The Big Interview…with actor Leon Harrop
Joseph: How did you first get into doing TV work and has it been a good experience to be on TV?
Leon: I started in 2009. I was at a learning disability school, and one of the teachers had a phone call from the BBC asking them to submit somebody with special needs for the part of Otto in The Street. It all started from there. It has been a good experience. I love it. It’s a good thing to be an actor. You meet lots of people. It’s really, really good to be an actor.
Joseph: What acting have you done so far?
Leon: So, my first one was back in 2009 – I was in ‘The Street’, with Stephen Graham and Maxine Peake. After that I was in ‘From There to Here’, ‘No Offence’, ‘Moving On’, ‘The A Word’, ‘Casualty’, ‘Brassic’, ‘Jackdaw’ and ‘Professor T’.
Joseph: Do you think it has been more difficult to get into professional acting because of having a learning disability?
Leon: No, because we [people with disabilities] have got ability. There are people with disabilities who can do stuff like acting, singing and dancing. I like to help people to get into acting.
Joseph: What acting advice could you give, to help me follow in your footsteps?
Leon: If you’ve got a piece of dialogue, go through it again and again. Then if you’re confident, stand up and start acting it. If you’ve got a script, put a cross on it and then you know who you’re playing and where your lines are. Or use Easy Read.
A good tip about acting is, look at different people, what they do on TV, and say to yourself – I can do that. Watch what they do and think, ‘I might try that this way’, or ‘that way’. Then pick out some scenes and do it by yourself.
Joseph: Is there anyone that has inspired you and helped you to become the prominent actor that you are?
Leon: A couple of people have inspired me. One is Christopher Eccleston. He helped me with my lines when I did the A Word.
Joseph: I really love comedy. Do you like to make people laugh?
Leon: I’ve got a comedy side because sometimes I’m really funny on screen, but sometimes I have to take it seriously as there are different things happening. If I do a programme and it makes you laugh, I love it. A Word, Ralph and Katie…they all have comedy in them.
Joseph: What’s it like acting with professional actors?
Leon: Brilliant! It’s really good working with professional actors. It’s just brilliant working with different characters around me, like Stephen Graham, Maxine Peake and Christopher Eccleston. It’s just nice to have people together. You’re doing good though mate.
You’re doing an amazing job what you’re doing. You never know, you might work with me in the future.
About Leon Harrop
Leon is a BAFTA Breakthrough artist who has starred in several film and television projects, including The Street (2009), From There to Here (2014), The A Word (2016-2020), Brassic (2019-2022) Ralph & Katie (2022) and Jackdaw (2023). Leon is an ambassador for United Response.
About Joseph Robson
Joseph Robson is an actor training with ROC Creative. Joseph has performed in a wide range of projects and productions during his time with ROC Creative, including Macbeth, The World Needs You, James Foster, and a film documenting the life of Charlie Chaplin. In his spare time Joseph enjoys writing scripts and stories.