Jo Hartley

Actress
Casting Department
Producer

In Cinemas 19th April. In this British Mockumentary, the competitive giant vegetable growing world is rocked by scandal when up and coming prospect Caroline (Jo Hartley) has her prized marrow plants stolen. With her life turned upside down and desperate for answers, she turns to two private detectives (Aisling Bea and Ray Fearon), who are then dramatically kidnapped. Are the events linked? No, of course not. But Caroline thinks they are and the hunt for her missing marrows takes her way beyond the allotments, plunging her into a national corruption scandal that goes all the way to the top!! As Caroline readies herself for the big championship with the help of her trusty partners Willy (Celyn Jones) and Paul (Richard Lumsden), she sets off in search of the truth. On the way enduring kidnappings, car chases and worst of all courgettes. But will the culprit ever be caught? The film bounces from one quintessential British location to the next, as Carolines quest leads her from allotments to service stations, by way of chip shops and the odd layby. This award winning debut Feature from Finn Bruce and Brook Driver pokes a comedic carrot at the eccentric world of competitive vegetable growers, starring a bumper crop of acting talent including Jo Hartley (After Life, Eddie the Eagle, This Is England), Richard Lumsden (Sense and Sensibility, Sugar Rush), Celyn Jones (The Almond and the Seahorse, Submergence), Aisling Bea (This Way Up, Love Wedding Repeat) Fay Ripley (Cold Feet), Alice Lowe (Sightseers, Hot Fuzz), Ray Fearon (Beauty and the Beast, The Foreigner) and Steve Brody (The Office, Avenue 5, Im Alan Partridge).

Play trailer1:37

Swede Caroline (2024)

Jo (Joanne) Victoria Hartley is an English actress born in Oldham, Lancashire.

Her acting debut was playing Gretl Von Trapp in a theatre production of 'The Sound Of Music'.

In 2002 Shane Meadows cast Jo as Marie in the Film4 cult classic movie 'Dead Man's Shoes', starring Paddy Considine and Toby Kebbell. She reunited with Shane for the award winning movie 'This Is England' and critically acclaimed BAFTA award winning TV show 'This is England 86, 88 and 90' to play Cynthia.

She starred alongside Hugh Jackman, Taron Egerton and Christopher Walken as Janette Edwards in Dexter Fletcher's 'Eddie the Eagle', joined Alice Lowe and the cast for 'Prevenge', starred alongside Heather Graham and Stephen Mangan in David Cross's TV comedy 'Bliss', played the rebellious Angela in hit TV show 'Not Safe for Work' starring Zawe Ashton.

In 2015 Jo was cast as Pauline Gray in Ricky Gervais's hit movie 'David Brent-Life on the Road', she collaborated with Ricky once again to play June, in the award winning TV show 'After Life' for Netflix, then In 2019 Jo played Trina, a woman living with bi-polar disorder, in the Bafta award winning TV show (Best Drama), 'In My Skin' for the BBC and HULU.

Jo was nominated for a British Independent Film Award (Best Supporting Actress) for her role as Tina in Marley Morrison's multi-award winning British coming of-age movie 'Sweetheart' in 2021.

In 2022 she played Nicola Fishwick in 'Bank Of Dave' for Netflix, alongside Rory Kinnear, Joel Fry and Phoebe Dynevor and executive produced her first feature film, 'Swede Caroline', in which she plays the titular role of Caroline Shumpert.