Natalie Imbruglia brings welcome personality to Johnny English without competing with Rowan Atkinson. We like her ease as a comic foil, though her intermittent film career leaves less evidence of what she can do with a leading role.
Fi1m perspective
In Johnny English (2003), Natalie Imbruglia’s Lorna Campbell stays grounded beside a spy who remains stubbornly confident despite his mistakes. Rowan Atkinson gets most of the attention, but she brings enough personality to make us wish the film took more interest in its supporting characters. We were glad of her company: her ease gives us a break from a comedy that leans too heavily on its star’s familiar repertoire. The pleasure is modest, but it is there.
Her early regular role was Beth Brennan in Neighbours (1992–1994), before music became her main occupation and acting an intermittent one. Johnny English was her feature debut, with the role of an Interpol agent making practical use of her ability to play things straight. Director Peter Howitt needs a credible partner for Atkinson, and Imbruglia supplies one without appearing to strain for a laugh. The writing gives her too little room, though, and a comfortable supporting performance is about as much as this comedy allows her.
The shift to a leading role came with Closed for Winter (2009), in which she plays Elise Silverton. Adapted from Georgia Blain’s novel, the Australian drama concerns loss and memory, asking more of her emotional restraint than a comic supporting part does. Some critics found her quiet sorrow convincing; others wanted more emotional expression. That disagreement matters when considering how much a larger role gains from the reserve that makes her a useful comic partner.
Smaller films followed, including Underdogs (2013) and Among Ravens (2014), while acting remained intermittent alongside music. Those parts took her beyond the conspicuous debut, but we would resist making a grand claim for her dramatic work. Our firmer recommendation is for the unforced personality she brings to Johnny English, with reservations about the thinly written film around her. Start there if Atkinson’s physical comedy appeals, and be prepared to wish Howitt had given the people beside him more to do.
Biography
Natalie Imbruglia is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Sydney in 1975, she began acting in her teens and appeared in Australian television commercials before securing a regular role as Beth Brennan in the soap opera Neighbours from 1992 to 1994.
After leaving the series she moved to London and pursued a music career, releasing her debut album Left of the Middle in 1997. She made her feature film debut as Lorna Campbell, an Interpol agent, in the 2003 comedy Johnny English opposite Rowan Atkinson. She later starred in the 2009 Australian film Closed for Winter.
