Sidhant Anand will be seen playing Tyler in the upcoming Sky Original film FING! – an adaptation of David Walliams’ book of the same name, with David also starring in the film, and alongside Sidhant and David, further cast members include Iona Bell (Myrtle Meek), Blake Harrison (Christopher Meek) and Mia Wasikowska (Maureen Meek), and FING! is directed by Jeffrey Walker. A further upcoming project for Sidhant will be the TV mini-series Amadeus, with Will Sharpe, Paul Bettany and Gabrielle Creevy also in the cast, and in 2023, Sidhant played the supporting lead role of Shahan in the short film Same, Same?. For his professional stage and West End debut, Sidhant joined the cast in 2023 of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical at Cambridge Theatre playing Bruce Bogtrotter, and whilst in the musical, he performed on The One Show – 500 Words for World Book Day at Buckingham Palace in front of Queen Camilla. Over the summer, Sidhant has completed a couple of projects and is now back to auditioning. We caught up with Sidhant about playing Tyler in the future release of the screen adaptation of David Walliams’ FING!, being part of the upcoming TV mini-series Amadeus and making his professional and West End debut as Bruce Bogtrotter in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical.

You will be playing Tyler in the upcoming Sky Original film FING!, which is based on the book of the same name by David Walliams, how familiar were you with David Walliams’ books before booking your role and how was it filming for one of his screen adaptations?

I remember Fing! the book came out just before the COVID-19 lockdown. When I got the hardback version shaped like a custard cream, the illustrations and the story got me instantly hooked and since then I’ve read it again like 22 more times! My favourite book is The Beast of Buckingham Palace.

Getting chosen for this role was a dream come true for me. I would always sit in my bed for hours and read David’s books and I’ve always pictured myself in one of his stories. It was a lot of auditions and waiting, but in the end, the patience really paid off! I was even MORE excited when I realised we’d be going to Australia, as I had never been there, and boy, what a treat it turned out to be!

What was it like meeting David and the rest of the cast and what was Tyler like to play?

You will 100% LOVE the movie!

It was so much fun working with the cast and the awesome crew! I really enjoyed being directed by the brilliant Jeff Walker. He was really kind and brought out the best in me in every scene. Of course, meeting and working with Taika Waititi and David Walliams was amazing too. David is as funny in real life as he is in his books! I met Iona (Bell) at the director’s meet for the first time. She is incredibly talented and we all had a great time on and off set. The crew were lovely too and I enjoyed playing hacky sack in between my scenes. The costume and makeup team were so cool too.

Can’t wait for everyone to see it soon!

Playing Tyler was very interesting as he has a lovely personality – fun-loving but quirky too and… I guess that’s all I can say about it until you WATCH FING!

It has also been announced that you are in the cast of the upcoming TV mini-series Amadeus starring Will Sharpe, Paul Bettany and Gabrielle Creevy, is there anything you can say about this?

It was great to share the screen with Will, and the whole experience was unique as I had never done a period drama before. I met such talented actors and crew members on set and I truly couldn’t have wished for a better time. Even though I play a small part in this series, to share the screen with such experienced actors and to have Paul Bettany watch me on set was like living a dream!

What are you looking forward to for the release of both FING! and Amadeus and who do you think each project will appeal to?

FING! and Amadeus were set in different times, and I am looking forward to them being successful and well-received by the audience.

How would you describe your supporting lead character Shahan in the 2023 short film Same, Same? and what was it like to be part of?

Same, Same? was one of my very first acting jobs, and was a huge opportunity to experience what it really was like as an actor. This BFI project was also connected to my Asian roots, and I felt proud to represent my South Asian community by being a part of it. I had a lovely reunion with the cast and the director at its premiere at the UK Asian Film Festival in London (UKAFF).

How did you feel finding out you’d booked the role of Bruce Bogtrotter in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical in the West End, and had you read Roald Dahl’s novel or seen the musical or films before auditioning?

After so many auditions and trips to London, I was so delighted to find out when I got the role of Bruce in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical! I was nervous, happy and shocked, all at the same time, and my West End debut became that once-in-a-lifetime experience. I have read most of Roald Dahl’s books and also watched movies like The BFG, The Twits, Matilda and more.

What was it like playing Bruce in the West End and did you have a favourite aspect of getting into character?

Playing Bruce was an absolute thrill – each performance was bigger, louder, and even more fun than the one before! It was great sharing the stage with my new friends, who are now ‘maggots for life’! I loved eating that chocolate cake and had SO many people after the show asking me if I really ate the whole cake? You would think it’s scary but getting shouted at by Miss Trunchbull on stage in front of a thousand odd people doesn’t sound great, and could make anyone want to bawl their lungs out or lock themselves up in Chokey!

My favourite part was acting out the change from being the happy-go-lucky Bruce to the sad, miserable one. Furthermore, the audiences during When I Grow Up were amazing, I would get so many supportive reactions, and then finally they would cheer me with claps when I sang Revolting Children – all those little moments really made my close-to-50 performances very memorable!

What do you remember from your opening night in the production and how was it having the show as your professional and West End debut?

I remember being backstage, ready to perform, and my name was announced in front of the entire audience. I felt even more excited and pumped up to perform after that! But super nervous too. Soon after I left the theatre, I was met by a huge crowd including my family and close friends waiting outside the stage door to congratulate me. The West End was fun to work in, and the debut was just the highlight of it all.

You performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical on The One Show – 500 Words for World Book Day, how was it performing When I Grow Up at Buckingham Palace?

I felt honored to be chosen to represent my cast for that performance. It was unbelievable to be at Buckingham Palace and on BBC’s The One Show, and to perform in front of the Queen, royalty and celebrities was a truly remarkable moment. Romesh (Ranganathan) was so funny and I saw so many stars like Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Bonneville and Alisha Weir and was left inspired by such heartfelt and captivating stories shared by the winners of the 500 Words competition.

We understand you have been part of commercials, can you tell us about some of them?

I have been in several ads including LEGO and OVO Energy. What many people may not know is that my whole family was also involved in both of them! In fact, one of them for LEGO was shot at my own home, which was a cool experience. Our home was transformed into a studio with cameras and studio lights.

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

At first, I never really thought about becoming an actor – I just loved putting on little acts for my parents and friends. I would try mimicking Mr Tumble and other stars on TV as a child and really enjoyed just making people happy. I then got to play Joseph in my school’s Christmas Nativity play and people really loved how I added my own ideas to the role and made it humorous. I then did a couple of other plays, and my mum then got an agency to represent me and before I knew it, I started loving all the jobs and opportunities that came my way.

I remember my first audition very well where I was given a script from Harry Potter. I loved being there and I just felt it was very easy and natural for me as I enjoyed doing the group improv and acting workshops and generally being in front of the camera playing someone else. Now, I couldn’t be happier to call myself an actor!

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

I love watching the whole Marvel saga, and action-packed thrillers like Percy Jackson and Enola Holmes. The multiverse in the Spider-Man movies always gets me spiralling about parallel universes! I love animation classics like Kung Fu Panda and Shrek movies, and me and my dad roleplay a lot of those scenes. I also love Free Guy, especially for Ryan Reynolds – I just love his comic timing in his movies!

On TV, I love watching The Traitors and The Apprentice as it’s very unpredictable – you never know what’s next!

I also watch a lot of Hindi and Tamil movies, especially those of Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar. I love Bollywood music and it’s cool to see how most films have a bunch of songs capturing the emotions in every movie.

How do you like to spend your free time?

In my free time, I like singing and playing the piano, being bonkers with my two golden retrievers, watching a whole lot of TV and hanging out with my friends. I absolutely love video games, especially playing ROBLOX and Minecraft. I am also learning Spanish.

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

I was told by someone that I was ‘a very passionate young person with ambition, and that I should always be patient and trust in myself and the process’ and as a young actor, that really means a lot because this is a crazy world of being submitted, then called for auditions, sometimes after so long, and mostly, never called back.

To have rejections or to be the last few in the room, only to lose the part feels very disheartening. Especially if they are long scripts or if I feel that particular character is special and I could be it. But, most casting directors I have come across have been so friendly and supportive.

One director told me that although I did a fantastic job, the character they were looking for was different than what I had to offer. That made me realise that sometimes, all you can do is give your best, as that is what is in your control.

Another piece of advice that has always stayed with me is that acting isn’t just about entertaining – it’s about truly becoming the character and seeing the world through their perspective. To fully immerse yourself in the scene and connect with the story is what acting really means. It’s also very important to make the character your own. To really add the uniqueness to the role and make it yours. I really keep that in my head when I do my scenes.

What do you enjoy most about working in the acting industry and how different do you find filming for screen opposed to performing on stage?

In theatre, I enjoy the variation of song and dance and the overall drama and grandness of it all – the colours, the costumes and all that. Sometimes it’s as happy and cheerful as When I Grow Up, but sometimes it’s also as sharp and bitter as in The Smell Of Rebellion.

In film, you can do a scene multiple times, unlike theatre. Things can be edited out, or voiceovers can hide errors. What I enjoy I most in filming is putting on makeup and costumes, because it feels like a new experience every time.

In theatre, I was constantly running around the stage with quick changes happening left and right – timing was everything! While in film, I could spend hours reading with the cast figuring out how to make a scene stronger or trying out variations. Theatre has taught me to think on my feet and improvise, while film has taught me to pay more close attention to detail and understand how different angles, eye lines, can shape my scene. So, while they may seem similar, the experiences are completely different, but they are both equally exciting.

Do you have any further projects coming up that you can share and what are you hoping the next year brings for you?

I have just completed a couple of projects this summer, so I am back to auditioning now! I really hope that the next year brings more opportunities for me. I feel I am ready and well-prepared for anything that comes my way.

Follow Sidhant on:

Instagram