Meet the Teenage Actress From Yorkshire Joining the Waterloo Road Cast
A teenager from Otley is taking on the role of a major new character in popular BBC series Waterloo Road
Lucy is 17 and has always loved performing. ‘I think my family have always known that I was a drama queen from a very young age,’ she says. ‘I remember one of my debut performances was singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star when I was three in front of all the passengers on a plane when we were stuck in snow, and I loved every second of it!’
Her mum was an actress but the real catalyst for getting into acting was when Lucy did a school assembly in Year 3. 'My teacher, Mrs Hattersley, told me and my mum that I should start going to a drama class,' she says. ‘I joined classes at Articulate Drama School & Agency in Ilkley, and I never looked back. Articulate offers a brilliant drama school as well as an agency, and they are so great with helping newcomers, like I was, get into the acting industry.’
Now that she's landed an exciting role in Waterloo Road, Lucy says it's both exciting and slightly intimidating. 'I really want to do this role justice as I love it so much,' she says. 'It has taken many, many years of a lot of rejection to get to this point so it feels even more rewarding to land such a role. My agent at Articulate is Stacey Burrows, who also happens to be the founder, and she came and surprised me with the news of landing the role, at my house. I had actually been auditioning for Waterloo Road for several years before being cast as Cat. I went for lots of different characters and kept getting really close but losing out at the last hurdle. I am so glad that I waited for this character, as I couldn’t imagine playing anyone else now. The casting team clearly know what they are doing!
'It has honestly been one of the best and warmest experiences of my life. Waterloo Road is like a big family and once you join, you never want to leave. Both the cast and crew are all so lovely and friendly, and I can truly say I have made friends for life on this job.'
Waterloo Road has helped build the acting careers of young talent, as well as roles for adult stars including Angela Griffin, Jill Halfpenny and Denise Welch. This season sees the arrival of new head, Stella Drake. 'There will be some new faces around school – including Cat – and of course lots of drama,' Lucy reveals. 'We will also see Cat’s relationship with her sister, Libby, grow stronger as she helps Libby to navigate a very challenging time in her life.'
Lucy is also due to appear in a new Amazon Prime Video series starring Hollywood names later this year. 'I am in my final year of A Levels and should be sitting those exams in May, however I am auditioning for lots of new and exciting projects which may just change those plans,' says Lucy, ‘… so we will just have to wait and see!'
Is there a Yorkshire actor you’d love to work with?
I think Anna Maxwell-Martin is a phenomenal and really versatile actor and I really admire her. I would definitely love to work with her.
Is there another show you’d love to star in?
I am half Northern-Irish and love doing the accent so it would be an absolute dream to be in a Northern Irish drama like Blue Lights or Derry Girls, as I think they are both fantastic shows.
Who inspires you?
Jodie Comer is a massive inspiration for me. Her performance in Killing Eve is what made me love acting with different accents and characters so much since she was so extraordinary as Villanelle. She is such a talented actor and I often try to channel her characterisation skills when doing my audition tapes!
