre 2006

Back in her Victorian garb again for Jane Eyre 2006, Christina almost makes us forget that Blanche Ingram is supposed to have raven locks. Actually, it makes me wonder what she would look like as a brunette. (Squinting hard at photo...nope, can't picture it!)

Lost in Austen

Then into Regency garb to play Caroline Bingley in Lost in Austen. I kind of love the wackiness of this time travelling Austen piece, and Caroline starts out like a catty Clarissa Payne but transforms into...well I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen this one yet.

Caroline Bingley: Money, Miss Price. The fortune to which you aspire in an immediate instance may pass you by. But I am certain you shall not starve.
Amanda Price: No, I don't suppose I shall on 27000 a year.

Christina Cole as Mrs. Elton in Emma 2009

My sister complained that there were too many blondes in Emma 2009. I will agree that the lack of variety in hair colour may have confused those not familiar with the story, but this is still my favourite version of Emma so far.

I will however concede that Juliet Stevenson is the definitive Mrs. Elton in the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow Emma, but I don't mind Christina Cole in the role either. She certainly can play the nasty jellyfish woman type (nod to Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason, and didn't the jellyfish woman also play Mrs. Elton if I recall? Tee-hee!)

So it will be interesting to see if Christina Cole ever dons a bonnet again after seeing how many period roles she has done in a relatively short period of time. Small roles in Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day and Foyle's War at least get her into the 20th century. We will have to see where her talent takes her in the future.

Did I miss any roles that you enjoyed her in?