Former East Hampshire schoolgirl Sophie Rankin is fast making a name for herself in the film industry, with 24 movie credits and two more films set to release later this year.

After leaving The Petersfield School, Sophie went to Alton College to study theatre and dance then went to drama school in London and New York.

Acting is a tough job for most though, and Sophie shared the following tips for those following her footsteps: “I would say firstly to be absolutely sure that it’s what you really want to do because it’s not an easy industry.

“It’s probably one of the toughest ones, it’s highly unreliable and it can break you so I’d say you do need to develop a pretty thick skin for things not to affect you too much.

“That being said, if it’s something you definitely want it can be so rewarding and a lot of fun so my advice would be to never give up.”

Sophie is currently starring in the feature film Escape in the lead role-playing Lucy. The film is an action thriller about victims of human trafficking being forcibly removed from an Island resort by a criminal gang. A nurse and a dancer hatch an escape plan, leading them to the desert where they battle to survive against the traffickers.

Sophie also stars in Darkgame, a thriller starring Ed Westwick from Gossip Girl. This tells the story of a determined detective in a race against time to stop a twisted game show on the dark web, where captives are forced to compete for their lives.

It’s currently out in the US and Canada and will be released in the UK in May on all streaming platforms after a world premiere in London.

Follow Sophie on Instagram @sophielouiserankin to keep up with her progress.