Tipped as this year's Christmas blockbuster, The Golden Compass stars Brighton schoolgirl Dakota Blue Richards.

Seeing Dakota Blue Richards rub shoulders with Hollywood A-listers on Leicester Square's famous red carpet, it was hard to believe that she is just an ordinary Brighton schoolgirl with no professional acting experience.

Dressed in a pretty white floral number and matching pumps, the teenager chatted happily with her celebrity co-stars Nicole Kidman, who dazzled crowds in a stunning Balenciaga gown, and Daniel Craig, who sported a suave black suit reminiscent of his role as James Bond.

Plucked from obscurity to be the next big thing, the Brighton teenager revealed her feelings about mixing with the stars. "I feel over the moon and intimidated," she said in a well-spoken little voice, worlds away from her gutsy, urchin-like heroine. "It's amazing and I can't wait to see the film because I haven't seen it yet! I've seen the posters for the movie, and it's weird because it's me but it's not me, if you know what I mean."

The girl whose name nobody knew a year ago is now on the brink of fame and fortune. She could end up being worth more than Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe if this latest Hollywood fantasy epic is a hit.

Adapted from Philip Pullman's popular book Northern Lights, the first in his internationally-acclaimed trilogy entitled His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass transports audiences to a world where witches rule the northern skies, ice bears are the bravest of warriors and every human is joined with an animal spirit (called a daemon) which is as close to them as their own heart.

This world is dominated by the Magisterium, an organisation which seeks to control all of humanity, and whose greatest threat is the last remaining Golden Compass and the one child destined to possess it. The child in question is 12-year-old orphan Lyra Belacqua, played by Dakota.

Despite failing to win the part of Mary in the Nativity play at her former primary school, St Paul's in St Nicholas Road, Brighton, the 13-year-old beat 10,000 other would-be Lyras after attending an open audition for the part in Cambridge.

Marcia King, her principal at K-Bis Theatre School in Brighton, where Dakota spent a full academic year before filming The Golden Compass, spoke exclusively to The Guide. "We're all extremely pleased and proud of Dakota," she said. "When she came to us, she was a nervous little girl, but gradually she developed confidence.

"She played Sandy in Grease, our annual show, and her interpretation was very interesting and thoughtful. She was one of the quieter students but had very strong opinions, a vivid imagination and an extraordinary talent for improvisation, which is perfect for films. "For the role of Lyra, Philip Pullman had a picture in his mind of the type of girl he wanted and Dakota fitted that perfectly."

It seems Pullman was right. Dakota's impish look is perfect for the precocious, wild but fiercely loyal Lyra and her performance in the premiere of The Golden Compass was greeted by whoops and cheers from the audience.

Although her inexperience caused her to occasionally lapse into childish acting, her talent shone through and she is a sure match for the likes of Daniel Radcliffe and Billy Elliot's Jamie Bell. Dakota looked happy and relaxed at her first premiere appearance, waving and signing autographs for her fans. But there were tears in her eyes when director Chris Weitz (About A Boy) sang her praises before the screening.

"I'm so proud of Dakota," he said. "I first saw her in an audition wearing a ratty jumper with uncombed hair and I thought we might have found something. She was a waif of a girl, yet there was something very strong and interesting about her. She has done a extraordinary job under amazing pressure."

Looking out from the famous red carpet at the flaming lanterns, stretch limousines, flashing cameras and hordes of crowds, he told her: "London does a premiere like no one else, but you're smart enough to realise this is all nonsense and that you should stay the same sweet girl I met months ago."

Producer Deborah Forte said: "Dakota is an extraordinary young woman. She's just 13 years old and has never acted professionally before, but when she gets in front of the camera she possesses an intelligence and feral quality Ð a little bit of wildness that is perfect for Lyra." Costing $180 million, twice as much as Lord of the Rings, The Golden Compass is a delightful fantasy epic, visually rich and laden with computerized special effects including talking polar bears, warring witches and life-size animal daemons.

But for Weitz, these are secondary to the truths of Pullman's story. "The magic of the film is as much in the psychological and philosophical depth of the story as in the potential for spectacle," he said. "Though it's an enormously well-conceived parallel world with fascinating creatures, characters, wonder and adventure, it also speaks very truthfully about our world and bridges the gap between the cosmos and the characters' personal stories."

Yet not everyone has been so enamoured of Pullman's parallel world. Despite not yet being on general release, The Golden Compass has already provoked controversy and outrage from Catholic groups, who see it as a veiled attack on religion. Pullman is an outspoken atheist and the Magisterium's attempt to suppress truths that would undermine its legitimacy and power clearly represents his opinion of the Catholic Church.

Pullman's celebrated His Dark Materials trilogy made its debut in 1995 with Northern Lights, followed by The Subtle Knife in 1997 and The Amber Spyglass in 2000 Ð which won the Whitbread Book of the Year, the first time the award has gone to a children's book. To date, the trilogy has sold 14 million copies around the world.

Catholic critics fear that the film will encourage children to read the books and absorb their anti-religious subtext. "These books denigrate Christianity, thrash the Catholic Church and sell the virtues of atheism," said Bill Donohue, president and CEO of the Catholic League.

In fact the film is unlikely to offend because the producers have tried to keep religion out of Lyra's story and her journey to a strange, parallel universe Ð but the removal of Pullman's anti-Catholic themes from the movie hasn't satisfied the likes of Donohue. "They're intentionally watering down the most offensive element," he has said. "I'm not really concerned about the movie, which looks fairly innocuous. The movie is made for the books. It's a deceitful, stealth campaign. Pullman is hoping his books will fly off the shelves at Christmas time."

Some atheists and fans of the books aren't happy, either. They say the studio has caved to pressure from the Christian right by sanitising the tale for the big screen. But religious debates aside, one thing is for sure: Dakota Blue Richards is a name you'll be hearing a lot more of in the future. Her fansite already boasts more than 65,00 members and the rising star has already started filming another film, The Moon Princess, with Colin Firth.

"I'm really enjoying acting at the moment although I'm not sure if I want to pursue it as a full-time career," she says. "I'd like to be a supply teacher. "I hope we will make the second book of His Dark Materials, The Subtle Knife, though, so that I can be Lyra again."

  • The Golden Compass is out in cinemas on December 7.