NEVER let it be said a university education doesn't help in getting a job.

Take Felicity Jones, whose new movie, Like Crazy, a tale of first love, is out this week.

The Oxford graduate had read the script and formed her own amour fou with the character of Anna, a British book editor who falls for a young American. But it was only five days till shooting started. How to get an audition tape together so quickly?

A bout of lateral thinking later, the solution was found – borrow a camera, enlist some friends and do it right here, "here" being her own flat, and in particular, it being a shower scene, her own bathroom.

"I guess I felt I had to do something a little bit different," Jones laughs. "Only afterwards did I think this is slightly insane."

Writer-director Drake Doremus cast her on sight of the tape and she flew to Los Angeles. One movie later, and having won the award for best actress at Sundance (the film took the grand jury prize), Jones is still thinking on her feet, only now the choice is what to do next after what she hopes will be a breakthrough role.

Jones has been impressing audiences in Page Eight, David Hare's British intelligence services drama, comedies including The Chalet Girl, Albatross, and Ricky Gervais's Cemetery Junction, and the Northern Soul drama Soulboy, with Scotland's Martin Compston.

Now 28, she's frequently to be found on many a rising star list. "Somebody said it takes 10 years to be an overnight success," she smiles. Clearly, a tertiary education also gives an actor a certain healthy scepticism towards hype.

Jones thinks Like Crazy resonates with audiences because it takes a clear-eyed look at relationships. "It's very unsentimental, it's not trying to trick you, there's no gimmick. It comes from a very genuine place."

In Jones's case, she has been with the same boyfriend, an artist, since university. That doesn't mean to say that she is not familiar with the pain of a Heathrow cheerio.

"With something like this you always draw on your own experiences. Especially being an actor. We're like gypsies really, we're always away from home so I definitely understand what it's like trying to be in a relationship but travelling. Trying to have it both really, to pursue your work but also maintain a relationship."

Reunions are rarely easy for anyone, says Jones. "That's the thing the film really taps into; being away from someone and coming back and having to relearn everything. You forget completely what it's like. It's like starting again every time."

Working on a small budget, there was no time for co-star Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) and Jones to get to know each other at their leisure. But due to the intimate nature of the piece, both they and Doremus had to form a close bond quickly. So the three spent a week together, meeting at 3pm and rehearsing till 3am.

"Working in a slightly unconventional way meant we all brought down our barriers," says Jones. "We were very open with each other." It helped that both she and Yelchin were ready to take the leap into more serious drama.

"Anton and I were both at a point where we wanted to make something more revealing and more honest than we'd ever made before." The result is that the viewer feels as if they have their nose pressed up against the window of a relationship. Think Big Brother meets Love Story.

After being known for lighter roles, playing Anna over seven years has boosted her confidence as a dramatic actor. The comedy-drama roles followed parts in television, including playing Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey. Her theatre roles stretch from Luise Miller to That Face.

Her real training for dramatic heartache might be said to have come much earlier, when she was the voice of Emma Carter in The Archers. Playing her from age 15-25, Jones, who comes from Birmingham, had her fair share of angst in front of a radio mic.

"I took her through affairs, births, marriages," she laughs. "It was extraordinary." She looks back on Ambridge fondly. "Without The Archers I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now."

It wasn't just the steady work; radio also allowed her to work on her voice.

"People always forget voice. I was watching Ryan Gosling recently. He's phenomenal and he has the most incredible voice. As well as watching him it's great to listen to him. Doing The Archers it makes you more aware of your voice, how to use it, and rhythm and timing."

She has fond memories of working with Compston ("The lovely Martin, a brilliant actor") and Gervais on the 1970s-set Cemetery Junction. She thinks Gervais has been a success in the States because he is "true to himself".

Does she think of herself like that? "I try to be, it's not always easy. I try to be instinctive about things. If it doesn't feel right don't do it, and try not to be impatient. There's a culture at the moment, especially for young actors, where you feel like you have to do everything now, do the biggest films. I suppose I like to take my time a bit more about things, and just let it come."

Unless there's an audition tape to be done, of course.

Like Crazy opens in cinemas tomorrow.