With the Renegade Nell series releasing on Disney+ recently, Florence Keen plays the regular role of George Trotter, alongside Louisa Harland as her on-screen sister Nell, and she reunited with the rest of the cast in March for the world premiere in London. Previous screen roles for Florence have seen her play Kit in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (with Lily James playing Juliet Ashton), and she played Child Barbara in the 2017 BBC TV movie Babs, telling the story of Barbara Windsor, which marked Florence’s first screen project. Chatting to us, Florence told us about her role of George Trotter in the Disney+ series Renegade Nell, her time on set of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and her first screen role in Babs.

In the Disney+ series Renegade Nell, you played the regular role of George Trotter, how would you describe the character?

George is an outgoing, boisterous, intelligent and quirky character.

What was it like filming alongside Louisa Harland as your on-screen sister Nell Jackson and with the rest of the cast?

Filming with Louisa was so enjoyable as she always treated me as if I was her actual little sister, with kindness and respect, always making sure I felt comfortable and part of the crew.

How was it on set of Renegade Nell and what did you enjoy most about working on the series?

On set was always so much fun, the cast and crew were an absolutely great bunch of people who I loved getting to know and spending time with. The locations and sets were stunning, so interesting to learn about as lots of it was filmed in historic places.

What I enjoyed most was being around more experienced actors and learning lots from them.

What was George Trotter like to play and how did you feel finding out you’d booked the role?

George Trotter felt like a role which came naturally to me, as I related to the character’s personality on lots of levels.

I was quite shocked when I found out I’d booked the role of George, as my first casting was four months earlier, but I was absolutely chuffed!

How did you find the experience attending the world premiere in London in March?

Attending the Nell premiere was a bit overwhelming, as there were lots of photographers and journalists and I had to walk the red carpet. But seeing all the cast and crew after a year was the highlight for me – obviously watching the show come together on the big screen was awesome too.

You were in the cast of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society as Kit, do you have any favourite memories from your time on set that you can share?

One of the locations was a farm, there were chicks which had only just hatched, the farmer let me name them, as a six year old I thought this was just fantastic, haha.

What was the film like to be part of and how was it seeing the fan response to the release?

The film was a great experience to be part of, although I didn’t realise at the time, being young, the cast was outstanding and I was so lucky to work with them all – especially Lily James, who was absolutely lovely to me.

I’m not sure I realised anything about fan response, as again, I was only little.

Can you tell us about Kit and how was it getting into character?

Kit was quite a playful character but a bit shy at first. I got into character by looking at the script and understanding how I would feel if I were Kit, for example, her mum had died and she didn’t know her real dad.

For your first screen role, you played Child Barbara in the 2017 BBC TV movie Babs, what do you remember most from filming this project?

I remember meeting Barbara Windsor whilst filming and what a lovely lady she was.

How was it taking on the role of Child Barbara and helping tell Barbara Windsor’s story?

I felt very honoured to have been chosen to play Barbara as a young child as she’s a national treasure and someone my parents and grandparents have grown up watching.

Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get started in the industry?

My love of acting has grown from the opportunities I’ve been given. This is because I really fell into acting rather than chose it, as I was put forward for the Babs casting by my dance teacher and hadn’t done anything like that before.

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

I love the film To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, although I really love watching films (especially horror), so it’s hard to choose. I absolutely love Stranger Things too.

How do you like to spend your time away from acting?

When I’m not acting, I’m at school or spending time hanging out with my family and friends.

What are you hoping the rest of the year brings for you and do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about?

I’m hoping the rest of the year brings more opportunities as I just love acting. Currently, I have nothing coming up.