London-born actress and singer Scarlet Grace is a student at The Arts Educational School in London when she is not residing in her Florida home. Now working in both the United Kingdom and the United States, Scarlett is no stranger to the theatre. She made her professional stage debut at the tender age of ten via London’s Queens theater where she played the role of Eponine in “Les Miserables.” In 2017 Scarlet starred in “Annie The Musical” at The Piccadilly Theatre in London where she played the role of Tessie. Since then she had worked steadily in theater, on television, and in Movies.
Scarlet recently completed the filming of her first feature-length film titled "Holmes and Watson" which was produced by Columbia Pictures. She stars alongside Will Ferrell, John C Reilly, Ralph Fiennes, Kelly MacDonald, and many other A-list stars. The film will be released in 2018. Scarlet recently granted an exclusive interview where she discussed all these experiences and more.
Theater, movies, and the entertainment industry
Meagan Meehan (MM): How did you discover your talent for acting and how did you foster this passion to the point that you ended up on the London stage?
Scarlet Grace (SG): When I was around four-years-old I started dance lessons at my grandma’s theatre company, Ridgeway Studio Theatre Arts.
After a short time, I became interested in the other classes Ridgeway offered such as acting and singing. My best friend and I started attending the Saturday acting workshops, and I just fell in love with it all! It was up to the point that I was taking more and more classes and showing the potential that my family and I decided that I should join the agency!
I was so fortunate to attend lots of different castings for West End Musicals, TV and Films!
MM: You started acting young, do you remember that first role and if you were nervous or not?
SG: I was ten years old when I auditioned for “Les Misérables” in the West End, London. I was super excited for my audition, and at the time I remember feeling a mixture of both excitement and nervousness!
I went into the audition room with a lot of other girls, and we all sang a song from the musical! Each round they cut a certain amount of girls so at the end of the day only a few of us were left. This was a whole new experience for me, and a few days later I received the call and the most amazing news that I had landed the role of Eponine! I was beyond excited and couldn’t wait for rehearsals to begin and to perform in such a phenomenal Musical.
MM: You still act in the theater so what roles do you most enjoy performing in front of a live audience?
SG: I absolutely LOVE performing in front of a live audience. You never know what might happen! My favorite role so far in theatre has to be when I was cast as Tessie in “Annie The Musical” at The Piccadilly Theatre, London and it was such a great role to play, so different to what I would normally play as I really got to make her my own and get stuck into the character which was really fun!
I was also cast in “Annie The Musical Tour” in which we performed in Theatres all over the U.K as part of a team. I had so much fun with the girls and met so many talented people in this production! Touring was such a great experience because every week I would pack a suitcase and move onto the next destination! It was so much fun touring the country with my friends and doing what I love at the same time!!
MM: How did you get into movies and how do the screen and stage differ—do you prefer one over the other?
SG: Back in 2016 I attended a casting for a movie Holmes and Watson. I was called back multiple times for this movie, and on my last call, I met the director, Etan Cohen! A few weeks later I got the call!!!
I had been offered the part! I was the most excited I had EVER been! I literally couldn’t wait to start filming! I’m super excited for Holmes and Watson to be released in the cinemas this Christmas! And for the world to meet my character Pickle!
Acting for Stage and Screen are quite different, in theatre there is a live audience, so as an actor in theatre, you can use the audiences’ reactions to enhance the performance but also as it’s a live performance you can’t afford to make any mistakes! Whereas acting for the screen, the whole production is so much bigger!! There are so many groups of people working together to put the movie together! Also, you can retake your scenes if need be! I love both screen and stage, and I can’t choose my favorite as both are so different!
I’ve been so fortunate to work in numerous theatre productions, and at this moment in time, I would like to focus my career on more TV and Film! I would definitely love to be in more theatre productions in the future though!
MM: You are from the UK but now also reside in the US so what are the major differences that you’ve found in the entertainment industries and cultures in general?
SG: I am from the U.K and split my year between both the U.K and the U.S as we have our family home in Florida so to me it just feels like a home from home with lots of family and friends in the U.S and also lots more sunshine! I did spend quite a while in NYC this year and worked professionally on a film voice recording in a studio, which to me was just like working in London.
Some castings perhaps were slightly different if attending a huge network studio but apart from that no major differences. I love working in both countries.
Working with Will Ferrell and the future
MM: What kind of education do you have and how much do you attribute your success to your schooling?
SG: I attend a full-time drama school called The Arts Educational which offers both an excellent academic education and an outstanding performing arts training. I love this school! I’m so fortunate to be able to develop my passion in an environment where it is everyone else’s passion too! I have a drama lesson every day of the week, built into a schedule mixed with core subjects! My school also offers classes such as Film Studies which is really important to me as I get to analyze films and learn about what goes on behind the camera too!
Overall my school has been so supportive towards my acting jobs, and they send me lots of work to complete on set with my tutor!
MM: In your upcoming feature film you star alongside legends Will Ferrell, John C Reilly, and Ralph Fiennes. Did you have the opportunity to meet them and, if so, what were they like to work with?
SG: YES! Nearly all of my scenes were filmed with Will Ferrell and John C Reilly. Honestly, they are such lovely guys to be around! They are super funny and always made us kids laugh! While filming in London, they would go to locations on the weekends such as Stonehenge and bring us presents back. John also on occasion came and sat with us at lunch which was great fun! It was an amazing experience, one I’ll never forget!
MM: So, Scarlet, what are your major career goals in the future and would you like to speak about anything more?
SG: I’m really excited for the future! My main career goals would be to continue working in Film or Television as I have such a passion for acting and to keep following my dreams and working hard with the right attitude. I love portraying all types of characters, and I absolutely love working with different accents! There are lots in the pipeline, and of course, I’m so excited for the release of Holmes & Watson on 25th December! So, watch this space!
