UK's GOLDEN GIRL.

In 2002, just nine months after finishing the drama program at London's Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Naomie Harris landed the role of Selena, the machete-wielding female lead in the British sci-fi thriller 28 Days Later. When the film arrived stateside a year later and became a $45 million summer sleeper, Harris had Hollywood whispering, "Who's the girl with the knife?"

On November 12, the sis with the wispy lilt gets another chance to wow U.S. audiences. Harris costars in After the Sunset, a not-quite sequel to 1999's remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, starring Pierce Brosnan. Harris, in a leading role, shares the big screen with stars Salma Hayek, Woody Harrelson and Don Cheadle. Harris plays a Bahamian cop who's on the hunt for the international thief (Brosnan). The film's director, Brett Ratner, who also helmed blockbusters Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2, featuring Chris Tucker, made Harris's first time working on a United States--based production carefree. "Brett's instincts are incredible," she says. "He's really charismatic, so it's not like being at work at all. It's like being in a playground."

Having fun while at work is something new to this Black Brit. Raised by a single Jamaican mom in North London's Finsbury Park ("It's as ethnically diverse as Brooklyn in New York"), Harris excelled in drama as a teen but hated high school and wanted to quit. Her mother wasn't having it, though, insisting that she finish and further suggesting college. In 2000 Harris entered Cambridge University to study social and political sciences. "I felt very excluded," she recalls. "I was the only Black girl in my class, and I came from a very working-class background. Suddenly I was surrounded by people who had been to boarding school and had huge amounts of money and privileges, and I just couldn't relate."

Through it all Harris managed--she trekked more than two hours to go home every weekend her first year--and graduated. With her mother's blessing, Harris went back to the place she felt happiest: the stage. She studied drama for two years and quickly started getting job offers. Immediately after filming 28 Days Later, she landed the starring role of Clara in the adaptation of White Teeth, written by compatriot Zadie Smith. The miniseries, a tale of two diverse families set in 1960's London, aired in this country on PBS last year. Next Harris will appear in Tristram Shandy and in Trauma with Colin Firth.

Breaking into films in Britain has allowed Harris to leapfrog the barriers that many African-American actors encounter--de facto racism and typecasting. "I'm thankful that I haven't had to deal with those issues," she says. This Brit chick simply loves the thrill of acting because, she says, "you never know where you're going to be next."

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