Carla Woodcock started her career as a teenager in the Netflix drama series Free Rein. She had no acting experience but fortunately was a competent horse rider – which as the title suggests, proved a useful asset. Now she joins the Outlander family for the eighth and final season of the epic fantasy.
“It’s such a lovely show to be a part of because everyone is so nice,” she says of Outlander. “The cast are so lovely and so welcoming. The crew are all really amazing. They all love the show so much.”
Although her screen career is popping off, doing some theatre would be a dream. “I love the playwright Laura Wade,” says Woodcock. “I’d love to do something that she’s written. Laura, if you’re reading this, ‘Hi. I’m Carla Woodcock – and I’d love to work with you!’” If any Square Mile readers know Wade, please forward her this interview – let’s make it happen.
You can finish reading it first, though…
Life
square mile: What are you most excited about right now?
Carla Woodcock: I have Outlander series eight coming out right now. I play Amaranthus Grey, she has married into the Grey family through a man called Benjamin Grey. However, Benjamin has unfortunately passed away. So Amaranthus has moved into the Grey household with Lord John Grey.
When we first meet her, there’s a lot of mystery that surrounds her. She turned up quite suddenly with her son. She is a really devoted mother and she doesn’t come from wealth. She’s doing everything she can to give her son the life that she couldn’t have.
SM: What is your proudest professional accomplishment to date?
CW: I’d say there’s two. Booking my first ever job, a TV show called Free Rein. That was the catalyst for everything that’s happened in my career and my life afterwards. And I learned loads on that show. Rode a lot of horses in the most beautiful countryside.
Also signing with my agent now, Sarah Cameron. She’s the best. It felt like a real moment and shift in my career, feeling a bit more grown up in the roles that I’m doing. She’s so caring and nice, and looks after all her clients really well. But also she’s a businesswoman. She gets the job done and she doesn’t take any shit.
SM: If you could change one thing about your career to date, what would it be?
CW: Because I kind of stumbled into this world without really knowing what to expect, I would get in my head quite a bit. It would feel a bit like imposter syndrome. I wish I cared less about trying to be perfect and deliver the most perfect performance. The more you get in your head, the less you’re going to be in the moment with your scene partner anyway. It’s never beneficial. So I wish I was just like, “Yeah, here I am. I don’t really know much!”
I was 17 when I started. Growing up and feeling more comfortable with who I am as a person has definitely helped. I don’t know if there was one specific shift, but I think going to acting classes and working on scenes without the pressure of being on a job or it being an audition. Making acting fun. That’s the reason that most actors want to do it – because they enjoy acting. So it’s finding that joy again and not putting so much pressure on myself.
SM: What do you hope to achieve that you haven’t yet?
CW: I’d love to do theatre. When I was at school, I was like, “I’m going to go to drama school and I’m going to do Shakespeare and classical stuff,” which is funny because my career has not panned out like that. So maybe something classical, but there’s so much good new stuff that’s coming out there as well. I would love to have the experience of being on stage.
I just watched my friend Lauryn Ajufo in John Proctor Is The Villain at the Royal Court. That was really great. I love the playwright Laura Wade. I think she’s the best. I’d love to do something that she’s written. Laura, if you’re reading this, ‘Hi. I’m Carla Woodcock – and I’d love to work with you!’
SM: Outside of your family, who or what is your biggest inspiration?
CW: There are so many women that I look up to in the industry. I have been listening to a podcast called Wiser Than Me. It’s by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who I just love. She created this podcast because she noticed that these iconic women, as they get older, we hear less from them. They’re in the spotlight a lot less. So she interviews incredible women and she speaks to them about their life and what they’ve learned.
And that’s the people that I want to hear from: women who have lived lives and have a wealth of experience and have come out the other end. With a lot of women, there is a bit of a taboo on ageing and getting older. And they say how liberating it is to get old and how much of a privilege it is to age. I’d recommend everyone go and listen.
SM: Tell us something that nobody knows about you…
CW: I got two tattoos and then had them removed about six months later. I hated them. They were really well made – nothing against the tattoo artists. I just was going through an impulsive moment. I was like, “Yeah, I’m going to have tattoos all down my arm. I’m going to be really cool, dye my hair dark brown.” It was a little bow and a little heart on each arm.
I woke up one day and was like, “What the fuck are you doing? I’m getting these removed.” Don’t get stupid tattoos!
Style
SM: What’s your favourite item of clothing and what does it mean to you?
CW: I like vintage finds because you’re never going to find them again. That’s the joy of them. So I have this oversized vintage leather jacket. If you’re going to get anything leather, vintage is the way to go because it’s already been worn. It’s buttery. It’s soft. It looks cool.
To be honest, I don’t get to wear it that much now because it is kind of falling apart, but every time I do wear it, I feel really cool. It belonged to my ex-boyfriend, and then he gave it to me. When we broke up, I was like, “Oh, I can still keep the jacket, right?” And he very kindly let me.
SM: And your favourite accessory?
CW: I have two, actually. One is a water bottle. I carry this water bottle with me everywhere. It’s this one from Lululemon. If I go out without her, I just feel a bit lost inside. She’s a real presence in my life. We’re going two years strong together
Also my earrings. They’re not anything crazy, but it took me a long time to find the perfect small hoop. They’re from Tyger by the Tail. I never take them off. They don’t go gross in the shower. I can sleep on them and they don’t stick into my skull.
SM: What’s your biggest style disaster?
CW: Jeggings. Jeans and leggings. They were like big jersey plastic leggings with a jean print on them. They’re just the least flattering item of clothing ever.I had a pair once. I was thinking about them and I was like, ‘As a society, are we OK?’ If anyone out there is a jegging enthusiast, you rock it.
But for me, it’s pick a jean or pick a legging. We can’t do both. I feel like maybe 2010s fashion is coming back around a little bit, but I’m yet to see a jegging on the shelf.
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SM: Is there an item that you threw away or lost that you really miss?
CW: Not the jeggings! I’m not super sentimental about stuff. I’m quite ruthless in throwing things away. Every time I move, or between the seasons, I’ll always have a little clearout and send some stuff to the charity shop or sell bits on Vinted. So nothing comes to mind, although I’ve accidentally ruined clothes before.
SM: What’s next on your shopping list?
CW: The shopping list is never-ending. I am looking for the perfect summer dress at the moment. I don’t know where she exists. I’m hoping she will come to me. I just want a white, flowy cotton summer dress that I can roll around London Fields in.
A white summer dress is timeless. You can wear it year on year on year. And I’m yet to find one that fits perfectly. I want it to feel sort of vintage. Mini and flowy. Not tight. Look, the girlies reading this will know what I mean.
SM: And if money were no object?
CW: I’d buy a house. Probably somewhere in East London. I don’t want anything crazy. Just a little house with a little garden. I can get a little cat and a little dog and we can all just have a great time.
Watch the eighth and final series of Outlander – out now on MGM+ via Prime Video.
