What upcoming project(s) are you most excited about?
I have several projects on the go at the moment, but without doubt, I am most excited about the forthcoming release of The Secret Garden. The release of the film was originally planned for much earlier this year but has been set back due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is now out on 23rd October.
The only other one that I can actually talk about which is also hugely exciting, is being on the writing team for Season 4 of Killing Eve. Anyone who is a fan of the show, like me, will understand what a privilege it is to be asked to come on board as a writer.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
At the very beginning of my career, I wrote and performed my own woman show ’This Is Who I Am’ at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I went onto perform it at The Soho Theatre and from that, I gained incredible amounts of interest in me not only as an actor but as a writer too, and it was then that the ball started to roll in both directions of my career.
Since then, I can honestly say hand on heart that every stepping stone that I have taken on my journey so far, every audition I have attended, every tape submitted, every script written, every treatment pitched and every job booked is an accomplishment, is a step towards continued progression. I know its not a firm answer but it is my truth. Enjoying the journey as you chase the goals is what makes a jobbing life an accomplishment of its own.
If you could change one thing about your career, what would it be?
That I found it sooner in life.
What do you hope to achieve that you haven’t yet?
I hope to get to a point in my career where I can book jobs to suit my schedule to enable me to prioritise my family time before anything, rather than moving everything to work around my jobs. I am grateful for all that is coming my way, but getting to a point where the offers are catered around me has got to be the dream! Better keep my head down then!
Outside of your family, who is / was your biggest inspiration?
Whoppi Goldberg. I grew up watching her films and thought she was just brilliant and I still do. It was inspiring to see a black woman in the 90s playing female leading roles in huge box-office hits , in all the childhood films that I loved. Also, she looks exactly like my Mum!
Tell us something nobody knows about you…
I was brought up as a vegetarian..but my Auntie used to feed me meat on the sly.
Photographer: David Reiss | Stylist: Harriet Byczok | Hair: Anastasia Stylianou @ The Only Agency using Aveda | Makeup: Daisy Holubowicz using KVD Vegan Beauty
Photographer: David Reiss | Stylist: Harriet Byczok | Hair: Anastasia Stylianou @ The Only Agency using Aveda | Makeup: Daisy Holubowicz using KVD Vegan Beauty
Style
What’s your favourite item of clothing – and what does it mean to you?
My white studded Christian Louboutin high top trainers - they were a treat to myself when I finished shooting The Secret Garden. I love everything about them, the way they look, the comments they pull in, how comfortable they are, their versatility and the sheer fact that I could buy them for myself after a big job felt great - and they were my very first pair!
Favourite accessory – watch / jewellery / etc – and why is it special to you?
My wedding ring... for all those gooey, lovey dovey sentimental reasons. Speaks for itself. It's not diamond encrusted or anything bling, it's bold yet understated and it represents the solidity of our marriage.
They were also my Dad’s wedding gift to us, which makes them extra special… and they were made by a jeweller that my wife used to look at as a little girl and dream of having something from them one day.
What items do you take on holiday and why?
My hair products. Styling my natural afro hair does not come without great effort! It has taken time to find the right products for my hair, advice on how to treat it, how best to twist it and different ways to style it… Having no hair products on holiday is simply not an option for me!!
So yeah, hair products…. Oh and anti-histamine and repellent… I get bitten SO bad!!!!!
Is there an item you threw away – or lost – that you really miss?
My favourite shirt. When I met my wife (then girlfriend) she plucked up the courage one day to tell me that my favourite shirt was actually her least favourite of all my clothes. I couldn’t believe it! That shirt and I had history.. I wore it to many an occasion, felt fly in it so often, and now to find out that the woman I wanted to feel good in front of at all times, had actually not appreciated the wonder of my favourite shirt…. And she finally convinced me several years later to get rid of it…. And I still miss it to this day!
What’s next on your shopping list?
A tailored Floral Brocade print suit by Dolce Gabbana - it was my planned outfit for the Premiere of The Secret Garden - but Covid got in the way of that and it was cancelled!
What would you buy if money was no object?
A second home in Ibiza, without a doubt. It's a two hour flight from London, the weather is on point, the sunsets are out of this world, I’d get to spend fun in the sun time everyday with my family and could basically commute if I really wanted to. Spend all summer there and be back in London for the winter months.
The Secret Garden, in cinemas and on Sky Cinema 23 October
