British actress and artistic director Ann Akinjirin is set to have a beaming 2024, leading BBC’s The Famous Five with her incredible expertise.
Ann’s portfolio spans across multiple gripping works, such as appearing alongside Oscar Isaac in Marvel’s action-packed Moon Knight series, playing Detective ‘Bobbi Kennedy’, and in Michaela Coel’s critically acclaimed I May Destroy You. Aside from her stellar acting career, Ann held the title of artistic director for Harts Theatre Company for ten years, alongside being an avid advocate for increased access for deaf and visually impaired audiences, directing at Deafinitely Theatre, and working as a writer-director at NYT.
Now, she steps into the role of Fanny in the brand new adaptation of of Enid Blyton’s wildly popular and beautifully classic book of the same name. The series follows the five childhood favourites on their adventures into adulthood, and Akinjirin truly makes her mark. It will air as three parts and, even better, there is no need to wait to indulge in the nostalgia infused series, as the first episode is available to view today.
How does one do it all, you might be thinking? We had the honour of sitting down with the multitalented role model to dive into all things The Famous Five, early inspirations, and the theatre and television world.
Read the exclusive interview below…
Hi Ann! Congratulations on your upcoming role in The Famous Five. How did this opportunity come about?
The opportunity for The Famous Five came about through a casting director called Dan Hubbard who I love and adore. He has cast some amazing projects and he presented it to me. I didn’t read The Famous Five books when I was younger, so the script landed in my inbox, and I read the creative vision that Matthew and Nicolas had for the show, and I was intrigued. As soon as I finished the script, it was an absolute easy yes for me.
Can you tell us a bit about your artistic upbringing and when did you first get into acting?
I first got into acting seriously when I was about 11 years old. I was introduced to Sylvia Young Drama School on a Saturday and that’s how the journey started. I then went to the Brit School at 16. I also did a performance degree, and I went to Drama Studio London to do a post grad in acting. So, I started quite young. At first, performing was just something that my brothers and I used to do to spend time in the summer holidays. We used to dance and act and make up our own stories and adventures. My mum would always put us in summer schools that had some sort of performing element to them. But it wasn’t until I got to secondary school that I realised that acting was something that I could pursue in a serious way, and it started from there.
How was your preparation process for this role?
I got the role and started working in quick succession. There were only about two weeks in between getting the role and my first day on set. My initial preparation process was through having conversations with the creative team. I had great conversations with Tim Kirkby, who was our first episode director, and with Sophie, our producer. She also sent me the name of the books that the episodes were loosely based on, so I familiarised myself with that. I also started to ask and answer the questions about who Fanny is. What are her objectives and obstacles, how do I see her? Preparation for me was getting really familiar with the source material, the scripts and having conversations with the creative team. Then allowing her to reveal herself through the early days of filming.
And what aspect of the character are you most excited to bring to life on screen?
The aspects of the character that I’m most excited to see on screen is her strong, intelligent, driven, and protective side. In the books, Fanny isn’t a three-dimensional character; she’s the wife of Quentin and the mother of George. Whereas in our reimagining of the books, she’s so much more than that. I’m really excited to show that and how she is the breadwinner, the one that fights for the family. You can see a lot of Fanny in George’s character traits now. We have also changed the narrative from George being a tomboy to George just being a strong young girl.
I May Destroy You was hugely critically acclaimed. What drew you to the project, and how did it contribute to your growth as an actress?
Although Michaela and I are dear friends, I May Destroy You came about through Julie Harkin’s casting office. Michaela and I didn’t talk about it. I actually auditioned for quite a number of roles in that show before I landed on Alyssa, so the casting process was slightly longer than usual for me. It took some time for the team to find the right fit.
What draws me to a project is always the script. I read the first few episodes of I May Destroy You in the casting process, and I just knew it was going to be an incredible show. The way it contributed to my growth as an actress was by the exposure. I had been acting a while before that role, but it seemed to serve as an introduction on a larger scale. It was a moment in my career that made people really take note, stand back, and say who is that?
Your career spans both television and theatre. How do you navigate the differences in acting for these two mediums, and do you have a preference for one over the other?
I really love acting for screen, I enjoy how intimate you can make it and that beauty of filmmaking, but I also have a deep passion for creating for stage. I was the artistic director of Harts Theatre Company for 10 years, through the company I did a lot of work with established and emerging artists and had a new writing festival in collaboration with the Lyric Hammersmith, as well as creative collaborations through mental health arts festivals and producing theatre tours. We also worked with National Youth Theatre and Deafinitely Theatre. There is such magic in the theatre and creating specifically for the stage. My favourite period on most projects was always tech week. Watching the lights and sound come together was very satisfying. I can’t say that I have a preference, stage and screen fulfil me in different ways.
As an actress, how do you see your craft evolving or expanding in the future? Are there any roles you dream of playing?
I really really love indie movies! I love everything that A24 do. I love Barry Jenkins. I love foreign movies. I love Lukas Dhont and Romain Gavras, so projects that involved any of those people, are definitely aligned with what I dream to do in the future. This year I saw Close (by Lukas Dhont) and it blew my mind. I also saw Athena by Gavras, which is a completely different genre, but I love his filmmaking. I’m always enamoured by Barry Jenkins and the poetry that he brings to the screen in the way that he approaches everything that I’ve seen him do in his movies. Beautifully crafted indie movies are the types of roles that I want to do in the future.
How do you reflect on 2023? And what excites you most about 2024?
I have a tradition every year on New Year’s Eve where I write a letter to myself, but to my future self that I read on NYE the following year. I write about what is happening for me at that moment, how I I feel about the year that has passed and what I hope for the following year; that’s how I reflect. I write a really long letter to myself and say what I’m proud of or what pained me, what I’m excited by and lastly, what I hope for. It’s the summation of how I’m feeling in the moment and how I felt about the year and then a projection forward.
What excites me for 2024? I think just being able to love more, to be surrounded by amazing people and to continue to do great projects. I want to focus on my personal life as well. It’s important for me to have equal focus, as best as I can, on my personal and professional life. I just want more of the same for 2024!! More growth and more happiness.
Are there any new projects on the horizon that you’d like to share with us?
Yes, I’m playing the co-lead in Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor’s debut feature film, BBC films’ Dreamers. We start shooting in February.