British actress Carey Mulligan was little known until her Oscar nomination for her role as Jenny in the coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in the 1960s.

The talented youngster auditioned for drama school three times but was turned down. However after speaking to screenwriter Julian Fellowes, who gave a talk at her Surrey boarding school.

Fellowes put her in touch with a casting director and she landed the role as Keira KnightleyÂ’s younger sister Kitty in the 2005 film 'Pride and Prejudice', after which her career simply soared.