Felicity Jones is already a familiar face to many film fans, thanks to her Oscar-nominated role in 2014's Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything.
However, she looks set to become one of the most famous women on the planet when the first stand-alone Star Wars spin-off film, Rogue One – in which she plays Rebel Alliance hero Jyn Erso – is released in December.
Before then, she has another high-profile role in Inferno, the third film based on the Robert Langdon series of novels by Dan Brown.
The actress realises that nothing can truly prepare her for the level of fame that is imminent through her introduction to the world’s biggest film franchise.
“Am I ready for that fame? No, of course not, not at all,” she says. “I don’t know how you can be ready for that.
“There’s a bit of responsibility involved, I guess, when you make the decision to take these films on and you do them and people are going to watch them, and hopefully enjoy them. I’m just going along for the ride and taking each day as it comes.”
Before travelling to a galaxy far, far away, we can catch her in the distinctly more down-to-Earth setting of Florence, as the female lead in Inferno. How easy is it to switch from filming in real, historic, ancient buildings and digitally constructed sci-fi otherworlds?
“It’s good fun to go from one extreme to the other,” she says. “I enjoy doing both. It’s a very unusual experience when someone is shouting: ‘OK, now act like you’re in hyperspace’ – and you’re going: ‘Well, how do you act in hyperspace?’
"But that's the charm with Star Wars and having adventures in a galaxy far, far away. It's nice to do things that are different and refreshing, and both Ron Howard [Inferno's director] and Gareth Edwards [director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story] have proved themselves to be really fascinating filmmakers."
cnewbould@thenational.ae
'Hocus Pocus 2'
Director: Anne Fletcher
Stars: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy
Rating: 3.5/5
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Specs: 2024 McLaren Artura Spider
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 and electric motor
Max power: 700hp at 7,500rpm
Max torque: 720Nm at 2,250rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
0-100km/h: 3.0sec
Top speed: 330kph
Price: From Dh1.14 million ($311,000)
On sale: Now
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation 2 to 5
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Company Profile
Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices
