Born in Hong Kong to father Adrian , Calico as Lucia Joyce for which she was nominated Outstanding Newcomer by the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
She was at university studying English Literature. She used to sing in a jazz band. A casting agent, scouting at her school for young girls, chose her for her first acting role in The Last of the Blonde Bombshells .
Can play the violin.
Was brought up in Hong Kong and Singapore until she was 10.
She has three siblings: one brother named Ralph and two sisters named Rosie and Roxy.
Romolas paternal great-grandfather, Bernhard "Bert" Garai, was a Hungarian Jewish immigrant who founded the Keystone Press Agency in London in 1924. Romolas other ancestry is English.
Her two oldest siblings Ralph and Rosie were adopted as babies before she and her sister were born.
She had no professional dancing experience before arriving on the set of Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights .
Director Franois Ozon affectionately calls Romola "his muse".
Has visited Hong Kong, Singapore, Malta, Venice, Australia, Italy, Belgium and Indonesia.
Real hair color is blonde but she occasionally dyes it in real life and for movie roles.
Is a huge fan of "The Simpsons" , in fact her favorite TV character of all time is Lisa Simpson.
Was Franois Ozon s first and only choice for the role of Angel Deverell in Angel .
While filming Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights , she became good friends with Diego Luna. They remain close and have a very strong bond.
Her favorite movies are The Wizard of Oz , Orlando and Fargo .
Was Joe Wright s first choice for the role of Elizabeth Bennett in Pride & Prejudice before Keira Knightley auditioned. But Joe being a huge admirer of Romolas talent then offered her the role of Briony Tallis in Atonement as he really wanted to work with her.
Her proudest work as an actress is Angel .
Cites Mike Leigh , Michael Winterbottom , Ken Loach , The Coen brothers, David Lynch and Todd Haynes as her favorite directors and would love to work with them in the future.
Very good friends with Jamie Bell and Charlie Hunnam , whom she met while filming Nicholas Nickleby .
Lives in London, England.
Her last name, "Garai", is Hungarian and is pronounced like "Garaie".
Romola has said her ideal role would be to play the eighteenth century feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797).
Frequently appears dancing in scenes from her films, including Angel , "Daniel Deronda" , Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights , I Capture the Castle , Inside Im Dancing and Vanity Fair .
Her favorite horror movie is The Blair Witch Project .
Loves watching documentaries, her favorites include Bowling for Columbine , The Road to Guantanamo and Iraq in Fragments .
Favorite actresses are Samantha Morton and Emily Watson.
Received a standing ovation at the Berlin Film Festival for her performance in Angel .
Was officially in the BAFTA long list (equivalent to the semi-finals) for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, for her role in Atonement , which consisted of 15 finalists for each category (except Animated Film). However, she was eliminated in the next round, during which the five official nominees were selected [2008].
Attended the National Youth Theatre.
Finishing her degree in English Literature from Queen Mary, University of London.
Was considered for the female lead in Good , but was not able to do it due to schedule conflicts.
Named as one of the Actresses of the Year by The Independent for Angel .
Hailed by The Sunday Times Magazine as one of Britains finest Rising Stars along with Matthew Goode , Hugh Dancy , Eddie Redmayne , Gemma Arterton , Hayley Atwell , Andrea Riseborough , Richard Coyle , Tom Sturridge , Rachel Hurd-Wood , Eliza Bennett , Daniel Mays and Kaya Scodelario.
In January 2008, Romola visited the Syrian-Iraqi border to make a short film called No Mans Land for UNHCR about the 800 Palestinian refugees living in Al Tanaf refugee camp, who have been displaced since the Iraq war.
In her Masters degree, she graduated with a first in English Literature from Open University.
Has 2 children with her husband Sam Hoare - a daughter (b. March 2013) and second child whose birth date, gender and name unknown.
Was 1 month pregnant with her daughter when she completed filming on The Last Days on Mars .
Returned to work 6 months after giving birth to her daughter to film Legacy .
The single biggest surprise about acting is how unsexy the lead actors,can be when you work with them.
I have used every part of my body, plus muscles I did not know I had,because the dancing is a combination of salsa and Latin ballroom. It,felt like daily aerobics.
An actor is just a medium through which the director makes his dreams,and imagination come to life. An actor should concentrate on his or her,character.
The worst thing you can do as a performer is to judge your character in,any way, positively or negatively.
I live in London and am lucky to have many friends from school,university and work who are from diverse backgrounds. Some of my,closest friends are the children of refugees and I have always been,fascinated by their stories and the struggle of how they came to the UK,and assimilated into society.
[on her visit to the Syrian Iraqi border] I learned a lot about the,troubled histories of three different groups: the Palestinians from,Iraq, the Iraqis themselves, and the Syrian people. This was a lot of,information for someone who is no expert on the Middle East to take in,but it was all absolutely necessary to understanding the situation in,Syria.
I am always naturally drawn to heroines that have human flaws because I enjoy people that have lived their life with courage and make big successes and big failures.
If you are an actress in L. A.
on your 40th birthday they should just hand you the keys to the lunatic asylum.
