Those Tracy boys can tit about in their souped-up transports all they like, but Sophia Myles is the one who’ll really make the Thunderbirds fly. Every British actress worth her salt (and Sophie Dahl) was mooted for the key role of Lady Penelope in Jonathan Frakes’ forthcoming blockbuster, but Myles – whose movie CV includes a brief appearance in From Hell – stole their Thunder. It’s easy to see why: blonde, poised, achingly attractive and slightly upper-class (her dad’s a minister), she was to the manor born. “It’s been overwhelming,” she says of her Thunderbirds experience. “It doesn’t get much better.”
Oh but it might yet, for Myles is Hollywood-bound. “I haven’t had a shit time in LA yet!” When she gets there, she’ll be up against a clutch of English actresses, including her good friend, Keira Knightley. “We played sisters in Oliver Twist (1999) and it was lovely, because neither of us could get a job. We were like, ‘Why are we unemployed? Are we mingers?’ We even toyed with writing something for ourselves.” Not that Myles needs her own Good Will Hunting anymore. “I’m too busy! But I’m very prepared for whatever happens after this film, and I hope it continues, because I love my job so much. Love it!”