At the end of last year, Sophia Dall’Aglio guest-starred in an episode of The Cleaner playing Anne-Marie alongside the show’s creator Greg Davies. For Sophia’s first professional acting job, she was in the cast of CBBC comedy show So Awkward, playing one of the main characters – Martha Fitzgerald – from 2015 to 2020, with Cleo Demetriou and Alex Carter also playing lead roles. In the spin-off series So Awkward Academy, Sophia reprised her role of Martha for an episode in 2024, and she has previously been a guest on Saturday Mash-Up and Ultimate Brain. Whilst at university studying Art, Sophia had work experience behind-the-scenes of Waterloo Road and Worzel Gummidge, and upcoming for her are a number of projects including her own short film, which she will produce and direct. Chatting with us, Sophia told us about guest-starring in The Cleaner last year, her time as Martha Fitzgerald in So Awkward and reprising her role for an episode of spin-off series So Awkward Academy.
Most recently on screen, you guest-starred in an episode of The Cleaner at the end of last year as Anne-Marie, can you tell us about your episode and character?
The episode, written by Greg Davies, revolves around a wedding gone awry. I played the bride Anne-Marie, who finds herself at the centre of disaster on the most precious day of her life, primarily at the hands of her parents.
How much did you know about The Cleaner before filming and how was it reading the script for your episode?
I had heard of The Cleaner before filming, and it was fun to discover how many of my friends and relatives were already fans when it came out! Reading the script was so exciting, I couldn’t wait to start rehearsing the material and hoping David Mitchell and Helena Bonham Carter would make Season 3 cameo reappearances.
What was Anne-Marie like to play and how was it meeting and working with the rest of the cast, which includes the show’s creator Greg Davies?
Anne-Marie was so fun to play, mostly because she’s undergoing a mild mental breakdown the entire episode. I’ve never had a role where I’ve been in tears for the entire 20 minutes of screen time.
As for working with the rest of the cast, it was wonderful to get to hang out with such a lovely group of ladies, Rebekah Staton, who played Anne-Marie’s mother, as well as Ashleigh (Raju), Faye (Campbell) and Liv (Field-Williams), who played the bridesmaids. We all bonded over cheese and spritzes one evening in our hotel.
Chaneil (Kular) and Viraj (Juneja) were so much fun and professional to work with and I found it really great that most of the cast were actually from the West Midlands, championing the regional talent.
Greg Davies was so cool! And, of course, so incredibly tall. I really couldn’t believe what I was doing, my boyfriend couldn’t believe I was working with THE Mr Gilbert.
How different did you find filming The Cleaner opposed to your previous screen work and what was it like on set?
The Cleaner was nothing but a pleasure to shoot. The set was always calm and well-organised, making it so easy to focus on the character. It felt similar to previous jobs, like So Awkward, in its sitcom style, but a step up to be playing a role my own age.
From 2015 to 2020, you played Martha Fitzgerald across every episode of the CBBC comedy show So Awkward, what are some of your stand-out memories from being part of the cast over the years?
My stand-out memories of So Awkward always revolve around the friendships we made. Cleo (Demetriou), who played Lily, and I are still best friends to this day and speak all the time. One of my favourite memories is after my 18th birthday, I had been away at Reading Festival for the weekend and was ready to crash in my bed before work in the morning, when everyone ran into my room to surprise me. Archie (Lyndhurst) had bought me a gift and we spent the evening all hanging out together.
How would you describe Martha and what was she like to play?
I would describe Martha as to the point and socially awkward. She was fun to play because I’m not too dissimilar in real life, or maybe I became more like her over time as I played her in my formative years…? Spooky… Who knows. She’s far more intelligent than me, however, and I admire her unstoppable drive and ambition to achieve a BAFTA- I mean Oscar- I mean, Nobel Prize!
Did you have any favourite episodes to film and is there anything you miss most about working on So Awkward?
All the episodes blur into one after a while, to be honest, however, I always remember the first scene we ever shot. It was from Space Over, when the girls are making their own spa treatments in onesies at Lily’s house. It stands out to me so much as I was so young and couldn’t really believe what I was doing. I think we had to cut at least three times because I kept accidentally looking into camera, and we got to keep the onesies after filming, which was exciting at the time.
Again, I miss the friendships the most. Especially in the earlier years, you don’t really realise you’re actually working, so it just felt like a big sleepover I got to do for three months every year!
Do you remember how you felt originally booking the role for your first professional acting job and joining a new CBBC series?
I was absolutely ecstatic. My mum got the email in the morning when I was at school and came to tell me in person on my lunch break. I think I ran around the whole building trying to find my best friend Molly to tell her the news and then just did a few laps to dispell the energy.
It had been my dream as a child to be an actor and when you get that news at 13, it’s a strange, overwhelming combination of ‘well, of course this was going to happen’ and ‘why does everyone want to talk to me now?’.
How did you find the experience reprising your role of Martha for a cameo in the new spin-off series So Awkward Academy last year?
I loved going back to So Awkward. At the time when our producer Jo called me up to ask, I was just coming to the end of four years at university and was unsure of what was next for me. The opportunity to act again sparked a fire I hadn’t felt in a while.
It felt quite refreshing to go into it as the guest within a whole new So Awkward family and having the opportunity to work with Cleo and Alex (Carter) again was just so much fun, they never fail to make me laugh ’til my stomach hurts.
You’ve previously been a guest on Saturday Mash-Up and Ultimate Brain, what were these like to film?
In short, weird. Game shows are set up so differently to how they come across on screen. I guess that should have been pretty obvious to me at that point, but clearly not.
We understand you have worked behind-the-scenes on Waterloo Road and Worzel Gummidge, can you tell us about this?
When I went to university I was at a 19 year old’s crossroads of what to do with my life. I knew that I loved working in television, but I think as So Awkward Season 6 was coming to an end it felt like the right thing to try something else. So, I decided to go away and study Art.
As part of the course, work experience is encouraged and so I was able to work on both Waterloo Road and Worzel Gummidge, behind the camera instead! I was making posters and storyboards and building sets and making props, and I think what I learned is that there is nothing more freeing in life than cutting and sticking.
Amazingly, I met a girl Jag in the Waterloo Road Art Department who I met again years later as she was working on So Awkward Academy!
Where does your love of acting come from and was it something you always wanted to do professionally?
I think I’ve always just liked films. Birthdays and special occasions growing up always seemed to revolve around the cinema or food, and so it became a fanciful idea that I would be an actor.
As a child, I forced my sister into many a made-up play or puppet show, of which I was obviously the star and she my sidekick, and eventually my parents put me into Stagecoach where I got to perform in am-dram productions and had the opportunity to audition for So Awkward.
Without really thinking, I went to the audition and over a few months was whittled down to the part of Martha. There was nothing I wanted more and the decision was a no-brainer.
What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?
I’m a sucker for a good sitcom. I rotate between Friends (Series 1-4 mostly) and The Office (US, yes I’m a traitor) pretty regularly. My favourite film to introduce people to is Death Becomes Her, it’s so underrated and always goes down well. Little Women (Greta Gerwig, duh) is my go-to if I need a good weep, and then Good Will Hunting and Mr. & Mrs. Smith never fail me.
I recently gained access to all my friend’s brother’s TV subscriptions (don’t tell him) and have binged The Day of the Jackal, The White Lotus, and also started Severance, which I am SO excited about. Currently I’m aligning watching it with my housemate and her boyfriend which means we’re taking it slowly, but I’ll probably get bored and end up binging it secretly in one sitting.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I recently started teaching myself guitar! I love to read and ideally would spend most of my days in a coffee shop drinking flat whites and opening Great Expectations for the first time. Just kidding. My lastest favourite reads have been My Year of Rest and Relaxation, The Idiot, Butter, Everything I Know About Love and Just Kids by Patti Smith. Overall a very eclectic and unique taste with viral front covers that I definitely didn’t discover on Pinterest.
Do you have any projects coming up that you can share and what are you hoping this year brings for you?
I actually do have a few projects on the go that I simply canNOT discuss and am stepping into producing and directing my own short for the first time this year! Watch this space 💯.
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