“I sneeze twice whenever I walk into direct sunlight, every damn time. There’s a name for it, it’s an actual thing.”
What kind of actor do you aspire to be?
A good actor, that people enjoy working with and will get the job done. Low maintenance I hope, I never want to be ‘that’ guy.
What performance piece did you choose for the showcase and why?
I chose Killology by Gary Owen for my first piece because Gary Owen writes working class Cardiff like nobody else. I connect so easily with what he writes as the subject matter often speaks to my experiences growing up and the Cardiff rhythm is so present in his writing that it’s a lot of fun for me to do.
For my second piece I chose Wasted by Kae Tempest, It’s a piece that I had done for school showcase but I felt I wanted more time with. I wasn’t done with the characters struggle yet and this was the perfect opportunity to get back inside that perspective and see what else there was to be discovered. I like the tone of the piece, how self aware the character is and even though he’s self aware, the courage needed to make the positive changes in his life that he wants is huge. He’s on the precipice of making that change but I still don’t know if he’ll make it! it’s a pretty painful place to be, there’s hope but also a lot of shame.
What book, theatre, film or TV production has most inspired you?
I couldn’t say most – But I have seen Band of Brothers multiple times, including the making of! The scale of the production and the commitment to telling that story as accurately as possible is immense and the acting is all just quality. It’s also hilarious how many young faces, playing small roles there are, that we now know to be huge!
How have you been keeping creative during lockdown?
I’ve been very fortunate to have had my entire third year in person at Royal Welsh! So, I’ve been busy working on short films and plays which were performed to small in-house audiences and broadcast online! (Big thanks to Royal Welsh & the Welsh Gov – I have no idea how we did it within restrictions but we did!)
What advice would you give for anyone else preparing for a showcase?
Identify your casting and find something that is grounded, highlight qualities that you already possess rather than demonstrate ones you think people want.
What do you hope to be doing this time next year?
I want to travel since that got taken away from us this year, but I also would quite like to be doing some acting so I guess – I wouldn’t mind filming in another country, I think that’d be a pretty exciting place to be. (Maybe I’d take the long way home from wherever I am).