Thea Achillea has recently filmed the lead role of Talvi in a future feature film called The Elf, and last year, she played Cathy in Blitz, with Elliott Heffernan as George, and she was directed by Steve McQueen. In Series 2 of BBC series Back to Life, Thea played Phoebe, and she has worked on Napoleon, which starred Joaquin Phoenix, and a number of commercials including Vodafone, Seriously Cheddar and Heinz Operation Beanz. For the 2020 film A Christmas Carol, Thea played Emily, and she has also worked on the BBC adaptation of the same story playing Scrooge’s (Guy Pearce) Daughter, and Thea has been recognised as one of the Top 100 Child Prodigies in the World in the Acting category at this year’s Global Child Prodigy Awards, which is set to take place in June 26th in London. We found out from Thea about filming the lead role of Talvi in the unreleased feature film The Elf, her time as Cathy in Blitz and working with Guy Pearce in BBC’s A Christmas Carol.

You have recently filmed the lead role of Talvi in the feature film The Elf, what was the character like to play?

The character Talvi and I have a lot in common, she can be quiet and reserved at times, but also mischievous and quick to follow others into some sticky situations! So, getting to play this role was great fun indeed. No spoilers, but there are some pretty intense scenes which was new for me, but I thoroughly loved the challenge.

What was it like on set of The Elf and filming on location across Finland?

COLD! Very cold. The very first shooting day, following weeks of rehearsals, was on the very top of the highest mountain in Finland, and it was minus 42 degrees Celsius. You could hear your breath rattling in your chest and your eyelashes froze almost immediately. It was wild! And the wind! Wow. We had to take a real live sleigh, that was pulled by a skidoo, on a 15-minute bumpy ride up the mountain pass from a base point, and this was just the first day! As we travelled further south though Finland, with our final stop in Helsinki for two weeks, the weather got slightly warmer, but never above freezing. The crew were very well prepared, and we always had all manner of heat pads and warming clothes on, we were very grateful! The sets were truly stunning though and the glorious scenery certainly made up for the freezing conditions. We saw the Northern Lights on more than one occasion and stayed in some truly amazing villas and hotels. We also had some once-in-a-lifetime experiences, such a filming on an icebreaker ship in Kemi and walking out on the ice!

Last year, you were seen as Cathy in Blitz, how was it filming with Elliott Heffernan as George and being directed by Steve McQueen?

Me and Elliott got on really well, he was great fun and chatty like myself. We spent a week in Hull together and hung out in the hotel in an evening with some other cast children, and he was really friendly. We both had a rather eventful night when staying near the Bluebell Railway for those shoot days, the whole hotel was evacuated at 2am following the fire alarm going off, thankfully it was a false alarm, but George and I were especially tired the next day. Steve was also a pleasure to work with, very patient considering the amount of crowd children there were on the Hull shooting days in particular. Always with a reassuring word and kind smile, so privileged to have a small part in this wonderful story.

How did you find the experience filming as one of Napoleon’s children in the 2023 film Napoleon starring Joaquin Phoenix?

I really enjoyed the fittings for this role especially, the costumes were flown in from Italy I believe and they were gorgeous. Lots of layers for period projects like this, but the detail in the dresses was amazing. And to see the racks and racks of military costumes in the hanger was mind-blowing! I shot my scenes at Blenheim Palace, and it just happened to be one of windiest days on record. Trees were being toppled over on the grounds and I sure I saw a row of ducks be blown sideways on the green. It was wild. I didn’t really speak much to JP, just pleasantries, but to be on set with him was fantastic. Sadly, my scene was cut from the final film, this isn’t unusual and always a gamble with smaller roles like this. But I had a great time and have some wonderful memories.

How would you describe your character Phoebe in the BBC series Back to Life and how was it joining the show in Series 2?

Phoebe could maybe be considered an observer, a bit sceptical and questions things she didn’t think to be true. I also ask lots of questions if I’m not sure on something and am very much an observer, spotting patterns and inaccuracies in things. Joining Series 2 was lovely, there were already established relationships with some characters and that made it feel like a real family.

What was it like getting into character as Phoebe and what did you enjoy most about working on the series?

We are very similar personality-wise, so it didn’t take much, thankfully. I had a great time with my older screen sister. We had to play Twister for one of the scenes, which I really enjoyed.

Can you tell us about your time playing Emily in the 2020 film A Christmas Carol?

Another period film here with some awesome costumes. I really liked seeing the large doll’s house, which features in the film throughout. I was quite young, and it was a long day for me at the time, and remember almost falling asleep on the comfortable chair between the actors playing my parents. There was a real fire going, which made me really sleepy, luckily it worked really well as I needed to be quite still while they focused on my eyes.

You worked on another adaptation of A Christmas Carol in 2019 for the BBC as Scrooge’s Daughter alongside Guy Pearce as Ebenezer Scrooge, what do you remember from being on set of this project for your first screen role?

This was such fun, I remember meeting Guy for the first time on set, and he picked me up and gave me a peck on the cheek, which was sweet! He spoke to me and my screen brother briefly about what we were going to do and then we cracked straight on. There was a scene involving the giving of gifts which was lovely, but my favourite part was when poor Guy had to spin me around in the air and I was to appear gleeful. He’d obviously had his Weetabix that day, as he did it a few times and never waivered! I do also recall that I’d had a growth spurt between the fitting and shoot date and that I needed to be sewn into the dress, and at the end of the day, hurriedly cut out of it due to the time I was allowed to be on set elapsing shortly after wrap.

How does it feel to have been recognised as one of the Top 100 Child Prodigies in the World in the Acting category at this year’s Global Child Prodigy Awards, and what are you looking forward to for attending the event?

Honestly, it was such a shock to receive the news, I was overwhelmed! What an honour it is, I’m super grateful to the international selection committee for choosing me under the category Acting and Theatre. I am really looking forward to meeting the other children at the ceremony at the end of June, and receiving my award. What a fantastic opportunity, it’s still sinking in!

Throughout your career, you have also been part of a number of commercials including for Vodafone, Seriously Cheddar and Heinz Operation Beanz, can you say about some them?

My favourite one to shoot was the cheese advert, my screen dad James was really good fun, and we got on so well. I was amused at the amount of cheese he had to eat off a spoon for each take though, it’s a good job he liked it!

I also enjoyed filming the Vodafone advert, the clothes and set was 00s-themed and it felt very retro.

My main memory of shooting the Beanz advert was having a hall full of primary aged children aged five to eight, and a plate of beans on toast in front of them and being instructed not to eat any till ‘action’ was announced. There was one child, however, that didn’t get the memo and kept scoffing the entire plate down quickly, and after three or four takes, didn’t want to eat anymore.

How did you get into acting and did you always know you wanted to do it professionally?

I was not quite two when I shot a safety awareness video for the company my dad worked for at the time, along with my dad and sister. That was my first experience of being in front of the camera. A few years later, my mum saw an open call on social media for a specific aged child with a certain look for a feature film. She applied and I was shortlisted, but ultimately didn’t get it. The agency it was through, however, asked if I would consider being on their books should anything else come up. The rest is history and six years later, am still with them. I am very fortunate in the fact acting comes naturally to me, as does learning long scripts. I do have a fantastic memory, which is a bonus and helps with short notice auditions and when on set. I have had an acting coach in the past, the wonderful international acting coach, Sarah-Jayne Butler but I’ve not attending a drama school as such.

What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?

My absolute favourite show of all time is the US hit show The Rookie. Tim Bradford, played by Eric Winter, is my favourite character in the show for sure. I also love and watch on repeat, Motherland, Superstore and Friday Night Dinner. Finally, I’m really looking forward to the final season of Stranger Things coming up. Millie Bobby Brown is such an inspiration of mine and I enjoy following her journey as well.

How do you like to spend your free time?

When I’m not in front of a camera, you’ll likely find me at my gaming laptop playing games such as Assassin’s Creed and Horizon Zero Dawn (yes, I know!). I also like to play Hogwarts Legacy, which is little more age appropriate maybe, but I am very mature for my age and enjoy the battle games just as much. I am also a gymnast, and have been training at the Havering Gymnastics Centre since I was four years old, and am a bronze level IGA gymnast. Now I’m a bit older, I’m enjoying the freedom of being able to venture out with my friends locally for short periods of time too.

Do you have a favourite aspect of being an actor, and how do you feel finding out you’ve booked new roles?

I think my favourite things about being an actor are the opportunities to travel and make new friends. I’d love the opportunity to travel abroad for a job again for sure. I still keep in contact with several children I have met along the journey, and it’s always nice to catch up in casting rooms, or on new projects absolutely.

I’m definitely not a bragger, I find it very difficult sometimes taking about my achievements, but when I get a new role, I want to shout about it from the rooftops. The talent and competition are so high currently, that any new booking is a massive deal.

What are you hoping this year brings for your career, and do you have any projects coming up that you can share?

Honestly, I’d love to be cast as a named role in the new Harry Potter series, or Narnia. I’m a super fan of both and so maybe in the near future something will pop up for one of those. I’d also love to do some stuntwork on a project. I’ve spent some time with stuntman and actor AJ North of late and had training in hand-to-hand combat and Bo staff which was awesome! And if a role in The Rookie was up for grabs, I wouldn’t turn that down!

I have a few projects due for release this year, one for Netflix and a Paramount film that I had a small role in (using my American accent, thanks to Dannika at SOAR Performance Academy for those US accent courses).

I’m mostly looking forward to travelling to a few countries later this year for the premieres of the feature film I shot in Finland, that’s going to be the best experience and a first for me!

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