You first performed Tarantula online in 2021 to great acclaim. How has the transition from a virtual performance to a live stage premiere reshaped your approach to Toni’s character and the emotional depth of the story?

Ultimately Toni is a storyteller, and it’s important for people to pay attention to how she’s telling the story, what she’s including in her narrative or things she might be leaving out. The script is filled with rhetorical questions like she’s in conversation with someone so having a real audience just feels more true to what the play is trying to do. I definitely enjoyed the challenge of doing it to camera and think that it made certain moments even more intense but it was ultimately strange to not have people to talk to! It’s also a very funny play in moments so it’ll be nice to hopefully hear people laughing and not have to judge that for myself. 

You’ve collaborated with director Wiebke Green previously on Tarantula. What is it about her direction that resonates with you, and how does her approach enhance your performance?

Wiebke (or Veebs as we all call her) is incredibly committed to detail and much of our process during the initial rehearsals was tracing Toni’s reactions to events and trying to place why she would react in that way. For Veebs, it’s important to establish that connective tissue early on and it’s so helpful as you continue forward. She’s also incredibly understanding of the toll that doing a show like this takes on actors physically and emotionally so works hard to create a safe environment. But within that environment, I feel more likely to take risks and play because I feel supported. 

Tarantula delves into themes of identity, memory, and trauma. What has been the most challenging and rewarding part of bringing such a complex and emotionally charged narrative to life?

It’s such a rich script that I’m still noticing things now that I’ve never noticed before! Which is the most amazing gift because you never have to worry about anything feeling stale, there’s still so much I’m discovering about Toni. There’s also no right answer. People will have many differing opinions about the events of the play and it’s the kind of play you can’t wait to talk about afterwards. There’s definitely a sense of catharsis for me in terms of confronting traumatic moments in my own life but ultimately my main priority is telling Toni’s story as truthfully as I can. 

Audiences know you as Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia, a character filled with hope and courage. How do you navigate the shift from portraying characters like Lucy to more intense, psychologically complex roles like Toni?

I actually see lots of parallels between Lucy and Toni! Mostly in their sense of curiosity and appetite to explore the world, and Toni definitely has her hopeful moments too. If anything I think that hope becomes Toni’s guiding light but it’s a hope born out of desperation. I’m glad that Phil has seen something in me that allows me to be a part of the worlds he creates, first with Angry and now with Tarantula. I never wanted to be typecast and I’m very grateful to get to do this wonderful material twenty years on from first playing Lucy. 

Alongside acting, you’ve written and directed, such as your short film Tide. How do these creative outlets inform your acting, and do you see yourself stepping more into writing or directing in the future?

I’m directing my next short film two weeks after we finish Tarantula, and to be honest I’ve never seen the different outlets as that separate. It’s all coming from the same brain. What has held me back a lot with my writing and directing has been fear and self-doubt. In a way acting has helped to alleviate that because a lot of the time you’re having to project confidence that you might not feel in the moment. I think writing definitely helps me be a better actor because I’m more aware of how vigorous the process is of choosing why a character might use a particular word. Especially in Phil’s work, every word counts. Phil is also a brilliant filmmaker and some of my favourite conversations I’ve had with him have been about cinema. 

And finally: If you could time-travel to your teenage years, what’s the one piece of advice you’d give yourself before your first kiss?

Don’t take it so seriously! Stop sweating! Laugh! It’s just two people mushing their faces together, how hilarious is that?