Thandie Newton Shunned Cannes For Cambridge

THANDIE NEWTON refused to join in boozy celebrations to toast the success of her 1995 movie JEFFERSON IN PARIS - because she was busy revising for her university exams.

The actress studied Archaeology and Anthropology at the U.K.'s prestigious Cambridge University when one of her early films debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

Newton shunned the bar with her castmates at the annual movie event - choosing instead to revise for her degree.

She says, "I was studying for my finals at Cambridge during the Cannes Film Festival. I went to a party on the beach for the film I was in, Jefferson In Paris, but I didn't get drunk because I knew I had to revise.

"I wasn't going to the college bar and having fun, so I probably ended up working more than most people. I carried on making films while I was at Cambridge. I don't regret it because if I hadn't, maybe I wouldn't be an actress."

--IANS-WENN