Joanna grew up in Scotland. She trained at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. It was here she was 'spotted' by casting director
Emma Style, which led to her first professional role as 'Cathy' in
The Runaway (2010) together with
Keith Allen,
Ken Stott,
Alan Cumming and
Jack O'Connell . The excellent range of her subtle performances includes notable TV and film works such as
Stephen Poliakoff's
Dancing on the Edge (2013),
The Paradise (2012),
Banished (2015),
Retribution (2016),
What Maisie Knew (2012) and
Warrior (2019). Her superb stage work as a brilliant theatre artist also includes her exquisite interpretations as Lika in
Aleksei Arbuzov's "The Promise" (London's Donmar Warehouse, 2012) and Milly in
Richard Greenberg's "The Dazzle" (Soho Theatre, 2015-16) alongside
Andrew Scott and
David Dawson, as well as her remarkable Shakespearean performances as Desdemona in
Othello (2015) and as Lady Anne in
Richard III (2016) (Almeida Theatre) with
Hugh Quarshie and
Ralph Fiennes in the title roles respectively.