At 32 years old, the English actress is already one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood, having been nominated for numerous awards, including an Academy Award for her work in The Theory of Everything, and also won critical acclaim for the roles she played.

But despite all that, Felicity remains a very grounded person and someone we all can relate to, a trait she says she admires in her co-star Tom Hanks.

When asked about first-day filming nerves, she reveals she still get the jitters: “It’s exactly the same every time and it doesn’t matter if it’s on a £10,000 short film budget or a $250,000,000 movie.”

Working with Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard, both Oscar winners who make up a formidable creative team of Inferno, was a delight, Felicity says. “They have a huge affection for each other. They have this shorthand and they are both on the same page creatively.

“I have such admiration for both of them. They are genuine people who are still incredibly down to earth, and still as ambitious and creatively focused as they were when they begun. They’re both so caring about what they’re doing and what they’re making, and I felt so welcomed into their orbit.

“It was an absolute joy to work with them and see the wealth of experience that they both have. I spent a lot of time just watching them, and hoping to emulate them in future jobs, in their professionalism. It’s what I would hope to do later in my career – to work with the same people and build up a shorthand. It’s like any creative endeavour, if you work with the same people, you actually save a lot of time because you’re not trying to establish a new relationship,” she shares.

“I play Sienna Brooks, a very intelligent young woman who meets Langdon when he’s suffering from a head trauma. Immediately they’re in a moment of crisis, and he needs her brains to help him recover. Together they go on this adventure to solve this mystery,” says Felicity.

“He’s suffering from memory loss, and in fact they have already met when she was a younger girl, which she reminds him of. That’s where we start to see a bit of Sienna’s keen attention to detail.

“Part of the joy of playing her was that she has this quite scientific mind. She’s very logical and she’s not scared of Langdon, nor intimidated by him. She’s very quick to correct him – much to his annoyance, sometimes. It was fun to play someone who is very forthright.”

From playing Stephen Hawking’s ex-wife in The Theory of Everything to a freedom fighter in the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Felicity proves herself as a thespian in strong female roles which push boundaries and ideals.

As the story unfolds in Inferno, Felicity’s character Dr Brooks reveals some secrets of herself. “Well that’s what I loved about her, and Ron and I had a lot of discussions about how much to push playing a character who may not be everything they seem on the surface,” says Felicity.

“It was quite a delicate balance working out how much to push that, how much to hold that side back, because we obviously didn’t want to give away too much to the audience. She’s operating on so many levels, and that is a great challenge.”

“There’s a lot of fun in it [Inferno], in that they’re going on this quest, they’re finding clues, but at the same time, there is a seriousness and there is a philosophical side to the film,” says Felicity.

“And it’s addressing very pertinent issues about what is the state of the world that we’re living in and how do we contribute to making that world as good as it can be for future generations.

“I feel like, increasingly with global warming, we’re forced to address how we are living, and ask are we living in a way that is sustainable? I am absolutely pro making sure we do everything to leave the planet in as green a state as possible.”

Playing the roles Felicity’s chosen not only requires a keen intellect and brilliant character, but also a strong physique. “I had to really get fit for this [Inferno], because there was so much running especially on the action unit, around the Boboli Gardens (in Florence). Literally, it would be like, ‘Where are Tom and Felicity off to?’ Oh, they’re just going to do a bit more running. Just more running,” she shares.

“There was a lot of running around in high heels, which takes a surprising amount of preparation. They were very beautiful heels, I have to say – Ferragamo heels (laughs). But yeah, it was pretty full on. It was boiling hot, as well, so we’d both be dripping with sweat, running around and being chased by a drone. It was quite full on!”