Tomb Raider: Herefordshire actor lives out Lara Croft dream

Laura Lake, 28, from Leominster, has recently landed herself a lead role in TV pilot "Finders Fee" and new Netflix action feature film "Havoc" appearing alongside Tom Hardy, to be released in 2022.

She is trained in firearms, weapons and screen combat and is currently training for the British stunt register.

The British stunt register is the worlds leading and largest association of stunt professionals.

Ms Lake has always had a passion for action and for acting that started when she was a child, and she sites her family as big influences on her love for stunts.

She said: "My mum would often play Tomb Raider and I would be there as a six-year-old copying all the stunts that Lara was doing.

"I loved it so much that my grandfather, who was also into video games, would dress up as the butler from the third game (target and tray included) and would let me shoot things at him.

"He would also make me bows and arrows and swords from bamboo, he was always so much fun."

"I had three different Lara Croft outfits as a kid and used to go around pretending I was in the game. That definitely sowed the seeds of my love of action."

This, alongside her other grandfather, who was a stunt driver, was a major influence on her growing up. He sadly passed away when she was two.

Her love of performance led to a place at the Urdang Academy for musical theatre performance in London and she has never looked back on her acting journey since.

Laura learning ballet at drama school in London

Ms Lake said: "Drama school was intense, but it gave me an amazing grounding in the industry and has undoubtedly led to everything that has followed."

Ms Lake has had roles in Sanditon, Bridgerton, American Monsters, I May Destroy You, The Great, The Irregulars, Slow Horses, Pennyworth and BBC favourite Call the Midwife.

When Laura returned from working abroad as a backing dancer in 2018 her agent suggested she looked into becoming an action actress.

Since then, she has been doing weapons training with the British Action Academy, Movie Works International, Take 3 and Fire Arms for Film and TV.

This then inspired her to train to become a stunt performer for the British Stunt Register and since then she has been training in six different disciplines; boxing, horse riding, trampolining, gymnastics, rally driving and swimming.

Laura horse riding training at Malvern Riding School

She said: "When I started stunt training I thought to myself that this is the missing piece in the jigsaw that I've been searching for.

"Through my training I have been able to be involved in some incredible projects and some amazing motion capture for some upcoming video games that are unbelievably exciting but unfortunately I am not allowed to talk about them yet due to non-disclosure agreements."

Ms Lake said her stunt training has opened so many doors for her and led to things that she never could've dreamed of.

Laura has firearms and weapons training as part of her stunt work

She said: "Just being in the same room as some of the incredible actors and creatives that stunt work has led me to is a real honour and a learning experience.

"I find it amazing that my life has basically come full circle and I am back to the kid who loved Tomb Raider and wanted to be an action hero."

"If I could tell six-year-old me that this is what I was now doing with my life, she would absolutely lose her mind with excitement."