Spotlight: Kate Phillips
1. Name
Kate Phillips.
2. Where are you from?
I grew up in South West London not far from Hampton Court Palace. At the age of 9, I moved away. We ended up living first in Nottinghamshire and then Bristol.
3. Where do you live now?
Now home is in North London.
4. What are some other hobbies or activities you engage in when not acting?
I love walking around the City. London is very green in certain spots. I’ll opt for routes through parks or over bridges where you can get an awesome view of the city. I also love being in the kitchen cooking or baking. One of my favorite things is having friends over and sharing a meal together.
5. What made you want to act?
When I was younger, I would always be in school plays, and I always took weekend drama classes. I quickly discovered that being in a rehearsal room (playing games or preparing for a performance) was the most rewarding and safest place to be. The feeling was of everyone pulling together to create something. The feeling hasn’t changed, and I still love being part of a company, whether it’s in theatre, film or television.
6. What is one thing that you think is important to share with people about the movie industry that many people don’t know?
Carving out a career in this industry can be hard. It’s unpredictable and at times it can feel like there is no sense of momentum. Working on a job is often the easy bit, it’s all the time in between that’s more challenging.
7. What is your favorite location that you shot at on the tv show you’ve been on?
I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some special places with work, but my favorite location still has to be Dublin. I shot a television series called Miss Scarlet and the Duke there last Summer. I lived south of Dublin along the East Coast where the shoreline is beautiful. We had a gorgeous summer and on my afternoons off I would hit the rocky coastline and jump into the sea. It was cold--very cold, but addictive.
8. What are some challenges with being an actress? How have you overcome these and become so successful?
Auditions are the first challenge you come up against. Sometimes they can be thrilling and sometimes terrifying. My only way around them is to arrive more prepared than I think I need to be.
9. You have Miss Scarlet and the Duke coming out this year, what can you tell us about that?Miss Scarlet and the Duke is about a young woman living in Victorian London trying make her way as a private detective. It’s very witty, fast-paced and has all the qualities of a period drama that you want and love but with a very modern sensibility.
10. How are you similar to Miss Scarlet?
She certainly has qualities that I really admire! She is a quick thinker and damn good at her job. She’s formidable and knows how to argue, but she also fallible and is forever getting it wrong. It’s what I think makes her real and lovable and a character you can root for. I’ve loved getting to play her.
11. You also have The English Game on Netflix soon – there isn’t much we know about it. Anything you can spill?
The English Game is a 6-part drama charting the origins of football and how it developed into the game we know today. It’s very upper versus working class, but with a lovely story about commonality that ties people together. It’s all very hush hush so I can’t tell you anything. I’m sorry!
12. Peaky Blinders is a huge hit in the US. Is Linda coming back? Any spoilers you can tell us?
As you can imagine there is very little I can tell you about this upcoming series. By order of the Peaky Blinders!
13. What do you do to prepare for a movie/tv-show? How do you get into character?
I learn my lines! It seems obvious, but it’s harder than you think to REALLY know your lines. It is for me anyway. Once you’ve made that leap the words and thoughts can really come from you. Then you can really start trusting choices you make and understanding your character’s rhythms.
14. What do you love about your Job? And what do you hate?
I love the comradery! You work on jobs for short intense periods and you can get very close with cast and crew. I love that community you see. I don’t love the uncertainty of the job.
15. You’re an advocate of Era 50/50 – what can you tell us about that?
ERA 50/50 is an organization working toward creating gender balance within our industry. As it stands, in the UK, men outnumber women on film and television 2/1, and on kids’ television, 3/1. ERA 50/50 is committed to readdressing that balance so that the narratives we tell to our kids aren’t a distortion of the real world.
16. Do you have any advice for young and aspiring actors and actresses?
It doesn’t have to happen all at once. Be rigorous and committed in your work but also get excited about something that isn’t acting.
17. Who inspires you? And why?
I'm forever finding new women and men that inspire me. Someone that comes to mind now is Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. She’s everything I would want to be. Bright, quick, ambitious! What she has achieved should be an inspiration to young people everywhere. If you haven’t seen Bring Down the House on Netflix, then I really urge you to!
18. What are your goals for the future? Any future project that you can share a little bit about?
I hope that Miss Scarlet and the Duke carries through to another season, or two, or three. We had the best time making it, and I think people will really love watching it. I know our writer and showrunner Rachel New has some big plans for her and the Duke.
19. What is your motto in life?
It’s quite actory. ‘Trust the process’.
20. What is your perfect role you would want to play?
There is not one perfect role. I want to play a whole range of parts. But right now I'm really eager to play some kick-ass warrior. Someone like Boudicca – a pagan warrior leading her army into battle.
Photography by Rick Truscott.
21. What is your instagram?
@kate_phillipsss
Miss Scarlet and the Duke will launch on PBS Masterpiece in the Fall and and in the UK on UKTV now.
Interview by Alison Hernon, Editor-In-Chief, PhotoBook Magazine.
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