Ella Bright

As the BBC’s adaptation of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers enters its fifth series, star Ella Bright tells us about the big West End show she made her stage debut in, growing up on screen and being recognised by her fans.

When did you begin acting?

I’ve loved performing ever since I was a kid - my parents would probably say I was always a very loud child! I started doing acting classes from about age 5, just for fun, and then I got my first professional job at 8, which was for a TV show - I got to go to Prague for that, which was really cool - and from there it just kind of spiralled into what it is today. Never was it planned, it just sort of happened organically and I’ve been really lucky and am so grateful for all the opportunities it’s given me.

What was the TV show you shot in Prague?

It was called Legends - I was only in a couple of scenes, just for a flashback, but it was very exciting!

You were born in the US, but are based in the UK - have you ever worked over there?

I’ve never worked in the US, no, but I am fully American - both my parents are American and I spent about the first five years of my life between New York and London.

How did you find it moving back and forth as a child? Did you settle OK in London?

To be honest I don’t really remember a lot of it! I was very young, but I find it cool that I get to tell people I was born in New York as I have a British accent so nobody would know. Both my parents have American accents though, so sometimes it kind of throws people off when they hear us speak together! I would love to move back to New York at some point when I’m older, as I think it’s a really cool place to live.

There’s a lot of stage work in New York - have you ever done any?

When I was in year five and six at school, so when I was about 10, I was a Lily Potter Jr in Harry Potter And The Cursed Child on the West End. It was definitely a big jump from the school musicals I was used to doing! It’s still one of the most exciting jobs I’ve ever had, I mean it was so magical, getting to see some of what goes on behind the scenes to make those illusions come to life on stage. I was such a big fan of the books and the movies, so getting to be even a small part of that was just a dream come true.

**You’ve spent the past several years starring in the BBC’s Malory Towers, adapted from Enid Blyton’s books - had you read the books before getting the role?**

The books were a big craze in my school a few years before I got the part - one of my friends actually went as Darrell for World Book Day one year, and I think that might’ve been the first time I became aware of them. When I got the audition I thought “Oh, this is probably a message, I should read the books!”, and my sister was reading them at the time so through the audition process she was telling me about the stories and about Darrell. Getting the audition was so surreal, and to get the part is something I still can’t quite believe to this day! The show does differ a bit from the books - it’s grown and we’ve made it our own. I treasure getting to be part of this show so much.

The show is now entering its fifth series - how have you found the experience of growing up on the set along with Darrell?

I mean it’s just changed my life. I’ve been in this show for my whole teenage years - I’m 17 now, and I started when I was 12, which is just crazy to think about, that all these years have passed since I did the first series. But to grow up and get to know my character so well over the years, to get that opportunity to really grow and understand her on a much deeper level is an amazing opportunity. The girls who play my schoolmates in the show are truly my best friends, and to get to share this experience with a group of such inspiring girls has grown us into a bit of a family. And so many great opportunities have sparked from being on the show - getting to do interviews, we’ve had events at the BFI, and I’ve been on Saturday Mash-Up a few times! I feel so lucky to have this consistently in my life, to be able to go back to it each summer with my friends. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Do you get recognised in public at all?

Yes, I do! More often than I expect to - it always shocks me a little bit! It often happens when I’m together with the other girls, especially Danya, who plays Gwen, which surprises people as obviously our characters on the show are not friends -it’s really sweet and so flattering, people are lovely about it. Getting to see kids come up to me and hearing how much they enjoy the show means the world to me.

Do you know how many series the show has left?

Well there are six books about Darrell, so if they go up to six that’d be amazing - to have five series under our belt already is crazy to think about.

**Have you been working on anything else while filming Malory Towers?**

We film the show during the summer, so I get to do my schoolwork throughout the year and film the whole summer - they never really cross over. But recently I did film in a few scenes for The Crown, as the young Kate Middleton, and that crossed over with filming series five of Malory, but they were very accommodating so I got to do both!

How did you prepare to play such a well known real person as Kate Middleton?

It was a bit of a daunting task! Searching up interviews, trying to figure out how the accent works - there was a dialect coach on set, which was cool as I hadn’t experienced that before. Getting to perfect my posh British accent was very fun!

As you transition into more adult roles is there anything you’ll look out for?

Definitely trying out new genres - I’d love to be in a good horror film or thriller. I’d like to explore different mediums, maybe do some behind the scenes work as well. The whole industry really excites me.

What do you enjoy watching in your spare time?

It sounds embarrassing, but I’m a big fan of reality TV! I also love the American show Scandal.

Would you ever do reality TV?

I’d probably do a competition show, I feel like that’d be fun, but I don’t know if I’d be any good!

Words: Scott Bates

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