Christina Cole

The Decision to Leave Oxford

Christina Cole left the Oxford School of Drama one semester before graduating. She was offered the lead role of Cassie Hughes in the series Hex and didn't hesitate. It was 2004, and British television was desperately looking for its own version of the supernatural dramas that were hits in the United States.

And the gamble paid off.

Her classical training allowed her to lend a certain gravity to a script that sometimes limped. But her ambitions went beyond low-budget special effects and haunted-school plotlines. After two seasons, she decided it was time to try her luck in mainstream films.

Stepping Into Big-Budget Blockbusters

In 2006 she appeared in Casino Royale. She had only a few minutes on screen as the receptionist at the Ocean Club in the Bahamas. But that brief interaction with Daniel Craig gave her international visibility that London theater could not offer at the time.

That year was a turning point for her bank account.

Being part of a 600 million dollar box office franchise opened the doors of studio offices in Los Angeles for her. Soon after, she filmed What a Girl Wants alongside Amanda Bynes. It was a complete change of pace, as she played the classic villain in a teen romantic comedy.

Before filming these scenes, she prepared with an almost methodical approach. Cole has always treated lighter roles with the same seriousness as a Shakespeare text. So her move toward more complex characters on American television was a natural evolution of her craft.

Maturity Among Lawyers and Spies

She broke into American television in 2015, playing Dr. Paula Agard in Suits. Her character joined in season five to help Harvey Specter with his panic attacks. Viewers responded with an average of two million viewers per episode during her storyline.

The stage was always her refuge.

She split her time between California and frequent returns to the West End stage. In 2016, she took part in the stage adaptation of The Exorcist at the Phoenix Theatre in London. The production received mixed reviews, but her performance as Regan MacNeil stood out for the raw technical skill the role demanded.

In 2023, she played Alice Prothero in the Netflix series The Diplomat. That same year, she joined the sixth season of The Crown, bringing to life Princess Diana's private secretary. Filming these episodes required hundreds of extras on location in Mallorca and London.

London rules.

In 2024 her participation in the series Strike was limited to three episodes under the direction of Susan Tully. Filming wrapped in May on a technical budget fitted to BBC requirements.