Caritas 47

to Yourself.
to songs in my bedroom, attending
Summer Schools, local Edinburgh
Youth Theatre, or the Edinburgh
Acting School, opportunities
began to arise quite quickly. All
these elements, even something
as simple as playing dress up at
home, helped forge a way forward
for me. Then there was attending
drama school which teaches
technique and the fundamentals
needed to work. And from there,
learning on the job.
You’ve had lots of opportunities
to learn on the job in recent
years, your appearances on stage
and screen have been plentiful.
Is there a role that you have
particularly enjoyed?
That’s a tough question. Again,
I’ve had amazing opportunities
in theatre, TV and film and each
comes with a very different
sense of satisfaction. For theatre,
definitely playing Robert in
the Glasgow revival of Stephen
Sondheim’s Company, which
was not only an incredible
challenge to sing, but also a
character I could really invest time
in. On television, I’d be remiss if
I didn’t mention STV’s Taggart,
but without a doubt, my most
prominent role to date is playing
Kinkade in Season 2 of Outlander.
My latest film project is Only You
which is currently available
on Netflix.
I am sure you get asked this all the
time, but is there an actor you really
admire and who inspires you?
Ooohh, that’s probably the most
difficult question an actor can be
asked. There are literally hundreds
of actors I admire, for different
reasons. Some are theatre actors,
some film, most undoubtedly both,
but have all honed their craft to
such a level that just watching them
is a joy. I’ve seen shows with a said
actor in it, and the show as a whole
can be disappointing, but if you can
put that to one side, just watching
the actor effortlessly demonstrate
unbelievable skill is a treat in itself. I
guess that’s a long way of saying it’s
too difficult to pick one!
Do you find that you can learn
a lot from the seasoned actors
that you have been lucky enough
to act alongside?
A lot of lessons have to be learnt
whilst working, but the most
important is understanding the
industry, the way it functions and
the etiquette that comes with
it. I suppose that is true of any
profession. There are different rules
for theatre, for television and even
more so in film. When you’re on set
with over 150 people, knowing who
to talk to, how to talk to them, when
to ask questions and when you take
the initiative. It can be quite strict
depending on the circumstance,
but it really is the number one rule.
Learn it well and learn it quickly
if you want to succeed!
Looking back, what would you
say that your time at Watson’s
taught you?
In a nutshell, GWC taught me to
be an individual, to strive for the
very best and to try and achieve as
much as I could. Supporting and
being kind to others around you
and most importantly, in the words
of the great Aretha Franklin, have
“R.E.S.P.E.C.T” for yourself and
everyone else. And, obviously, Love
From The Heart. Simple.
Do you have any last words of
advice for pupils who might be
struggling to make a decision
about their future plans?
Given my experience, I suppose
my advice would be to decide
exactly what you want to do and
how you want to go about doing
it. Study, study, study. Learn about
practitioners and their methods.
Read and watch plays and films.
Absorb everything and anything.
Don’t be afraid to take as many
chances as you can, and don’t ever
think you’re going to look stupid,
because 99.9% of the time, you’re
only being true to yourself. And,
most importantly, don’t let rejection
deter you. Take it, build on it, learn
from it, and move on. Follow your
head and your heart and strive to
be the best you can be.
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