If you’re a lover of British independent cinema, you may have seen English actress Alice Eve in such movies as Starter for 10 or Big Nothing. If you’re not, then may She’s Out of My League be a fitting introduction. In the comedy opening Friday, Eve plays the “perfect 10” love interest for a geeky airport security guy (Jay Baruchel). Airports are familiar ground for Eve, as she commutes between work in America — she’s also appearing in this summer’s Sex and the City 2 — and her flat in London. “I couch surf, which I think I’m going to have to change,” Eve says. “You can only live out of a suitcase for so long.” I talked with the 28-year-old actress for a piece in last weekend’s Who’s News page, but read below for more of our Q&A and check out a clip from She’s Out of My League.

Photos courtesy of Paramount

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Are you a fan of the broad comedy in a movie like She’s Out of My League?
I do quite like it. I’m not the one falling over in that movie, though. I like being around that. I love comedy. The movies I watched when I was a kid were romantic comedies – those were the women that I loved and that’s what I used to like to watch. I feel thrilled to be able to be in them. I sat down to romantic comedies more than I sat down to anything else.

Anybody you particularly liked as a kid?
I totally unoriginally loved Cameron Diaz and Reese Witherspoon. They made the movies I watched over and over, like Something About Mary and Legally Blonde.

You are not exactly new to playing the cinematic object of affection, as you also did in Starter for 10 and Crossing Over.
Those roles in cinema have come my way. I’m not going to question that. It’s not an unpleasant role to play. Obviously, in the story of my career I’d like that to change, but age will take care of that for me. [Laughs] Hopefully I’ll have different opportunities the longer I pursue it.

As a whole, Hollywood seems to be embracing love stories with stereotypically opposite people these days.
It’s the Montagues and Capulets. It’s a classic trope to hang a story on.

Ever dated anybody you’ve felt was out of your league?
I only think you have that feeling, really. Especially at the beginning, you’re like, “[Crap], do they like me?” It’s always like that, isn’t it?

Are you still like that?
I’m in a relationship now, so I’m OK. [Laughs] I’m happy. It’s a complicated business, romance.

Can you say anything about your role in Sex and the City 2?
I play Charlotte’s nanny. I think that’s about all I’m allowed to say. [Laughs] I grew up with it. It was really amazing for me to be among those women. Those are some pretty powerful women.

Does it drive you crazy not being able to talk about a movie?
No, it’s great because it’s a surprise – it’s like a cultural event. Sometimes it’s difficult to know how to say to people, “I can’t tell you.”

Your parents are both actors. Did you grow up in the theater?
I’ve been doing it since I was 10. In school, though – not like on the road. [Laughs] I did it all through my education. When I was at university, I made a movie in my summer vacation, and then I went from there.

Were your parents supportive?
I railed against it for the first 15 years of my life, and I was like, “No way.” Then I did a play and I realized that it was the only place I could feel confident at being good at something. In the classroom, there was always someone better than me at whatever subject. But with acting, I didn’t feel like that. I didn’t really have a choice.

Did you have some comedy in the beginning?
My first play was the French Les Miserables, and I played a drunk man. [Laughs] Then I played Olivia in Twelfth Night when I was like 12, and then I did A View from the Bridge, and then I did Animal Crackers, which we took to Edinburgh. It was dreadful, but it was meant to be comedy. I don’t know if anyone ever laughed.

How do you take it when no one laughs?
I did a play called Rock ’n’ Roll, which we took to Broadway, and it was a very serious Tom Stoppard play and I was comic relief. With comedy, you focus on what you do get rather than what you don’t get. It’s addictive. I’d be on the stage, and one night you would have gotten a laugh for the line you didn’t get the night before. You don’t sit on that. You think about the next laugh. You can totally be a laugh addict.

Is being hailed as a rising star in America cool for you or are you fine just flying under the radar?
Both of the above. I love doing my thing quietly, but also it’s amazing if something you’ve worked very, very hard for starts to pay off. It’s not like, “Oh my God, look at that! Suddenly they have a movie coming out! Would you believe it?!” You know exactly what you’re doing because you’ve worked for it. If people enjoy the movie, that’s amazing, and you can’t predict that. That’s up to the movie gods.

Would you consider a permanent move to the States?
Yeah, I love it here. Definitely. I’d have to move my whole family because I’d miss them.

What’s your favorite part about America?
Your mentality is amazing, and it’s something the Old World doesn’t have: that New World hope. The audacity of hope, it’s incredible to see that. We don’t have that in England. It’s just not there. Here, you guys dare to dream. It’s a beautiful thing.

What would you miss the most about England?
That Old World mentality where you don’t dare to dream. [Laughs]