The world according to Jaime Winstone

The 26-year-old actress on learning the right attitude to fame from her father Ray, getting offered strange roles and why she doesn't want to go to Hollywood...just yet

Having established herself playing gritty, hard-hitting roles in urban films like Bullet Boy (2004), Kidulthood (2006) and Donkey Punch (2008), 26-year-old Jaime Winstone is one of the rising stars of British acting.

With the lead role as murder suspect Sheila Webb in the forthcoming Christmas Poirot special, she has added costume dramas to her growing arsenal of genres.

The daughter of actor Ray Winstone and his wife, Elaine McCausland, she was born in Camden, north London, but raised in Essex.

Last year she appeared alongside Bob Hoskins, Sally Hawkins, Miranda Richardson and Rosamund Pike in Made In Dagenham. Winstone is refreshingly unpretentious and a chip off the old block.
‘To be honest, things are going well for me at the moment,’ she grins coyly, ‘so you won’t find me moaning about anything.’

My dad taught me the right attitude to fame – pay no attention to it.

Becoming famous has been weird, especially as I grew up with a father in the spotlight. Some people look at fame and think it’s glamorous, but it’s not. I have a very normal life, and I think that’s because my dad never really took any notice of fame, and he passed that attitude on to me. As long as my work speaks for itself and I’m happy in my life, I don’t take being a celebrity that seriously.

My dad never criticises my performances.

As an actor you just don’t do that, and if you do it’s a bit like ‘mind your own business’ – it’s already been filmed and done. If he doesn’t like something I’ve been in he won’t say anything. He will, however, tell me if it’s good, like he did with Five Daughters – he was really proud and called me up and said, ‘That was a fantastic bit of work, babe.’

Being famous killed Amy Winehouse.

Some people deal with it in different ways, and thankfully I don’t have to deal with it to anything like the extent that she did. Poor Amy – I know she had some very, very good friends, but I also know she had a lot of wrong’uns around her. With fame you’ve got to surround yourself with good people who you trust, and that can be very difficult indeed. You shouldn’t toy with fame, and you should be careful what you wish for.

'I recently got offered a part where I had to get urinated on by a dog,' said Jaime Winstone

'If he (dad Ray Winstone) doesn't like something I've been in he won't say anything. He will, however, tell me if it's good, like he did with Five Daughters - he was really proud,' said Jaime

'If it weren't for acting I'd be a hairstylist. I've cut my friends' hair, dyed it and styled it,' said Jaime