Rachel Hurd-Wood made her professional acting debut in 2003's Peter Pan. She was chosen for the part after attending an open casting session. The filmmakers had searched three continents for the right girl. She had appeared in one or two school plays and is, according to her father, “a gifted mimic.” She enjoys ice-skating, art, music and has such a keen interest in dolphins that she aims to be a marine biologist. She lives with her parents and younger brother in England’s Home Counties near London.