Frankie Minchella booked his first screen role playing Henry Throckmorton in the CBBC series Theodosia alongside his on-screen sister Eloise Little as the titular character. Theodosia is based on Robin LaFever’s book series of the same name, and Frankie reprised his regular role for the recently-released Series 2. Last year, Frankie had a guest role in Phoenix Rise as Casper, and during his time so far as an actor, he has been a guest on CBBC’s Saturday Mash-Up. Continuing with his acting career, Frankie will be appearing in an episode of Ludwig for BBC One alongside David Mitchell, and in his spare time, he enjoys writing and producing music. We caught up with Frankie, who spoke about playing Henry Throckmorton in Theodosia, being a guest on Saturday Mash-Up and filming for an episode of Phoenix Rise.

For your first on-screen role you played Henry in Theodosia, how did you find the experience of being part of the show?

As far as first on-screen roles go, playing Henry Throckmorton in Theodosia couldn’t have been a better experience. I went into it almost completely blind; I’d never stepped foot on a film set before and had no idea what acting on camera would be like. I was kind of thrown into the deep end as it felt like one moment I was doing my first self-tape, and the next moment I was hearing ‘action!’ for my first scene. While this was definitely a scary feeling, it helped me learn so much about the process of filming and acting in general with a very hands-on experience. It quickly turned from being somewhat nerve-racking to being fun and exciting, largely due to the amazing crew and cast that worked on the show.

How would you describe Henry and what is it like getting into character?

I would describe Henry as an inventive, determined and loveable, if not slightly annoying little brother. He cares for his friends and family greatly and puts a lot of time and effort into his numerous inventions. Getting into character for Henry came quite naturally to me as his relationship with his sister, Theodosia, reminds me quite a lot of my relationship with my sisters. A very fun part of his character was his love for creating, rarely successful, inventions. Imagining all his crazy ideas was such an engaging part of his character.

Can you tell us about Theodosia and was there anything that drew you to the series?

Theodosia is a really enjoyable and entertaining show that is full of heart. It centres around Theodosia Throckmorton and her friends as they embark on adventures in a world filled with magic, danger and discovery. While the show is targeted towards a younger audience, I feel that there are aspects of it that can be enjoyed by all ages – as stereotypical as it sounds, Theodosia really is ‘fun for the whole family’. I think the wholesome nature of the show, coupled with a genuinely engaging story and characters is what drew me to it. Also, the fact that it was originally a well-loved book series written by Robin LaFevers definitely drew me in as it is exciting to bring those great ideas from the paper to the screen.

How did you feel finding out you’d booked the role and what was it like meeting the cast for the first time?

Finding out I had booked the role felt very surreal as I was just sitting at home during lockdown and it suddenly felt as if my life had changed a little. As I said, I was originally quite nervous, however, meeting the cast for the first time changed this straight away. Meeting people like Yasmina El-Abd (Safiya), Nana Agyeman-Bediako (Will), Eloise Little (Theo), and Anthony J. Abraham (Artie) and getting to work with them was a blessing as they are all so talented and so much fun to work alongside.

What is it like on set of Theodosia and what are some of your highlights from working on the show?

Being on set was a genuine pleasure every time. The cast and crew all got on so well and it made for such an enjoyable environment. I never know what to say when asked about my highlights from filming Theodosia, purely because there were just so many. But if I had to choose just a key moment, I would say that during Season 2, one of the brilliant directors that worked on the show, Alex Jacobs, would get one of the cast/crew to choose a song for everyone to dance to on set after lunch. That was always a good laugh.

How was it returning to film Series 2 and who do you think will enjoy watching the new episodes?

Returning for Season 2 was so exciting. I felt that I’d grown so much as an actor from the start of Season 1 to the start of Season 2 and I wanted the opportunity to show that. We got the opportunity to film in Morocco, which was so much fun. Season 2 also brought with it amazing new cast members, including Yuki Sutton (Josie), Julie Lamberton (Maya) and Louis Martino (Darius). I feel Season 2 can also be enjoyed by a wide range of people, and definitely targets a slightly older audience than Season 1 as the characters have grown up a bit. As an actor, I feel I was able to bring more depth to the character of Henry this time around, especially with Henry and Maya’s relationship.

You had a guest role in Phoenix Rise last year as Casper, what can you say about your episode and character?

Working on Phoenix Rise was another really great experience for me. Phoenix Rise is such a good show that has class performances, storylines and important messages for young people to hear. The cast and crew were so welcoming and I’m privileged to have been a part of it and I had a lot of fun filming my episode.

What did you enjoy most about filming your episode of Phoenix Rise?

The opportunity to play a completely different type of character was really enjoyable. Casper is my second on-screen role and he is almost the opposite of Henry, it was such a good experience to play a nastier character. Filming the football match with Jayden Hanley (Darcy), Alex Draper (Billy) and Fintan Buckard (Ethan) was also really enjoyable.

What is it like being a guest on CBBC’s Saturday Mash-Up?

Being a guest on Saturday Mash-Up was a fun experience. The first time I managed to get by unscathed and just have a good time, the second time I wasn’t so lucky and I got absolutely covered in slime. In all fairness it was my fault, I don’t think I answered a single question right. We’ll get ’em next time.

Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get into it?

I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was very young, except for a brief and random stint of wanting to be a politician. I got into it through a theatre company called Playbox Theatre, where I took regular acting classes and eventually joined their agency. I would absolutely recommend Playbox to anyone around Warwickshire who is interested in on-screen acting, musical theatre, stage acting, writing, dance and just performance in general.

Do you have any favourite films and TV shows to watch?

It would be a struggle to narrow down my favourites but some films I love are: Calm With Horses, Princess Mononoke and Fantastic Mr. Fox. And some TV shows I love are: The Boys, Outnumbered and Top Boy: Summerhouse.

How do you like to spend your free time?

In my free time I like to be physically active, I regularly went bouldering with Louis Martino whilst off set and we had such a class time. I also train in MMA and just generally in the gym (I recently hit 100kg bench press, had to flex that quickly). Another hobby is writing and producing music, something that I would love to pursue as a career along with acting.

Have you been given any advice over your acting career so far that has stuck with you?

I can’t think of any specific quotes or advice that has stuck with me, but just in general the idea of living in the moment. Taking each scene and each role as it comes and putting your all into every moment. I think it’s nice to look back at past scenes and, even if you don’t particularly like them now, be able to think ‘that was my best effort’.

What are you hoping the next year brings for your career and do you have any upcoming projects you can share?

Hopefully this next year I can just keep growing as an actor, keep meeting new people and keep experiencing different characters and atmospheres. I find acting so fun and so interesting, so any new role is an exciting opportunity. As far as upcoming projects, I have a guest role in an episode of BBC One’s Ludwig starring David Mitchell, where I play the captain of the rugby team. Also, who knows, maybe I’ll release some music next year.

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