Alice Hewkin is a multifaceted talent, captivating audiences with her dynamic performances across film, television and theatre. From her early role in BBC’s Sherlock Holmes to her recent appearances in Game of Thrones and Doctor Who, Hewkin’s versatility shines. Whether portraying the mystical Child of the Forest in GOT or the spirited Jacqui Chan in The Crown, she brings depth and authenticity to every character. Her film credits, including The Amateur and Rye Lane, showcase her ability to command the screen with grace and poise.

Currently starring in Brad Falchuk’s The Brothers Sun on Netflix, Hewkin continues to impress with her magnetic presence. With a stellar career trajectory, Alice Hewkin stands as a beacon of talent and inspiration in the entertainment industry. Wonderland had the honour of sitting down with the star to discuss early days, preparing for roles and future aspirations.

Read the exclusive interview below…

Hi Alice, thanks for chatting with us! Can you tell us a bit about your artistic upbringing? When did you first fall in love with acting?
I’ve known since I was a child that I’ve wanted to act. Since I can remember I’ve been in my own world, creating characters. I’ve been fascinated by people. I first got a taste of the acting world when I did the TV film Baker Street Irregulars with Aaron Johnson and Jonathan Pryce at 13. I just fell in love with it and I remember someone telling me, “you can do this for a living,” so I set off on that journey. I trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and since then have been fortunate to work in television, theatre and film, so here we are! 

How do you prepare for your roles, and what do you most look for in a script?
I love preparing for roles. I watch a lot of films and television, and I do a huge amount of people watching and get a lot of inspiration from that when creating roles. Once I know the character, I make a little book where I write down what I imagine their favourite colours, music, clothes and so on are. When I have that I just go and don’t ever over think it. I use my instinct and play with it. I would call myself a chameleon and once I have found the character’s voice and style, I let it all flow. I read a lot of scripts and the thing I look for is a good, important story, a good character arc and journey, room for the character to grow so that you see a change, for me that’s important. I love comedy, so anything that I giggle at I gravitate towards. The Brothers Sun had me laughing a lot, I love a good one liner which my character, May, has a few of. 

What’s one piece of advice that you always carry with you?
My one piece of advice which I stand by is what’s meant for you will never pass you. Naomi Ackie once told me that and my friends tell me that all the time. I find it strange because I’m someone who loves being in control, I wake up early, exercise and have a whole routine and I am a big planner, but I’m getting better at just flowing with life and going with it.

From Game of Thrones to The Crown and Sex Education, how do you see your artistic evolution, and how do you think these roles shaped your career?
From Game of Thrones to The Crown to Sex Education and now to The Brothers Sun, I play very different roles in each of those series. I evolve and keep fresh by always challenging myself, and changing, I think that’s the fun of this world, you do bring yourself to every role, but playing these characters have been such fun and each so unique, and that’s what I love.

How do you navigate between comedy and drama roles, and do you have a preference for either genre?
I absolutely love drama with comedy. I think those shows that have both are always the best, we always need laughter amongst the hard times, and I believe that’s what we all want to see. I think I gravitate towards comedy, but I also love drama, I’d like to do more of it. I think comedy can be more challenging at times because it’s to do with timing and pace, which I love doing.

With your extensive experience in both television and film, do you have a favourite medium to work in? How does your approach to stage acting differ from your work in television and film?
I absolutely love the world of film and television, it really is so magical creating a whole world! The big difference between TV and theatre is that on screen you do get more takes. On stage you just have that moment, and if you mess up you just roll with it, as it’s live. I also think it’s great fun, when something wrong or unexpected occurs or on stage, that’s when the real magic happens. I really do love both mediums, but I think my heart is with TV and film. I remember as a child seeing Chocolat with Juliette Binoche and being utterly engrossed with that world and the characters, I was obsessed for weeks, I even pretended I was her and convinced my mum to buy me a chocolate making kit, that’s the magic of film! 

Speaking of The Brothers Sun, can you tell us a bit about your characters?
In The Brothers Sun I play twins May and June. May is the boss of a drug cartel and runs a club and June is the more creative twin who is also an assassin. You definitely don’t want to mess with either of them! June eventually teams up with the brothers Bruce and Charles Sun to hunt down the bad guys. 

What drew you to these characters specifically, and how did you connect most with them?
When I read the roles of May and June I connected with both of them instantly! Although they are so different, May is far more light, erratic, fun and very outgoing and can talk her way out of any situation, but she also switches and has an erratic crazier side when she’s angry, whereas June thinks more, she’s more soft and emotional, but has a much harder exterior. It’s an actor’s dream to play two roles who are twins but yet so different. I’ve had so many people tell me “OMG, you play both of them?” which makes me giggle every time. I connected with May’s silliness and playfulness, as I am bubbly and outgoing myself, and with June I connected to her emotional side and having to be very guarded, as I do also have that side of me.

As an actress, how do you see your craft evolving or expanding in the future? Are there any roles you dream of playing?
I want to continue exploring more roles that always challenge and scare me. What is great is that I feel I’m always evolving my craft by watching films and TV for inspiration, continuing my Mandarin lessons and keeping up with the incredible fight and martial arts training I had on The Brothers Sun. Justin Yu and all the stunts team were incredible, and learning all those fight skills helped me evolve so much as a person and actor. My friend Malcolm who’s an actor I met on Rye Lane continually pushes and inspires me. That’s one of my favourite aspects of filming, is you meet other actors who you really just connect with and you can learn so much from them, for example acting alongside Michelle Yeoh taught me just so much.

Any exciting plans for 2024 on the pipeline you could share with us?
Later this year, the film Amateur is coming out, starring Rami Malek, and I can’t wait for everyone to see that. I play a CSI agent and I really had fun with that! Now, I can tell my friends that Alice is in Wonderland!