HOLLYWOOD is beckoning for one aspiring movie star after she was accepted on to a prestigious film course.

Hannah Miles, 18, of Grosvenor Drive, Loughton, will fly out to Universal Studios in March next year after the New York Film Academy signed her up for a four-week trial.

She said: “I want to act in film, and I thought I'd need some training. I came across the New York Film Academy and applied. They base it on your previous experience and only 12 people got in so it was a real surprise.

“I'm really excited about it. I'm waitressing at the moment to try to pay for it all. I'm hoping something will come out at the end of it. I just want to get into acting and hopefully this experience will help.”

During her time at the famous studios, Hannah will get the opportunity to work with professional film directors, cameramen, and costume and make-up artists with the possibility of a three-year contract at the end.

A former Davenant Foundation School pupil, Hannah already has a long acting career behind her and is a member of the National Youth Theatre.

She said: “When I was three I did my first performance in the King and I, in Colchester, and really enjoyed it. I did my theatre training in Loughton, and when I applied for the National Youth Theatre about 4,000 people attended- the most they'd ever had- so I was really delighted to have got in.”

There is also a humanitarian side to Hannah, and this summer she volunteered to visit Romania with her uncle's church in Surrey.

“I thought it'd be good to see that world,” she said. “It was a really moving experience, as we saw horrific sites of children living in slums and the elderly living in seriously dangerous circumstances. It couldn't be more of a contrast with Hollywood.”