On Friday 17th October, Anna Popplewell will begin her run in the UK premiere of The Wanderers at Marylebone Theatre as Julia Cheever. Anna will be working with fellow cast members Alexander Forsyth (Abe), Katerina Tannenbaum (Esther), Eddie Toll (Schmuli) and Paksie Vernon (Sophie), and The Wanderers (with the script by Anna Ziegler) will be open in London until Saturday 29th November. Further theatre projects for Anna has seen her play Solange in The Maids at Jermyn Street Theatre and Reading Rep earlier this year, and she made her professional stage debut in 2023 in Harriet Madeley’s adaptation of Hedda Gabler, again at Reading Rep. On screen, Anna played the lead role of Dr. Terra in the short film Plastic Surgery, Kate in The Nun II – as part of The Conjuring Universe franchise, and in 2022, she played Morgan in the interactive film The Gallery. In Series 1 to 3 of Reign, Anna played co-lead character Lady Lola Narcisse, and early in her acting career, she played one of the lead characters Susan Pevensie in the film adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia, Anna Sackville-Bagg in The Little Vampire and Denise Smash in Thunderpants. We recently chatted to Anna about her role of Julia Cheever in the upcoming UK premiere of The Wanderers at Marylebone Theatre, playing Kate in The Nun II and working on the Narnia films as Susan Pevensie.

It has been announced that you will be playing Julia Cheever in the UK premiere of The Wanderers, can you tell us about the show and your character?

The Wanderers is the story of a writer who begins an unexpected romantic correspondence with a movie star. As he does so, he is also tracing the story of Esther and Schmuli, and navigating the changing landscape of his marriage. It’s a play about connection: how it’s built and how it’s missed and how it’s lost.

Julia is charming and glittery and confident on the surface, but underneath all that she is vulnerable too, and searching for something she’s been missing.

The show will be opening at Marylebone Theatre on Friday 17th October and will be running until Saturday 29th November; what are you looking forward to for opening in the play and how does it feel to be part of the UK premiere?

I feel very lucky to be working on this text. It’s a gorgeous play with a brilliant cast, and I am excited to be part of sharing it with audiences in the UK.

How was it reading Anna Ziegler’s script for the first time and was there anything that drew you to the production?

I think it is just such a wonderful piece of writing: so devastating and uplifting all at once, and all the characters felt so well-drawn. It has that rare magic of both reflecting your own experience in its detail and showing you new ways of seeing in its larger themes.

How has it been meeting your fellow cast members Alexander Forsyth (Abe), Katerina Tannenbaum (Esther), Eddie Toll (Schmuli) and Paksie Vernon (Sophie), and have you worked with any of them previously?

I haven’t worked with any of them previously, and they’re completely delightful.

What is Julia like to play and how are you preparing for taking on the role?

We are just one week in to rehearsals at the moment. Julia is lovely to play – she’s much more confident than I am and that’s quite fun. She feels very vital to me, full of the energy of someone wrestling with the question of what they really want.

Who do you think will enjoy watching The Wanderers and why would you recommend booking tickets for the run in London?

I recommend everyone book tickets for it! It’s a very beautiful play. See it if you’ve ever loved anyone or longed for anyone or lost anyone.

How was your time playing Solange in The Maids at Jermyn Street Theatre and Reading Rep earlier this year?

It was a great experience – I loved working with Annie Kershaw, the director. And my castmates were so kind and so brilliant. It was a pretty intense role, and in some ways it’s quite a relief to be playing someone with less rage. Solange was very exciting but also very demanding. Her stakes were so high.

And I had quite a tiny baby still – my son was just a few months old when I started rehearsing The Maids. So I think Julia may be a little better rested!

How did you find the experience making your professional stage debut starring as Hedda Gabler in Reading Rep’s adaptation of Hedda Gabler in 2023?

Terrifying but wonderful. Hedda has always been a bit of a dream role. So there was the fear that comes with that. And with not knowing what you don’t know in terms of the medium itself. I loved performing it though once my nerves had settled. It was such a lovely adaptation by Harriet Madeley.

Is there anything you can tell us about this year’s release of short film Plastic Surgery and how was it playing the lead role of Dr. Terra?

It tells the story of a surgeon on her last day before maternity leave (we filmed it when I was 35 weeks pregnant). On her final shift, Dr. Terra encounters an unknown threat that spirals out of control.

I am full of admiration for how Guy Trevellyan (the writer/director) has made this short. It was an ambitious shoot and he has put together something that makes a very powerful argument about our use of microplastics.

What was it like filming as Kate in the horror film The Nun II and joining The Conjuring Universe franchise?

The Conjuring Universe is a very rich one to play in, and coming on board a sequel meant that much of the world already felt quite established. I had such a lovely relationship with Katelyn Rose Downey, whose mother I played. We are still in touch. She is a really exciting young actress, and I learnt a lot from working with her.

We shot the movie in Aix en Provence, which is a gorgeous place to be. And we were fortunate to be in a beautiful old location… the shoot itself felt very atmospheric.

In 2022, you played Morgan in the interactive film The Gallery, how different did you find this to your previous projects?

The Gallery was really different from anything else I’ve worked on. We shot it during the pandemic, so there were a lot of logistics that came with that. It made it feel quite special in some ways I think; it was a time when so many productions were being delayed or cancelled. And the nature of it was so specialised – the interactive element meant we shot so many different versions of each scene. George Blagden and I learnt a lot of ever so slightly different lines! Keeping track of each narrative pathway was difficult but also enormously satisfying.

What did you enjoy most about playing Lady Lola Narcisse in Series 1 to 3 of Reign and how was it developing the character over the years?

I found it difficult not knowing where the plot would go, and events would often turn on a dime from episode to episode. When I think about working on Reign, my most prominent memories are just of how fun and how wonderful the people were. It was such a lovely cast and crew.

What was Susan Pevensie like to play in The Chronicles of Narnia and how was it being involved with the film adaptations?

They were a huge adventure – an enormous part of my childhood. And I made lifelong friends.

Did you have any favourite scenes to film as Susan, and how is it knowing the films are still hugely popular with fans?

I loved filming the battle scenes and the raid in the second film – they were just on such an epic scale.

I always feel very grateful when people tell me they still enjoy those movies, particularly because they are such important books for lots of people. When you’re part of adapting something much loved there is always the risk of letting people down.

Early in your career, you played Anna Sackville-Bagg in The Little Vampire and Denise Smash in Thunderpants, what do you remember most from filming both projects?

I was so young!! Filming never felt like a job when I was that age. I think I was always just so in awe of the number of people on set and how specialised their jobs were. It felt like being let in on a secret world.

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

I just really love people, I think. And words. But mainly people! Acting sort of feels like this constant investigation to me, trying to understand people better.

I started working in film and TV by accident really. I did a brilliant Saturday drama club called Allsorts but had no aims to perform professionally. I got spotted for a TV job through one of their end of term shows.

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

I love going to the theatre, and try to see as much as possible.

I need a new TV show to watch actually… I think I’m going to start Severance. My comfort show is The Thick of It. I know it by heart.

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

Family life is quite busy at the moment with two small children. Otherwise I love swimming, cooking, and running (slowly!).