Below is a compiled list of the most interesting facts about Hayley Atwell. Check it out!
Born in London, England, Hayley Elizabeth Atwell has dual citizenship of the United Kingdom and the United States. An only child, Hayley was named after actress Hayley Mills. Her parents, Alison (Cain) and Grant Atwell, both motivational speakers, met at a London workshop of Dale Carnegie’s self-help bible “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. Her mother is English (with Irish ancestry) and her father is American; he was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and is partly of Native-American descent (his Native American name is Star Touches Earth). Her parents divorced when she was age two. Her father returned to America and Hayley remained with her mother in London, but she spent her summers in Missouri with her father. Hayley’s mother saw theater as an important communal experience, so she was introduced to theater from a young age. At age 11, she had memorable trip to see Ralph Fiennes playing Hamlet. She would later work with him on The Duchess (2008).
Interesting Facts about Hayley Atwell
- At age 9, she walked over hot coals at a ‘Power Into Action workshop that she attended with her mother.
- Her film debut was directed by Woody Allen, 8 months after she left drama school.
- She left a university degree course in Philosophy and Theology in order to train in theater.
- While shooting Cinderella (2015), Hayley had her eyebrows bleached to match the blonde wig she wears in the movie. As she was performing the stage play The Pride at the time, she would have to rush from the set to the theater in the evenings and fill in her eyebrows with mascara.
- She met Stanley Tucci on the set of Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and remains good friends with him and his wife, Felicity Blunt.
- Studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (2002-2005), where she got a BA in Acting.
- She was Head Girl of her high school and played rugby up until age 18.
- Counts Bette Davis as a major acting influence.
- Only child and daughter of Grant Atwell, whose Native American name is Star Touches Earth (b. Missouri, of part Native American descent), a Shaman, and wife Allison Cain (b. London, Middlesex, England, Great-Britain and Northern-Ireland, of English and Irish descent). Her parents separated when she was 2-years-old. Maternal granddaughter of William D. Cain (b. Preston, Lancashire, England, Great-Britain and Northern-Ireland) (son of Arthur P. Cain and wife Florence Dawson) and wife ….
- She has been nominated for two Olivier Awards for her stage work and a Golden Globe for Pillars of the Earth.
- Admits that the toughest word to pronounce with an American accent is “murderer.” Brits tend to soften the letter ‘R’ as in ‘muh-d’ruh.
- She enjoys pranking her co-stars and once filled a co-star’s dressing room with hundreds of plastic balls.
Personal Quotes by Hayley Atwell
I love firing guns. It’s an amazing feeling – so sexy and powerful.
Hayley Atwell
Skiing in Whistler was great fun. It’s an extreme environment that’s very different to my own and I had never skied before, so I had to learn to take on the elements quite bravely. It was nice to try something new.
Hayley Atwell
My real self, the self I have always been from a child, is a loner and nerd, slightly overweight, with a very heavy fringe. That is who I was as a kid. I don’t think I will ever be anything other than that.
Hayley Atwell
I don’t think I’m curvaceous. It’s simply that most other actresses are really, stupidly tiny.
Hayley Atwell
Mum wasn’t at all religious, but she thought that going to the theatre was as important a ceremonial, communal experience that a person could have.
Hayley Atwell
