To the untrained eye, it might look like Samantha Morton landed her role in one of the biggest films of the year completely out of the blue. But the reality is that Morton has steadily built up a body of critically acclaimed work over the past five years, even picking up a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Woody Allen's "Sweet and Lowdown". And few critics doubt she will explode into our collective consciousness as a mega-star very soon. Not bad going for an actor still in the early stages of her career.
Born in Nottingham in 1977, Morton's acting ambitions surfaced early when she dropped out of school at 13 to join a local drama workshop. Her involvement led to small parts in television dramas such as Soldier, Soldier, Cracker, Peak Practice, and later as a prostitute in Band of Gold alongside Cathy Tyson and Barbara Dickson. But it was playing the title role in the TV series Jane Eyre, and as Sophia Western in the 1997 adaptation of Tom Jones, that brought her critical attention and a part in her first feature film.
In the low budget drama "Under the Skin" (1997), Morton plays Iris, a young woman whose life descends into a series of dark one night stands after the death of her mother. An astonishing debut, the actress showed a mature ability to convey the fragility and emotional longing the part required. Her performance led to Best Actress awards from the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Evening Standard British Film Awards.
Stunned by her film debut, Woody Allen cast her as Hattie, the mute laundress in "Sweet and Lowdown" (1999). According to Time Out London, Allen broke his rule of never showing an actor the full script prior to filming when Morton insisted she see it to get a feel for the whole story. Only an actor who's confident of their talent would have the nerve. Indeed, when asked why Spielberg chose to cast her in one of the biggest films of the year, Morton replied that her acting speaks for itself.
The end of the millennium saw her star in ascendancy, with Morton appearing in two further notable films, "Jesus' Son" (1999) and "Dreaming of Joseph Lees" (1999) before starting work on Spielberg's latest. As a psychic Pre-Cog in "Minority Report", Morton explores the quiet expressiveness at which she excels.
Now recognised as a major talent by Hollywood, Morton's career will run and run but the English lass isn't afraid to still take risks. Her next project is the dark drama "Morvern Callar", directed by Lynne Ramsay - a film that's unlikely to attract the same audience as her latest blockbuster.
