Its time again to meet one of the Stars of this years Panto! 🌟 This week we had a wonderful interview with the Enchanting Sophia Lewis who Plays Jill Long-bottom!
How did you start your career as an actor?
I was clearly a very loud flamboyant child. I joined a wonderful local theatre company, in Palmers Green called the Hopeful Monsters, when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I stayed with them for about 10 years, moved to their older group, called the Young Persons Theatre Company, and it went from there. Drama school and then into the big wide world!
Can you tell me a few of your acting career highlights?
One of my first big shows out of college was a tour based on a real life story, Glasgow Girls. I’m very very lucky to have gotten to meet the girls we were playing, our real life counterparts, and I think it was probably one of the most special moments in my career, especially as an actor if you’re playing a real person, someone that still exists. It was with the National Theatre of Scotland actually, and it was a real life story about a group of girls who rally together to help their friend , who was a refugee, and was taken away to a detention centre unfairly. It was about their story and how the four girls saved their friend. So yeah the highlight was meeting the real girls.
Is this your first time performing in a pantomime?
It is actually! I’ve done some Christmas shows on a smaller scale, but I see panto as big scale Christmas fun, Christmas entertainment. And it’s very nice to be doing it at home!
What do you remember of your first experience with pantomime?
My first panto was Beauty and the Beast, and funnily enough I was a bit shy when I was a younger, so I didn’t want to do the audience participation! But I definitely remember it being very sparkly and very festive. I’m a very festive person, so something like panto, coming up to Christmas is just…perfect for me.
Who is your all time favourite panto character?
I have to say the Villain is probably my favourite, just because I can’t resist getting booed by an audience! Its so much fun, you get to play off an audience so much when you’re the villain, and they’re usually cool dynamic characters, and always get incredible costumes.
What would you do if you wasn’t an actor?
I actually think I would love to stay within our industry, and work behind the scenes, where you’re more involved with the casting process. I really enjoy the casting side of things and getting to meet new people. I also enjoy being a first point of call for somebody at their audition as well, because I understand how scary it can be.
Who would you most like to sing a duet with?
I think it would have to be Celine Dion, Celine’s music is just …it just stirs you up! When you watch her perform, she’s so electric, and the way she performs is so quirky. I think it would be pretty special to perform with Celine.
What would be your super power and why?
To make things appear…to make things materialise! To have the ability to conjure things up.
Who would you want to play you in a film of your life?
Somebody who’s a really fantastic actress and somebody who I think would be good…Rosario Dawson. She’s done musicals as well, but she’s a really wonderful actress.
Come along next week as we meet The Squire - Philip Lee.