Lucy Russell started acting in her late twenties, having tried too many other jobs to count and having got a degree in Italian and Business at UCL in London. Her first feature was also Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas's first film, Following. After a couple of years of drama school, she played the title role in Eric Rohmer's French language film The Lady and the Duke, (which had the most insanely beautiful hand-sewn costumes designed by Pierre-Jean Larroque). She played Missy LeHand in CineNord's Atlantic Crossing, which won the 2021 International Emmy for TV Movie/Miniseries and Steph in Toni Erdmann, the German nominee for Best International Feature at the 89th Academy Awards, named best film of 2016 by Sight and Sound magazine, by Film Comment and by Cahiers du Cinema. She's worked across genres with incredible directors in French and English: she's been head of the CIA and MI5; a trophy wife; a serial killer; a UN delegate; a toxic mother; leader of a galactic empire; a cult member; generally been like a pig in sh*t exploring as many facets of human expression as she can get her dirty paws on. She's also a real person outside acting and has a life there, too, which, frankly, is not to be sniffed at.