British actress Callie Cooke has made her Hollywood debut alongside one of the biggest stars on the planet – Brad Pitt – in the blockbuster movie of the summer, F1.
Speaking to HELLO! from her home in north London, she says of the phenomenal experience: "It's best not to think about it, because you kind of lose your mind. It's kind of crazy."
Callie, who spent almost two years filming with the 61-year-old Fight Club star, adds: "He's amazing, so kind, really funny, and so hardworking. He really cares about the film and letting every character have their time to shine. He just knows what he's doing. He's Brad Pitt for a reason."
In the critically acclaimed movie, the actress plays Jodie, the only female mechanic in the pit crew run by Brad's Sonny Hayes, a former Formula 1 racing driver who returns to the sport 30 years after a fatal crash for one last shot at being the best in the world.
"We had so much time to rehearse, so we had so much time to get to know each other," says Callie, who shot scenes in various locations around the world, from Budapest and Monza to Las Vegas and Northamptonshire's iconic Silverstone track, close to where Callie grew up near Stratford-upon-Avon.
"We were travelling so much together, so we really did become like a family."
The 31-year-old actress, who starred in the BBC sitcom Cheaters and Netflix's 2020 Harlan Coben adaptation The Stranger, says of her storyline: "It feels like a film in itself. Jodie struggles with her nerves and anxiety, and goes on this journey of finding her voice in a very male-dominated industry."
Callie says she "couldn't even change a tyre on my Mini" before spending a month training with real mechanics and engineers at the Carlin Performance workshop and carrying out a pit stop in between Mercedes and Ferrari at Silverstone's Grand Prix week in preparation for the role.
She continues: "It's such a fun part to play because if it has the potential to inspire even one girl to work in Formula 1 then that’s really cool."
As well as Brad, the actress shares the screen with an impressive ensemble cast, including Kerry Condon and Javier Bardem.
"They're all amazing," she says of her co-stars.
"They just made it such a fun space to play in because clearly I was terrified, and they never made me feel like that. They made me feel like I was just as crucial to this story as everyone else."
Callie, who found her passion for acting at after-school drama clubs, has a "supportive teacher" to thank for helping her through her early career.
"I never really thought it was something I could do, but I had a teacher – the classic story – who supported me and helped me navigate it. And then it just happened. I never, ever thought I would be making a Brad Pitt movie, but here we are."
Having found her 20s "relentlessly hard", working three jobs at a time and squeezing auditions into her lunch breaks, she finally feels settled.
"We have the weight of the world on our shoulders at that age. I think being 30 is so much nicer. Personally, I've just relaxed and life seems to have just settled for me," says the actress, whose recent TV credits include a guest star role in Doctor Who and a part in the second season of Surface, a psychological thriller from Apple TV+ that stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Since making her TV debut in a 2016 episode of Doctors, Callie's star has been on a steady rise – and that's something she's grateful for.
"I feel really lucky that I get to work a lot, and I've had consistent work that people have watched and really enjoyed.
"Occasionally, people will come up to me and say: 'I love Cheaters or Doctor Who', but my life is super normal and it's very much my job."
Looking ahead, Callie has her sights set on working with Greta Gerwig, the director famous for Barbie, Lady Bird and Little Women. "She's my idol, so I'd love to work with her. I just love everything she does."
Until then, she's happily riding the wave of F1. "I thought the filming itself was the special part, but the last few weeks have been mad. We shot it for so long, so it’s just nice to celebrate it."
F1: The Movie is in cinemas now.