Rising star: Alex Lawther

Alex Lawther‘s first professional performance was at the tender age of 16 when he played the lead in the critically acclaimed production of David Hare‘s play South Downs which then transferred to the West End. He then scored his first film role alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game. Pretty good for someone with no professional training who had only just finished his A-Levels. Since then he’s starred in film X&Y, took a part in Crushed Shells and Mud at Southwark Playhouse and now, aged only 20, is about to take the lead in Trudie Styler’s new film Freak Show.

South Downs was your first professional show, did you ever stop to think "oh my god, what am I doing"?

I was just naive. Two years later and I would have realised how lucky I was: what a gift of a play, what a gift of a cast and a chance to work with an amazing director Jeremy Herrin. But all that went over my head. I'm not sure I even knew who David Hare was! I’d just finished my GCSEs, they said they’d like me to lead the play and I thought: "Oh OK I’ve done that at school before".

What made you go for the audition?

It was an open casting and a friend of mine said I should do it. Then my mum drove me to Chichester Festival Theatre. But when we got there I said: "this is silly, there’s going to be all these amazing drama school people and I don’t know what I’m doing". She was like: "I’ve driven half an hour to get here, get out of the car."

You first film was The Imitation Game – did you hang out lots with Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley?

Not when we were filming, we met in rehearsals and with the press stuff that came after. I was very lucky because I didn’t have any of the responsibility that Benedict or Keira had. I could just sit there watching and occasionally say something a bit silly.

What makes you go for a project?

Parts are quite attractive if I initially think that maybe I can’t do them. And if I read the script and the idea of someone else doing the part is heartbreaking then I think I should take it.

What are you hoping to achieve in your career?

The actors I most admire are the ones that are still obsessed with learning and are obsessed getting to the bottom of a character. I’d like to be an actor like that.

You missed university, do you think you’ll go?

Maybe if there comes a time in my life when I want to learn a bit more about French literature or something, I could do an Open University course. But I’m realising that there’s a lot of different ways to learn stuff outside the structure of academics.

Are you excited about your next project Freak Show?

Yes. it’s very different from anything I’ve done before, which is wonderful and terrifying.

Is there something you’ve seen recently that you’ve loved?

I’ve been watching the new Amazon series called Transparent. It’s about a father who is transitioning from male to female and it’s just beautiful. I’ve almost finished the first series and I’ve only been watching it six days. I’m so addicted to it.

Who would you love to work with – either dead or alive?

I wish that I had lived at a time when [contemporary choreographer] Pina Bausch was still alive. I’m not a dancer, but if she was around I would beg her to let me work for her. Her work is more than dance. It’s dancing at a level that I think acting is often trying to achieve. Being truthful. There’s this one piece Café Muller which I haven’t really worked out what it means, but I know that it’s beautiful.

Crushed Shell and Mud is at Southwark Playhouse until 24 October