July 2010
Interview:
ANTONIA THOMAS
As Misfits’ resident man-eater Alisha, Antonia Thomas has the power to send any man (or indeed woman) into a fit of passion with just the slightest touch. Although Antonia couldn’t be more different to Alisha, it’s an ability we suspect the striking young actress may also possess in real-life.
How did you first react to Howard Overman’s script?
“When I first read it I thought it was brilliant, hilariously funny and obvious that it had lots and lots of potential. It feels really authentic and there’s nothing glamorous or cool about it, they’re all very awkward. So I thought it was refreshing and really well written.”
Did you see any of yourself in the character of Alisha?
“I see myself as being completely opposite to her so it was a real acting challenge, you know. She’s this really bolshie, out-there character that’s so different to myself and I thought what a brilliant challenge to get into the mind of someone like that. She isn’t actually an awful person though, she’s just very insecure, so when Howard wrote Alisha’s transition I was really pleased.”
Tell us about season two…
“Howard hasn’t told us much, we’re all pretty much in the dark about what’s going on, which is exciting and scary. The thing about Alisha and her powers is it’s obviously a massive curse and I think we’ll see that unfold, how she deals with the curse because it would be nice to move away from the insecurity of using sex to get what she wants. Maybe her and Curtis properly settle down. I’d like to see her being a lot more human and on the ball.”
Was it embarrassing to show some of the “intimate” scenes you share with Curtis to your parents?
“Yeah, those scenes were really difficult to do. Luckily me and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett get on really well so in that sense it wasn’t awkward, but those scenes were difficult to shoot. I didn’t look forward to them at all.”
Misfits was your first professional acting role, right?
“Yeah, it was, which was quite terrifying actually. I left drama school, a public theatre school, at the end of June and went straight into doing Misfits , which was great. The only thing is drama school was very theatre-based in terms of the training so I was worried. I’d never done screen work before, but it was brilliant fun and brilliant training. It had a big impact so I couldn’t have been luckier.”
Did you ever think your first role would be a man-eater like Alisha?
“No I didn’t, I went and did Shakespeare at drama school and hoped and expected it would be a nice Shakespeare role. It didn’t quite happen that way but I can’t complain!”
Has Misfits created many opportunities for you?
“It has actually. I was a little worried at first that there might be a bit of typecasting going on. A job that I finished relatively recently was a BBC job called The Deep and that character was completely different. So it hasn’t affected my roles in terms of typecasting, which is brilliant, because I have Misfits as well. It’s been good.”
