One To Watch: Antonia Thomas

Best known for playing Alisha in the award-winning TV series Misfits, this year Antonia will take the lead, alongside Steve Coogan, in 1970s music drama Northern Soul (due for release in the Autumn),and will also be seen in Dexter Fletcher’s Sunshine on Leith (due in cinemas on October 4).  Antonia also had a role in the recent Spike Island, and has recently finished filming London comedy Hello Carter and science fiction thriller Scintilla.

What training have you received?

At 14 I joined the National Youth Music Theatre, later became a member of the National Youth Theatre as well. With both youth companies I performed to paying audiences in Japan and at the Edinburgh festival, the Royal Opera House and the Soho Theatre, amongst others. It was an invaluable part of my training, and the closest I could have got to a professional experience without already being a professional actor.

At 19 I went to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and did a three year BA course in acting. It was a steep and exciting learning curve; I took so much from it and I got an especially brilliant classical basis to my training that has, so far, stood me in good stead.

What kind of roles attract you?

I don’t think there’s a particular type of role that attracts me. I  just want to play as many different  roles, explore as many different kinds of people as possible. For me, it’s extremely important to be as versatile and actor as possible. I do, however, really enjoy playing characters that are very different to myself; I find it fascinating to get into the mind set of somebody completely removed from me.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given as an actor?

That if you want to have a serious and respected acting career then you better be in it for the marathon and not the sprint.  It should be about working really hard and doing it for the love of the work, rather than any kind of by product that can go along side it. 

Tell us the most significant moment in your career so far

I would say that would probably have been when Misfits—my first job out of drama school—won the BAFTA for best drama series. None of us had any idea that would happen! It was a great show to have been part of and we were just extremely proud to have been nominated, let alone given the award.  It was a real honour .

You’ll die happy when…

David Attenborough is made King of England!

Taken from movieScope magazine, Issue 35 (July/August 2013)