Newman took her first improvisational theatre classes when she was 15. At the age of 17, Newman lost her virginity to American singer and guitarist Johnny Winter. After finishing high school she auditioned for four acting schools in England including the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and Bristol Old Vic. She was not accepted after the second round of auditions for all four schools, so she went to Paris to study mime with Marcel Marceau for a year.
