Alexa Davies interview for Raised By Wolves

6 March 2015

We know the story of how Helen got the part. Is your story equally as glamorous?

Not at all, unfortunately! I took the very average route of being called in to audition and doing my best really. I was asked to wear baggy clothing and no make up to my auditions which was a dream. At the final audition I met Helen and Molly. We clicked immediately so when we discovered we won the roles we were ecstatic for each other. 

 

Tell us about Aretha. What attracted you to the role?

Mainly the opportunity to be a ginger for a while. She's also an extremely bright, young woman with so many great lines and a wonderful story to tell. Her mind has been an exceptionally fun one to explore.  But mostly the ginger thing. 

 

Did Caz offer you any tips on how best to play Aretha?

Caz offered tips without even knowing! I would often just watch her walk around and try and take note of her body language. We also talked about her contained rage, which I'm sure you'll see a lot of. 

 

How hard was it to nail the Black Country accent?

Honestly I was terrified of it. So a lot of time was spent going through my scripts and writing words out phonetically. Having Molly, Caden and Erin around was such a help. Sometimes I would grab one of them and just ask them to say a word or two for me. I'm still in the bad habit of repeating things that Molly says in casual conversations as practice. Like a parrot. 

 

Anything funny happen on set that you’d like to tell us?

We were complete professionals at all times… (Too much to mention).

 

Rebekah Staton is great as your on screen mother Della. How was it working with her? Any similarities between her and your own mum?

Rebekah Staton is my goddess and my dream. I have so much respect and time for that woman. She has taught me so much. Not just about finding my character or making my working life a happier one, but also about living as a young woman. I only hope that she is a constant part of my life. She loves me as my mother does and that is fully requited.  

 

We hear you’ve got a lot of exciting projects coming up. Anything you can share?

I do. Thank you for asking. 'X plus Y' is coming to cinemas in the UK on March 13th. I play a mathematical super girl called Rebecca Dunn. The film is so beautiful and I feel so lucky to have been part of such an incredibly strong cast. Whilst 'Raised By Wolves' and 'X plus Y' are out there, I’m going to be in Manchester shooting Danny Baker’s new comedy 'Cradle To The Grave' for BBC2. It's set in 60’s London and I can't tell you how excited I am for the costumes! 

 

Do you have any tips for aspiring young actresses? You grew up in Wales. How does your Wolverhampton TV childhood compare?

My childhood was great. What’s wonderful about the childhood of the Garrys is that everyone can relate to it. There’s a character for everyone. I hope people find that to be true. My biggest tip for young actresses is just to keep going. Through everything. You have to really work for yourself to get to the places you want to be. Read a lot too. Whether that's newspapers, books or blogs. Reading has taught me so much. And remember, you're never too good to get a job serving drinks in a theatre. Even if you have a comedy series and a film coming out.