The Spotlight Prize 2025 Finalist
What made you want to be an actor?
I decided to pursue an acting career after performing in my school’s production of Grease. Still uncertain about the prospect of acting, I auditioned for The Birmingham Hippodrome’s youth production of West Side Story. I had little experience in all three disciplines, but joining the company allowed me to work on my skills whilst being part of an ensemble of young performers. Four weeks of rehearsals, which consisted of dancing, acting and singing, inspired me to want to do more and to continue to push myself in all three skills as a performer.
Who in the industry would you like to work with?
I’ve enjoyed watching the work of Mike Flanagan, especially The Haunting of Hill House. Insider aired an episode discussing the 17-minute one-take scene in episode 6, and what was required for the crew and actors to pull off that shot.
What films, shows or books are currently inspiring you?
Severance has been one of my biggest inspirations this year. I’ve recently finished watching season 2, and after every episode I listen to The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller & Adam Scott. Creators, actors and cast from the series join them, and they break down the recent episodes for their audience. The episode featuring Gwendoline Christie was my favourite. She talked about her journey to joining the show, as she was a fan of the series beforehand.
Sinners has been another inspiration of mine. I’ve followed Micheal Coogler’s work since Black Panther. Learning that it was Miles Caton’s debut feature film role, and that he had only two months to learn how to play blues guitar, made me interested in the art of learning new skills for a role in a short amount of time.
What would be your dream role?
My dream role would be to play ‘Ororo Munroe/Storm’ from X-Men. I grew up watching the X-Men film series and was always excited to see Halle Berry controlling the weather. The X-Men team are some of my favourite superheroes, so I’m pumped for their introduction in Avengers: Doomsday.
