Rising Star: Mia Wasikowska

As she sat alongside Mary-Kate Olsen, Kate Hudson and Kristen Stewart at the Burberry show at London Fashion Week on Tuesday, not everyone knew Mia Wasikowska’s name. But despite the nearby superstar power, it was hard not to be drawn to the lithe blonde with a pixie cut, as she sat with her gangly arms perched on her thighs, her knees locked together — and atop her graceful neck? A face full of childlike beauty; a soft button nose, a delicately bewitching smile, those mischievous dimples and her amber colored eyes.

Mia’s name may not sound off the paparazzi alarms yet, but in just a few weeks, the world will have its chance to be delighted by the Australian-bred actress – AccessHollywood.com’s newest Rising Star, as she helps Tim Burton re-imagine Alice Kingsley in Disney’s magical “Alice In Wonderland.”

“I try not to take on too much of that,” Mia told Access about her Rising Stars status. “I mean, it’s really nice to hear that, but it’s kind of like anything can happen as long as you keep working hard.”

As Alice, Mia did nothing but work. She had to use her imagination and fine tune her acting chops, as much of the film was done using green screens to create that incredible, fantastical Tim Burton Wonderland. But it wasn’t her first time on the big screen.

“I had been acting in Australia since I was 15 and I had done a couple of smaller films in Australia,” she said. “Then I started working in America when I was about 16 and I just had small roles in a couple of things. Alice is kind of the first like lead role I’ve [done].”

Precocious as Alice, Mia brightens the screen, propelling the drama of self-discovery for a 19-year-old Kingsley in the world of Wonderland.

“You don’t always sort of come across those roles so it was really exciting to actually play a young woman who becomes very empowered,” Mia said. “I think that that’s a very important thing for our young girls to see and I hope that they take something away from that.”

As for what she took away from the film, it was some excellent training in battle.

“I did two weeks of stunt rehearsals for most of the physical things,” she said. “What is so cool about this job, you get to kind of take on all different things like sword fighting.”

Wielding a giant metal rod is likely to come in handy in the future, but in the meantime, Mia’s next role will take a softer touch, as she gears up to play “Jane Eyre,” based on the classic Charlotte Bronte book. The BBC Films project, expected to shart shooing this spring, will pair her on screen with Michael Fassbender of “Inglourious Basterds,” Jamie Bell of “Billy Elliot” fame, Sally Hawkins and Dame Judi Dench.

It’s clear, she has quite a “Wonder”-ful future in store.