Inside Stolen Girl star Jim Sturgess' life from music career to defending Anne Hathaway

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Disney+.

has just dropped the gripping thriller The Stolen Girl, and all eyes are on Jim Sturgess, who stars in this intense drama.

Based on Alex Dahl's best-selling novel Playdate, the series follows the harrowing events after a nine-year-old girl vanishes following her first sleepover at new friend Josie's house.

Viewers are left pondering why Josie's mother Rebecca (portrayed by Holliday Grainger) abducted her and whether her motives were justified.

Jim Sturgess takes on the role of Fred Blix, the father of the missing child, and as the series becomes available in its entirety on Disney+ from Wednesday, April 16, fans are eager to delve into the background of this talented actor.

Early passions

Sturgess was born in 1978 in Wandsworth and raised in Farnham, Surrey, where he cultivated his passions for skateboarding and music, forming a band when he was just 15.

In an intimate conversation with Wonderland Magazine, Sturgess reminisced: "I was also mad into skateboarding growing up and so I would hear loads of different styles of music from the skate videos I was watching.

"When I was about 15-years-old I joined a band. We were young but we were into it.

"Rehearsing in my mates garage, learning covers and then writing our own songs. It was our life back then.

"We would skate around the local car parks and spots and then rehearse and write music with the band in the evenings and weekends. And we got pretty good at it."

His music aspirations continued as he pursued his band Saint Faith after relocating to London, adopting the stage name King Curious.

While Sturgess is more renowned for his acting, his album Common Sense For The Animal was unveiled in July 2004.

Acting career

Now 46, Sturgess launched his acting career relatively late, landing a role in Across The Universe two decades ago.

Around the same time, he graduated from the University of Salford, where he studied media and performance, having initially moved to London to chase a music career.

Soon, more roles began to materialize, including in The Other Boleyn Girl, Fifty Dead Men Walking, Heartless, and Cloud Atlas.

Insomnia

In a 2016 conversation with The Telegraph about filming BBC Two's Close To The Enemy, Sturgess disclosed his struggles with insomnia.

He shared: "I was going through quite a tough time in my life and was suffering from bad insomnia.

"I'd fall asleep fine, but be wide awake at three o'clock in the morning, then I'd be a zombie throughout the day.

"It's fine if you don't have anything to get up for, but when your pickup's at 5.30am you're kind of screwed."

It is speculated that Sturgess' "tough time" might have stemmed from his breakup with ex-girlfriend, actress Bae Doona, whom he met while filming Cloud Atlas in 2012.

They kicked off their romance in 2014 amidst swirling rumours from the year before, but by 2015, they had called it quits.

Fast forward a decade, and the star is blissfully wed to theatre producer Dina Mousawi, having exchanged vows in picturesque Italy back in 2019, with the couple now doting on their young son.

One Day

His portrayal of Dexter in the 2011 romantic tearjerker One Day, alongside Anne Hathaway, remains etched in fans' hearts.

Despite the film's cult status, Hathaway's attempt at a Yorkshire accent as his love interest Emma didn't escape criticism.

Defending his co-star four years ago, Sturgess told The Independent: "I'm a real stickler for accents. If someone does a bad one, I can't watch the film.

"But I never felt anything like that while working with Anne at all.

"I think what happened was that she got a bad rep in America for her 'bad English accent', because people don't know about a Yorkshire accent in America.

"I've had friends in America say it's the worst English accent they've ever heard, but I didn't think it was fair."

What's next

With Disney+'s The Stolen Girl already creating buzz, Sturgess has a few more tricks up his sleeve, as his IMDb page teases upcoming projects.

Currently gearing up for production, he is set to feature in One Thousand Paper Cranes, a biographical drama that explores the compelling tale of "two remarkable women W.H.O. unwittingly work together, across oceans and decades, to create a powerful symbol of peace, the paper crane".

He is also involved in a project presently under production, the mystery comedy titled 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank.

The description reads: "The story of Paige, whose father has stepped up and become a more responsible parent following the death of her mother."

Notably, Sturgess will be joined by a stellar cast in this film, with Taken's renowned Liam Neeson and A Discovery of Witches star Teresa Palmer featuring alongside him.

The Stolen Girl is available to watch on Disney+.