In the Netflix series Anatomy of a Scandal, Sebastian Selwood booked his first recurring screen character as Finn Whitehouse, alongside his on-screen family Rupert Friend and Sienna Miller as his parents James and Sophie, and Amelie Bea Smith as his older sister Emily. Since making his West End debut as Gavroche in Les Misérables in 2021, Sebastian went on to star as Michael Banks in Mary Poppins with Zizi Strallen as the titular character and Charlie Stemp as Bert, with choreography by Matthew Bourne, and most recently, he played Puck in the opera of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Glyndebourne Festival last year. Catching up with Sebastian, he talks about playing Finn Whitehouse in Anatomy of a Scandal, starring as Michael Banks in Mary Poppins and his time as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

As a screen actor, you play Finn Whitehouse in Anatomy of a Scandal on Netflix, can you tell us about your character?

Finn is a six year old boy who is the son of James (Rupert Friend) and Sophie (Sienna Miller) Whitehouse. His father is a junior MP and Finn lives quite a privileged life with a posh house in Kensington and goes to private school with his older sister Emily (Amelie Bea Smith). Finn is quite young and innocent and idolises his father who he doesn’t realise is in trouble with the law.

Do you remember how you felt finding out you’d booked the role for your first recurring character on screen?

Yes, I ran around the house jumping up and down (I was eight at the time). I was so happy to get the role and very grateful that I had been offered the opportunity. It was my first job and so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but I was quickly treated like a TV star with gift baskets and congratulatory cards sent from Netflix to my house. It was all quite surreal and exciting. It was during the first lockdown, so I remember being excited to be able to go out and work on set.

What was it like on set of Anatomy of a Scandal and how was it filming with your on-screen family?

Shepperton Studios was amazing. The set of the house was incredible, it was so realistic, and it made me think about all the films and TV shows that I watched and trying to figure out if it was real or not. Everyone was so nice and friendly and they all welcomed me into the team and by the end of it we were all very appreciative of our time and friendship that we had spent together. Amelie and I became great friends and are still in contact today. Sienna and Rupert were really kind and playful with us. There was an atmosphere of kind banter on set which made the work even more enjoyable. I really enjoyed playing with the Labrador puppies that we had on set too!

How was it playing Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream on stage at Glyndebourne in July last year?

The whole experience at Glyndebourne was so different from West End or TV. It was an entirely new world really. I didn’t really know much about opera or Shakespeare before booking the job, and so it was all such a big learning curve. The training was amazing and I got to watch world class opera singers rehearsing daily for two months. I got to live at Glyndebourne House during rehearsals, which was so much fun and the setting was beautiful. I loved playing Puck because he was such a cheeky, mischievous character and, of course, I got to fly on stage!

What was A Midsummer Night’s Dream like to be part of and how was it performing at the Glyndebourne Festival 2023?

“Dream”, as the creative team called it, was such a magical show. The costumes were so interesting and my bright orange wig was quite iconic and also amusing, it really transformed me. The adult cast were really fun to work with too, I would have cricket banter with the Australian Samuel Dale Johnson, who played Demetrius. During breaks we would play football with the Trinity Boys Choir and all the chaperones were really kind too. Being part of the Glyndebourne Festival was such an incredible experience and one I will remember for life.

How did you find the experience working on an opera production?

At first I found it a little strange, to be honest, I wasn’t used to hearing operatic style singing compared with my previous show Mary Poppins, for example. I was really in awe of what people can make their voices do, and how high they could sing. The fact they don’t use microphones and project their voices across the whole auditorium was so impressive. I loved watching Dalia Stasevska conduct the London Philarmonic Orchestra, she was so expressive and animated, if you watched her, it made you really feel the music. I really enjoyed working with Lynne (Hockney), she was a great director and really supportive. I also learned opera traditions such as writing “Toi, Toi, Toi” on cards to each other. It really was a whole new experience for me.

You starred as Michael Banks in Mary Poppins in the West End, how was it getting into character and what was Michael like to play?

Michael is a cheeky young boy but who can also be quite sulky. Our director, Mark Hedges, worked really hard with us on understanding Michael’s character and the context of the show. I found it fun playing Michael Banks because I could relate to the cheeky side of him so it wasn’t hard to become him. I’m used to playing a younger character but I did have to make sure I kept my voice slightly higher pitched, more squeaky than my usual voice on stage.

Did you have a favourite song to perform and what was it like learning the musical’s choreography?

Jolly Holiday was my favourite number because there was so much happening, lots of rushing around behind stage and having to think quickly. It was exhilarating and gave me a good boost of adrenaline. The choreography by Matthew Bourne was so fun to learn. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was so tricky to learn at the start, but once I had it nailed, it became second nature and I still do it at home now (many months on since it closed).

What did you enjoy most about performing with the rest of the cast, which included Zizi Strallen as Mary Poppins?

I think we all built really great friendships on and off stage. I liked watching the adult cast on stage and learning from them. Charlie Stemp was great fun to joke around with, Petula (Clark) was very caring with us and Zizi was so impressive on stage. All the children’s cast got on so well and we are all still in touch today.

Had you seen Mary Poppins before auditioning and how did you feel on your final performance as Michael Banks?

I hadn’t seen Mary Poppins before auditioning, but I knew a couple of people who had been in it and said how great it was. My final performance as Michael Banks was very emotional because I felt like I was losing a part of my family and knowing I wasn’t going to be in that environment anymore was so sad. The role had been such a dominating part of my life for a year, it’s hard when it ends. But as they say “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” (I have that up on my bedroom wall).

What was it like making your West End debut in Les Misérables as Gavroche in 2021?

It was exciting and nerve-racking in equal measure. I had never actually seen Les Mis, and rehearsals were just the Gavroche parts so it was all so new and amazing for me on opening night. My family all came to watch me and it felt so special to perform for them.

What are some of your favourite memories from your time in the cast of Les Misérables?

When I was on standby and I would be playing with Little Cosette, Ella Van Emden, and she was so much fun to hang out with backstage. We got pretty good at playing UNO and would have tournaments.

One great memory was when I was about to run on stage for my curtain call and Jon Robyns, who was playing Jean Valjean and had previously played the King in Hamilton (my favourite musical), sang a bit of You’ll Be Back to me in my ear as he knew how much I loved it. It made my day!

How did you get into acting and was it something you always wanted to do?

When I was younger, my mum and I would dance and sing together in the kitchen and I remember really loving doing that. When I was old enough, mum signed me up for Saturday Stage School at New London Performing Arts Centre (NLPAC) in Muswell Hill. I learned singing, acting and dancing there and really loved it. I’m pretty sporty, so I hadn’t really thought about professional acting, but Emily and Imogen Byron were so supportive and encouraged me to look at performing professionally and it all went from there. I’m so glad for them opening up the performing world to me.

Do you have any favourite films, TV and theatre shows to watch and how do you like to spend your free time?

I don’t really have a favourite film, but I like to binge-watch Netflix and Apple series. I’ve just finished watching Stranger Things, it would be great to play Steve because he evolves so much as a character. My favourite theatre show is Hamilton, I’ve seen it in the West End three times and my favourite was watching Shan Ako (a fellow Les Mis cast member) play Eliza, she was just amazing.

For my free time, I play a lot of sports. I play county level cricket so that’s quite a commitment too. I play football for my school and I’ve just started playing rugby too. I also love table tennis and squash. When I’m not playing sport, I like to hang out with friends and play FIFA.

Sebastian Selwood is represented by Byron’s Management www.byronsmanagement.co.uk