I'm not posh - I worked hard for this

Ophelia Lovibond, the star of Jez Butterworth’s new play, tells Nick Clark about on-set intimacy and why she doesn’t have imposter syndrome

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STANDING on stage at the curtain call on opening night of The Hills of California last week, Ophelia Lovibond was euphoric. "It was bliss, a glorious feeling," she tells me the day after. "My agent said she saw me beaming like the cat who got the cream." Returning to the West End for the first time since 2016, the experience reminded her that "being on stage is thrilling, you can't be anywhere but in the moment. I like going cliff jumping. The thrill of jumping into the sea is the only thing that compares".

Lovibond, who has won fans for standout turns in W1A, Sherlock Holmes show Elementary and as Carrie Johnson in This England, says: "I'm a Londoner, there's something special about appearing on the London stage." It probably helps that the show is one of the most anticipated new works of recent years.