From slaying the red carpet in Bottega Veneta to starring in Cats alongside Taylor Swift, Francesca Hayward, 27, is really having a moment. Here’s everything you need to know about Hollywood’s coolest breakout star…
What is her role in Cats?
Francesca stars as Victoria the White Cat in Tom Hooper’s adaption of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. It is Francesca’s first feature film and she is starring alongside global superstar Taylor Swift.
What else has she been in?
Francesca has made her mark on the world of ballet – she has danced in Royal Ballet performances of the Nutcracker, Giselle and Romeo and Juliette. The Duchess of Sussex is a fan of her work; she chose Francesca as one of Vogue’s ‘forces of change’ in her guest-edited September issue.
Instagram Handle
@frankiegoestohayward
How did she become interested in ballet?
Francesca moved from Kenya to Sussex to live with her grandparents at the age of 2. She discovered ballet after her grandparents showed her a video of the nutcracker. According to reports, she was introduced to Cats around the same time too. At 11 years-old she studied at the Royal Ballet School, and later won the prestigious Lynn Seymour Award for Expressive Dance, the 2010 Young British Dancer of the Year and both silver medal and the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Genée International Ballet Competition.
What’s her style?
Francesca has been slaying the red carpet by wearing the hottest labels, including Bottega Veneta. ‘I love fashion. It’s actually – after ballet – my favourite thing, since I was little,’ Francesca told Grazia at the London premiere of Romeo and Juliet: Beyond Words. ‘I’ve always been distracted by shopping and when I’m not dancing, I’m probably shopping.’
What’s she doing next?
She’s returning to the Royal Ballet - this autumn she's danced MacMillan's Concerto, Manon, The Sleeping Beauty and Coppélia. Now she’s preparing for Odette/Odile in Swan Lake.
Does she see herself in more Hollywood films?
Never say never, but starring in Cats made Francesca reportedly realise that ‘ballet is [her] calling.'
READ MORE: Francesca Hayward Talks Finding Her Red Carpet Confidence In Bottega Veneta