Amy Jackson

2008–2010: Modelling career

After winning the Miss Teen Liverpool and Miss Teen Great Britain pageants, Amy won the title of Miss Teen World in 2009.^[8] She won eighteen prizes, including a modelling contract in the US on a $50,000 scholarship.^[9] Soon after, she won Miss Liverpool in 2010. She competed at Miss England in 2010 and was crowned the runner-up to Jessica Linley.^[10]

In 2009, Jackson started her modeling career with the Northern-based modeling agency, Boss Model Management, and then went on to sign with her London agency, Models 1.^[11][12]

2010–2014: Acting career

Amy Jackson at launch of Apicius Kitchen & Bar

In 2010, Indian film producers spotted Jackson on the Miss Teen World website and invited her to audition for the Tamil period-drama film Madrasapattinam (2010). Despite having no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead, opposite Arya. The film, set against the backdrop of 1947 India, tells the story of a British Governor’s daughter who falls in love with a village boy. Jackson admitted that it was very difficult to learn the Tamil dialogues. The film released in July 2010 and was acclaimed by critics, and performed well at the box office.^[13] After the film was eventually released on 9 July 2010, it was a critical and commercial success, with Jackson gaining praise for her performance. Sify wrote, "It is an out and out Amy Jackson show. She is simply amazing to deliver lines in Tamil, and is one good reason to see the film".^[14] Behindwoods wrote, "The one who walks away with the top honours is Amy Jackson for a beautiful portrayal of a lady torn between her love and the mighty empire. She looks absolutely beautiful, emotes well through her expressive eyes and is able to earn the sympathy of the audiences during tough times".^[15] Rediff wrote, "Amy Jackson is almost perfect as the wide-eyed young girl who is seeing India for the first time, fascinated by its culture".^[16] She received a nomination for the Vijay Award for Best Debut Actress for her role in the film.

In 2011, she was signed by Gautham Menon to play the female lead, opposite Prateik Babbar, in Ekk Deewana Tha (2012), the Hindi remake of the 2010 hit romantic drama film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya. She essayed the role played by Trisha in the original, Jessie Thekekuttu, a Malayali Nasrani Christian who falls in love with a Hindu boy, but is prevented from pursuing the romance by her father.^[17][18] The film released in February 2012. Jackson received praise for her performance and chemistry with Babbar, with BehindWoods stating that "she has done wonders," and the Times of India saying that "she never disappoints."^[19]

In September 2012, Jackson made her return to Tamil cinema with a supporting role in Thaandavam (2012), starring opposite Vikram and Anushka Shetty. She was signed for the film in 2011 and shooting took place in India and London, allowing Jackson to return and see her family and friends. It was her second collaboration with director A L Vijay, after Madrasapattinam (2010). She played the role of Sarah Vinayagam, a British-born Anglo Indian girl who wins the Miss London title. She reportedly dubbed her own dialogues in Tamil.^[20] She received her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress - Tamil at the 60th Filmfare Awards South ceremony.^[21]

She made her debut in Telugu cinema with the Vamsi Paidipally's Yevadu (2014) alongside Ram Charan and Shruti Haasan, playing the role of Shruti.^[22] The film's release date was repeatedly reset, and released on 12 January 2014.

2015–2016

Jackson next starred as super model Diya in Shankar's romantic thriller film I (2015), the biggest project in her career.^[23] The making of the film, one of the most costly Indian films to date,^[24] took over two and a half years, with a major part of the film being shot in China.^[25] The film was released on 14 January 2015 and received a mixed critical response, although Jackson's performance received favorable reviews.^[26][27] Deccan Chronicle wrote that she was "simply superb. She is another highlight of the film and has given a mature performance",^[28] while Sify noted that she was "the biggest surprise packet in the film" and "perfect eye candy".^[29] Consequently, she was ranked #1 in The Times of India, Chennai Edition list of the most desirable women in 2014.^[30]

After I (2015), Jackson signed on to Prabhu Deva's Singh Is Bling (2015), opposite Akshay Kumar.^[31][32] She had signed on to be part of Venkat Prabhu's supernatural thriller Masss (2015), but opted out of it later when the script and her character were changed.^[33] Instead, she signed on to Velraj's Thanga Magan (2015) alongside Dhanush and Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

Soon after, Jackson starred in Thirukumaran's Gethu (2016), portraying an Anglo-Indian girl for which she won positive reviews, .^[34] She has been reportedly shooting for a "gritty BBC drama series", which she declined to further elaborate on.^[25] She then portrayed the lead female role in Atlee's Theri (2016), featuring alongside Vijay where she portrayed the role of a Malayali teacher. Her performance received positive reviews and her role as a teacher was well appreciated. Upon release, the film went on to become one of the most profitable Tamil films of all time.^[35]

2017–present

On 25 September 2017, it was announced that Jackson was cast in her first Hollywood role as Imra Ardeen aka Saturn Girl in The CW's superhero drama series Supergirl (2017). The character made her first appearance in the third season.^[36] The series, based on the DC characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros Television.

Jackson can next be seen in Shankar's much anticipated film 2.0 (2018) releasing November 2018 alongside Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar, as well as in Prem's Kannada film The Villain (2018) alongside Shiva Rajkumar and Sudeep.