British girl to star in Les Miserables after being spotted in a school play Despite having no professional acting experience, Isabelle, from Eastbourne, in East Sussex, ended up beating thousands of children to win the coveted role. She said: "When I found out I'd been picked I was so excited. I was jumping up and down on my bed. But I was also a little scared and nervous, because I didn't know what to expect. Isabelle was quickly expected to shoot scenes as late as 6am for the film, which also stars Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried, who plays Cosette as an older teenager. But as soon as she got on set the experienced actors quickly went out of their way to make her feel at ease and comfortable. She said Academy Award winner Russell Crowe was "friendly" but also "focused" and "serious," while Amanda Seyfried offered words of encouragement and would constantly knit. But it was her on-screen father, X-Men star Hugh Jackman, who immediately took her under his wing. The Australian actor, who has two adopted children, moved rocks away from the set so Isabelle would not step on them, and made sure she was comfortable when not filming. She said: "He would joke about what my favourite cocktail was and I'd say it was a water cocktail. He was very funny and would talk in these different voices. He tried to persuade the director to let me wear shoes while I was filming because it was cold, but we weren't allowed to. He was very kind to me. All the famous people were so nice and really helpful. They made me feel relaxed. On the back of her film success, Isabelle has landed the same role for the current West End production of Les Miserables. And the youngster has already received compliments on her performance in the forthcoming film from her co-stars, as well as personal emails from Hugh Jackman and Amanda Seyfried. She will also get the red carpet treatment when she attends the film's world premiere in Leicester Square on Wednesday (December 5) and in New York on December 10. Offers for new films have already come in, including a Disney role she is not allowed to talk about yet. But her new-found fame has not stopped her from going to her lessons at Moira House School and spending time with friends. Mum Elaine said: "She's never changed. She still just the same Izzy. It's been an incredible year and we'll have to wait to see what happens next.