Her recent screen successes have been This Town and Here We Go for the BBC and The School For Good and Evil on Netflix, but Freya Parks is now back on stage as Jo, the eldest of the March sisters, in York Theatre Royal's production of the Louisa May Alcott classic Little Women (September 21-October 12).
“She’s forthright and bold, really inspiring for any woman, whatever the age," Freya says. "Despite the times she is completely her own woman but still striving for more,”
With actor parents – Sam Parks and Hilary Tones – there was little doubt Freya would go into the family business. The idea was confirmed at the age of 10 when she won the part of Charles Darwin’s daughter in the film Creation with Paul Bethany and American actress Jennifer Connelly.
“They wanted a Victorian-looking child, a doleful, sad-looking child. I sent off my photograph to the casting people thinking nothing would come of it but it did and I ended up having an amazing time.
“That was my first professional job and I totally fell in love with acting."
Music. too. played a big part of growing up and continues today. Freya plays in all-female band Warpaint and others. Cello, piano and guitar are her instruments and This Town – the BBC series by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, about the formation of an 1980s new-wave band - was a dream job.
“It was one of those jobs you couldn’t quite believe how good it was," she says. "The music producer is a bit of a legend and he got us to learn the instruments and songs and perform them live. Other people would have had you miming to pre-recorded songs, which can come over quite badly.”
She’s currently waiting to hear if there will be a second series of This Town, meanwhile Little Women awaits: “I’ve been wanting to do theatre like this for a long time, but nothing has come my way. I love film and TV but it doesn’t compare to the joy of theatre and getting to tell a story every night."
More info and tickets here