Rosie Graham
Starring in BBC3’s new comedy series Boarders, Scottish actress Rosie Graham talks to us about being a Glasgow native living in London, performing at the National Theatre and her recent solo travels through Thailand.
When did you begin acting? When was it something you started to take seriously?
I think I was always a bit of a show-off as a child, like I’d sing and dance and try to perform for my family and friends. I started drama classes when I was pretty young, about 6 years old, at the Citizen’s Theatre in Glasgow - I was very precocious and annoying and took it very seriously, so they moved me up to my big brother’s class, and I ended up being in their show that year - The Wizard Of Oz, as a munchkin. I remember thinking “I can’t believe this is an actual job, I can’t believe there are adults doing this and getting paid!”, so I knew I absolutely wanted to do it. There’s never been anything else for me.
Are you from Glasgow originally?
Yep, Maryhill - grew up there and lived there my whole life until age 20, then I moved to London. I’ve been in London for about three and a half years now.
Did you move because you felt there might be more opportunities in London, or did you just want a change?
I was in my final year at college in 2020, and the course just ended - we didn’t get to do a final showcase or anything, and it became the first time in my life I had nothing going on, as I’ve always tried to be a busy person, but then I just had nothing. I was isolated in a small village in the countryside, and didn’t see anyone my own age for months, and I was just desperate for a change, for something new. So I went to London with about £400, and I was going to stay with my friends for a couple of weeks but then I’d have to have found a job - it did work out in the end, but I went with no idea if it’d last or not! I’d applied for several drama schools while I was at college, but didn’t get into any of them - I didn’t get the training I’d wanted, but I’m glad it worked itself out that way! I also kind of feel that had it not been for the pandemic I might not have moved to London, there might have been something that would’ve tied me down to Scotland. But I do love Glasgow - whenever I’ve got to work there it’s always been really nice to go back.
Have you done much stage work since leaving college?
My first job on stage was at the Glasgow Oran Mor, doing A Pie And A Pint to an audience of 200 people. Then I’d applied to an open audition for the National Theatre, and wildly got it, so my next job was on the Olivier stage there to like 1000 people! I went from almost no experience to performing at the National Theatre within like a month, so that was pretty mad! The show I did there was called Hex - I played Princess Rose. That was an amazing experience - I’d actually never been to see anything there before I started working there! My first couple of years in London was while we were coming out of the pandemic, then I’d been away filming things, so I hadn’t really had the opportunity. I don’t think I understood what the National Theatre really was, what the opportunity was, having grown up in Glasgow - it was only after I’d finished working there that I realised. But it was so incredible - I’m desperate to be allowed back to do something else!
Have you worked outside the UK yet?
As Florence (centre) in Boarders
No, I haven’t. I did a bit on Shetland, and that was incredible, getting to go to the Shetland islands, in the Outer Hebrides - that was like a spiritual retreat! I was only filming for three days, but I got to be there for a week, and that was just incredible.
You’re currently starring in BBC3’s Boarders - what’s the show about, and who do you play?
Boarders is written by Daniel Lawrence Taylor, and it’s about five young, black, inner-city kids from south London who get scholarships to an elite boarding school. It’s a sort of satirical commentary on the class system and race in the UK. It focuses on the five characters’ journeys and stories within this school - they’re all talented in some way, in music or tech or some particular subject. I play Florence, who’s the posh head girl of the boarding school, so I’m pretty horrible in it! It’s really funny and exciting - I laughed out loud when I was reading the scripts, and it was such a nice team to work with. We were encouraged to improvise a lot, and during the rehearsal period they really wanted to know our thoughts on everything and what we thought was important.
What do you look for in a script or a character? Is this the first time you’ve played someone who isn’t exactly a nice person?
It is, actually! It’s the first time I’ve played someone who’s quite mean and cruel, which is good fun! I’ve played quite a lot of posh English people, which is funny because I’m not posh or English! I think when you’re looking for a role, when you read different scripts or audition sides, there is quite an instinctual connection you can have where it’s like “I know this, I relate to this”, and it’s an amazing thing when you have that, you instantly know what you’d do with it - I think that’s when you do your best work. But there are also some parts where you think “I’d like to try this on”, and with Florence I was like “I can see what this is, I know people that are like this, I want to try this out”. She’s a lot more confident than I am - on my first day of filming I was in this really tight miniskirt and had to do all this dancing, and kiss two boys, and be really awful, and I remember thinking “Oh my God, I’m dying inside”, but I just embraced it and tried to find the confidence that this character has. I was chucking cups and props because I felt that Florence would do it, then I’d apologise to the people around me, I’d go “I’m sorry, this isn’t me, it’s my character, I was trying something!”. So I had to just try to be that, which was a laugh - it’s fun being mean!
You’re on holiday in Thailand while we’re speaking - how long are you there for?
As Princess Rose in Hex
It started out as a kind of three-week holiday for me and my flatmate, as January and February can be quieter times in the industry, and I’d just finished a long theatre job in Edinburgh, so I decided to take the opportunity while I could! I’ve never travelled this far before - I’ve never been to Asia. I’ve loved it so, so much, I’ve actually stayed on here longer than I planned and done my first bit of solo travelling - so far I’m loving it! I’ve been all around the northern side of Thailand, then I’m going to Vietnam for a week, and then I’m returning back to London. It’s an incredible thing - it’s good to sort of get a perspective on life again, because you can get so in your head when you’re waiting around for jobs and auditioning, it’s great to get out and meet people from all over the world and get a bigger picture.
Where would your ideal location to shoot in be?
Well I’d have to say Thailand! It’s an amazing country - it has incredible jungles and forests, but also the beaches and the weather are great. There are places all around the world I’d love to visit - South America, I wouldn’t say no to filming a job in Hawaii! It’d have to have nice weather - it’s been 36 degrees here in Bangkok, so it’s going to be a bit of a shock to the system when I return to London!
Have you watched anything lately you’ve particularly enjoyed?
The only thing I’ve watched recently has been One Day - I was sobbing at that! I read the book at the start of this trip as well, so I felt very connected to the characters. Ambika Mod is wonderful in it - she was brilliant in This Is Going To Hurt as well. At the start of the year I rewatched In My Skin by Kayleigh Lewellyn - I think she is such a great writer, and so perfectly hit the tone of hilarious and heartbreaking with such nuance. I feel like not enough people saw that.
Words: Scott Bates
First photo: Stewart Bywater