If you’ve ever watched a man turn into a giant, bone-cracking beast while Creedence Clearwater Revival plays in the background, you know exactly who she is. Jenny Agutter. She plays Nurse Alex Price, the woman who somehow manages to fall in love with a guy who just murdered half of London. Honestly, she’s the secret weapon of the whole movie. Without her, An American Werewolf in London would just be a very impressive makeup demo by Rick Baker.
She grounds the madness.
The actress in An American Werewolf in London didn't just show up to be a "scream queen." Agutter brought a specific kind of British warmth and skepticism that made the absurd plot actually feel tragic. You've got David Naughton running around naked at the zoo, and then you have Jenny, looking like she’s just trying to survive a long shift at St. Martin’s Hospital. It’s a wild contrast.
The Mystery of Nurse Alex Price
What most people get wrong about Alex Price is thinking she's just a 2D love interest. John Landis actually wrote her with more agency than your typical 80s horror heroine. She’s independent. She’s got a flat in London she can barely afford. She’s cynical about the "escaped lunatic" story but stays because she’s genuinely drawn to David's vulnerability.
David Naughton famously had a massive crush on her during filming. Can you blame him? By 1981, Agutter was already a legend. She’d done The Railway Children and Walkabout. She was the "it girl" for a certain generation of film nerds who grew up watching her transition from child star to serious actor.
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People always ask why she took the role. It’s a horror-comedy about a werewolf, after all. But if you look at her career, Agutter always leaned into roles that felt a bit "off" or unconventional. She wasn't afraid of the genre stuff. In fact, she once joked that her roles in Logan's Run and Equus made her "perfect fantasy fodder," but in American Werewolf, she’s the only person acting like they’re in a real-world drama.
Why her performance holds the movie together
Think about the ending. It’s messy. It’s violent.
When the werewolf is cornered in that alleyway near Piccadilly Circus, it’s Alex who breaks through the police line. She doesn't run away. She tells the monster she loves him. That moment should be cheesy. It should be ridiculous. But Agutter sells it with so much sincerity that it actually hurts when the police open fire.
- She improvised several of her lines to make them feel more "nurse-like."
- She spent time researching at real hospitals to get the "tired professional" vibe down.
- Her chemistry with Naughton was built on real-life awkwardness—apparently, he was so nervous during their sex scene he had to have a few beers to loosen up.
Life After the Full Moon
What really happened with the actress in An American Werewolf in London after the film became a cult classic? She didn't just disappear into the horror circuit. While some actors get stuck in the genre forever, Agutter’s career is kind of insane in its variety.
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She moved back to the UK in the 90s. She did Spooks. She joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Councilwoman Hawley—yeah, she’s the one who kicks Robert Redford’s ass in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
But for a huge chunk of the modern audience, she is Sister Julienne from Call the Midwife. It’s funny to think that the same woman who was nursing a werewolf in 1981 has spent the last decade-plus playing a nun in East London. It’s a testament to her range. She can do "horror-drenched romance" and "heartwarming period drama" with the same level of class.
Facts about Jenny Agutter you probably missed:
- The Railway Children Legacy: She’s played roles in three different versions of the story over 50 years.
- The "Councilwoman" Twist: Most MCU fans don't realize she’s a BAFTA winner who’s been acting since she was 12.
- The Voice: She’s done a ton of audiobooks and radio plays, because that posh, soothing voice is basically a national treasure in the UK.
How to appreciate her work today
If you’re revisiting An American Werewolf in London, don't just watch the transformation scene for the hundredth time. Look at Agutter’s face during the hospital scenes. Look at how she handles the "undead Jack" appearing in her apartment. She plays it with a mix of "I might be crazy" and "I need to take care of this man."
It’s that groundedness that makes the horror work. Horror is only scary if you care about the people getting eaten. Because we care about Alex, we care about David.
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If you want to dive deeper into her filmography, skip the obvious stuff for a second. Check out Walkabout (1971). It’s a brutal, beautiful film by Nicolas Roeg. It’ll show you exactly why Landis wanted her for the actress in An American Werewolf in London role in the first place. She has this way of looking at the world that feels both innocent and incredibly weary.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch the 4K restoration of An American Werewolf in London to see the detail in Agutter's performance—and Rick Baker's pores.
- Track down a copy of Equus (1977) to see her hold her own against Richard Burton.
- Binge a few episodes of Call the Midwife to see the wildest career pivot in Hollywood history.
The reality is, we don't get movies like this anymore. And we certainly don't get performances like Agutter's—where an actor treats a "monster movie" with the same gravity as a Shakespearean tragedy. She didn't just play a nurse; she gave the movie its soul.