Recently playing the role of Tessie in the West End stage show, Annie, alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Miranda Hart and Meera Syal, you’ll soon be able to see Scarlet Grace in the 2018 worldwide cinema release Holmes and Watson as Pickle. As well as acting and singing, the talented actress can also be heard doing voiceovers and appearing in commercials. Not long ago, we chatted to Scarlet about her time in the West End, acting alongside Carrie Hope Fletcher and being on the set of Holmes & Watson.

Is there anything you can you tell us about your character Pickle in the upcoming feature film Holmes & Watson?

I would love to fill you in on what my character Pickle is like, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait and see as there’s not a lot I can say at the moment. But what I can say is that it was the most incredible experience of being on set and spending a lot of time with the cast and crew. We filmed from late November to February. We stayed in accommodation whilst filming and I even had my own trailer and a body double and I remember thinking wow! We also had a great tutor on set to keep up to speed with schoolwork. Every day was exciting and the craft food was exceptional. The film is due for worldwide release at the end of this year.

Where did you film your scenes?

We filmed at Shepperton Studios and other locations such as Greenwich, the Tower of London and Hampton Court.

Do you know if there will be a UK premiere and will you be attending?

Yes, I’m sure there will be! And if so, I’ll be very excited to attend!

You’ve recently been performing in the West End as Tessie in Annie, how was your time in the show?

I was first cast in Annie the Musical Tour as Tessie and we travelled up and down the country performing in different theatres for six months which was such a great experience. Then we heard the exciting news that Annie was transferring to the West End and I was so lucky to be invited back to the last audition of the West End round and a week later I received a call from Debbie O’Brien, the casting director, that I had been offered a role.

Opening in the West End at the Piccadilly Theatre with everyone was such a great experience. I had the pleasure of performing with Miranda Hart, Craig Revel Horwood and Meera Syal who were amazing Miss Hannigans and so much fun to work with! I was part of Team Madison and the last ten months performing with my girls have been amazing! We’re all very close and worked brilliantly as a team! We will always be lifelong friends.

How many shows a week did you perform as Tessie?

We rotated teams every week. Each team had four shows a week and then a week off, unless I was called in to cover, which happened quite frequently as I was also a swing to all teams!

You performed with Annie at West End Live, what was the atmosphere like at this event?

I was honoured that our Team Madison were chosen to perform at West End Live in Trafalgar Square. We performed to thousands of people alongside other West End Musicals such as Dreamgirls, Bat Out Of Hell and 42nd Street to name a few. I will never forget the feeling of how excited we all were before going on stage because there was just a sea of people singing and clapping, I absolutely loved that day, the crowd were charged with energy.

Do you have a favourite memory from your time in the show?

There have been so many amazing and funny memories from opening to closing night! One of the funniest was when we had just finished the number Hard Knock Life and Miranda Hart had drunkenly walked onto stage as Miss Hannigan and told us we have mush for breakfast! She then made her way to jump on the bed and fell off and laid there for a while!! All of our team held in our giggles which was really hard as she climbed back on the bed and said to the audience, “well that’s live theatre folks!” It wasn’t until we got back into our dressing rooms that we all cried with laughter!

You made your West End debut in Les Misérables, do you remember your first performance as Young Eponine and how did it go?

Yes, I do! Being cast in Les Misérables was a dream come true and I will never forget getting the call on a Sunday evening, quite late, when Jo Hawes, the casting director, emailed and confirmed they were offering me the role of Eponine, I couldn’t sleep after that!

The first day of rehearsals was brilliant and I loved being part of a such a great cast and my chaperones, Elaine and Whizzy, looked after us all so well. I’ll never forget my first performance as I was so excited to perform in front of a huge audience but also nervous as I knew all of my family and friends would be in the audience watching. It went so well and I remember being so happy and I knew this was what I wanted to do!

What was it like acting alongside Carrie Hope Fletcher?

Carrie Hope Fletcher was just so lovely and she used to sit me on her lap and chat to me backstage before our scene together! I would absolutely love to work with her again in the future and loved her performance of Wednesday in The Addams Family.

How do you find performing to a live theatre audience?

It’s such an incredible feeling performing night after night to a live audience and hearing them laughing and clapping and knowing that you’re part of a cast entertaining them and getting a reaction like that from an audience is awesome.

How does it feel when you find out you’re confirmed for a role?

To me, it’s the most amazing and exciting feeling in the world.

As an adult, what would your dream stage role be?

Les Misérables will always be one of my favourite musicals and I’ve always said that I would love to go back to the Queen’s Theatre and play the role of big Eponine, it has always been one of my dreams!

How did you get into acting and singing?

My family have been in the entertainment industry for years, so it’s always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember! There are three generations of my family who all attended Arts Educational Schools in London so I always wanted to follow in their footsteps and attend the same prestigious school, which I started at nearly two years ago now in Chiswick.

Ridgeway Studios Management is a Talent Agency and Theatre School owned by my grandma and I began dancing at Ridgeway from the age of five being taught tap, ballet and modern. When I turned seven, I was old enough to start the Saturday workshop in which I spent three hours learning dance, drama and musical theatre which I loved, and through the school I have taken many ISTD, LAMDA and Musical Theatre exams. In fact, I have four exams this March! Students are given the opportunity to showcase their talent to professionals and we have performed in many London theatre productions.

I then began to audition for TV and theatre, and I was delighted to be offered the role of Eponine in Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre, London.

What was the experience like filming the Nike commercial?

It was great and I met some nice girls on the set! I finished Annie on the Monday and started filming on the Tuesday so that was something to look forward to. I had to work on wires and be thrown up into the air. It was freezing cold and raining but still good fun!

You also spend time in the US, how different is it staying there opposed to the UK?

I love the US so much! Spending time here in New York recently has been amazing. I’ve been staying in Manhattan which is a lively place to live and such an adventure as every day has been different with so much to see and do but saying that, to me, it’s similar to London. We also have a family home in Florida and spend vast amounts of time there during the year which is lovely.

Do you have any roles coming up which you can tell us about?

I’ve recently recorded a voiceover for a film which is due to be released in April and I’ve also got Holmes & Watson (Columbia Pictures) being released this year. I’ve had lots of meetings and script readings in the last few weeks for the UK and US, so fingers crossed to hear some exciting news soon.

Follow Scarlet on:

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

https://www.scarlet-grace.com/