“I’m a 23-year-old male actor, based in Southwest London. When I was about four years old me and my family moved to New Zealand, and when I finished school at 18 I decided to come back to the UK to settle, and pursue acting as my career. Some of my other passions include music (particularly singing), and writing. I’m a great baker, and I absolutely love animals. As my side hustle, I currently work in children’s entertainment, which has actually been an amazing way of supporting myself through my training. In fact, I’ve had a huge variety of jobs so far that have carried me through my training, ranging from milking cows to being a receptionist at a hedge fund company. Personally, I think that’s my strongest point as an actor too; my flexibility and range.”
What kind of actor do you aspire to be?
An actor who is responsive and generous and has a calm and focused energy when the director yells “cut”. An actor who can give new choices whenever asked, is not afraid to be bold, and can spit in the face of adversity and discrimination (if needs be). But also, an actor who can give their counterpart a hug if they need it. I want to hold on to my identity, my values and my relationships, and whatever happens not to be swept away with arrogance or self-importance. I want to make my own work, write my own films and plays, I want to create and perform new stories.
When a well-established actor walks into a room or answers a zoom call, they have comfort in themselves and don’t mind sharing themselves with the rest of the world. I’ve always (ironically) been a bit of an introvert, and I don’t aspire to be an extrovert, but I’m always working towards openness. Because if the people who are watching and working with you can’t understand you, how can they truly connect with you?
To look towards the future is also really important, I aspire to be a version of myself that can do anything; and although be honest in the fact I can’t do everything, I definitely can try. I aspire to be the actor who can make dreams a reality.
What performance piece did you choose for the showcase and why?
My live performance piece is from The Intricate Art of Actually Caring By Eli Kent. It is the opening monologue of the show spoken by the character Jack. The show revolves around two characters Eli and Jack on their journey to connect with their heritage.
I chose this piece because I’ve often questioned my identity at any given time, growing up I never quite felt like a true New Zealander, and then when I came to the UK, I faced the same feeling and I think we have all felt this way about at least one particular aspect in our lives.
The human desire to connect with our heritage, or the history of how things came to be, is an incredibly strong ingredient in the recipe that I believe makes us human. So when I found this piece, I wanted to play with it, I wanted to try and find moments of gold.
What book, theatre, film or TV production has most inspired you?
I recently watched Spiderhead on Netflix featuring Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller, and although the reviews didn’t amaze me, when I did watch it, I was surprised. I was completely drawn in by the highs and lows, the concept of the experimental prison, and also the way loss and grief were played with in relation to the effects of the drugs that were being tested on them. It inspired me as a creative more than anything, not necessarily as a perfect film to aspire to be in or create; but it was a great film for finding little pearls of either writing or acting that I can take and play with. Most importantly it looked like it would have been fun and also challenging to film, which is the sweet and sour, a combination I think all actors are looking for, I know I am!
How do you keep creative?
I keep creative by writing at least one snippet of something each day for 15 minutes (usually on my phone while on the tube) it can be anything, sometimes it follows something I had already started but other times it will be a poem or just a diary entry. I think acknowledging your thoughts as an actor and person is extremely important and allowing some form of release is imperative to a healthy mind and creative identity. Every time I have a shower, I freestyle… yes, freestyle. I’m actually getting better at it and I’ve found my wordscape and acrobatics around the dictionary, continue to improve. I do things like this not because I want to be a rapper, or even a writer, but because it’s a realistic and easy way of keeping my creative mind active.
What is the dream role you’d love to play?
My dream role has always been and will continue to be, George from Sunday in the Park with George by Stephen Sondheim. I think the show is beautiful, it deserves to be heard/seen, I love the music and the story. I also think I would do a great rendition of The Dog Song or The Day Off as I have a great bark!
What do you hope to be doing this time next year?
I hope to be on set filming something, I don’t really care if it’s a blockbuster or something with a crazy budget, but I think if I can be working on a film by mid-next year, my dreams would be a reality. Especially in summer!