Fresh-Faced Talent

Hatty Preston, a twenty-four year old, London-based actress who

fares from the West End, has just recently been signed onto the

major acting agency United Agents. Quirky, charming, and unfairly

self-deprecating, I sat down with the young thespian to find out who

she is and what makes her such a unique talent to look out for.

Outside of her parents‟ West London home on an abnormally warm day in mid-March, Harriet “Hatty” Preston is sitting quietly, the light breeze flowing

around us framing her contented expression perfectly.

She‟s wearing a black jumper, orange vest and sheer

black tights, and her striking red hair makes an unex-

pected contradiction to her polite and calming disposi-

tion.

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So, Hatty, last time I saw you was at your

play “Dinner Party.” You were fantastic in it. Thank you!

Was that produced through your school?

Yes. I go to LAMDA (London Academy of Music

and Dramatic Art) It is a quite famous drama school.

It has a really amazing theatre department. That’s great. So, what drew you to the art of

per-formance in the first place? I went to see Sound of Music when I was five and

decided I wanted to be Gretel, so I wrote to the actress

and basically asked if she could sort this out for me.

Unfortunately, she just wrote back to me with a signed

headshot. Still, it stuck with me and it hasn‟t wavered

since. And then at seven, I went on a play date with this

girl whose mum was a theatre producer, and she

basically just said to my mum, „You should really think

about getting her an agent…she‟s a bit mental.‟ So I got

into a group called “Young Blood” at the Riverside

Hammersmith with a lot of talented kids, and after that I

went to University of Nottingham and

and did a lot of drama training there.

Did you major in drama at University?

No, I did American Studies, which took me to Virgin-

ia for a year. I got to do a lot of plays there and see

the differences in English and American theatre. Do you think theatre gives something different to

the audience rather than film, tv, etc.? It‟s like a little secret…whatever happens on the

stage. Anything can happen, and when it does, it‟s in

that moment [forever]. I think real magic happens in

the theatre. What have you yourself gained from acting?

Sanity, which sounds bizarre. It‟s this little pocket of

escape from all your problems. And there‟s nothing like

being on stage when it‟s going well…it‟s like fly-ing.

And confidence. The other thing is to know what you‟re

about. I know who I am and I‟m not under any illusions

as to where my flaws begin (laughs). Any aspirations?

I want the Olivier Award, which is basically our Os-

cars for stage in England. And I‟ve given myself

until forty-three to win an Oscar. That‟s my cut-off

date. But I love the stage, so I‟m interested to see

where I will go with that. Upper left: Hatty smiles for the camera, showing off her

goofy side. Below: Sitting in the foyer of her childhood home,

Hatty likes to collect her thoughts while looking through the

old, stained glass window leading to the front garden.

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How important do you think resilience is in

this career?

If you let rejection get to you, then you‟re not cut

out for the industry. It will be with you for the rest

of your life, so if it starts getting to you at this age,

you haven‟t got a long shelf life, really, have you?

I‟m in no rush…it‟s a marathon, not a sprint.

What would you do if you weren’t acting?

Direct. And teaching. I think there‟s nothing

more admirable than teaching children well.

Who were your childhood idols?

Judy Garland. Still is. And Shirley Temple.

Are there any actors you try to emulate?

I love Ruth Wilson and Meryl Streep. I like

powerful, strong women with a human side. I don‟t

really have much time for good-looking fluff. I don‟t

really think it has any staying power nor is it very

interesting to watch.

Are there any specific roles you want to play?

I want to play Funny Girl, and when I‟m an older ac-

tress, I want to play Vicky Lester in “A Star Is

Born.” And Joan of Arc.

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If you could dine with one entertainer or idol,

who would it be? Dead or alive?

Dead or alive.

(Gasps) One entertainer….I‟m not going to go with

Judy Garland, because she was mental. I‟m going to

say Julie Walters. What characteristic in a person do you like

the most? A sense of humour.

The least?

Unkindness. I think just showing unkindness to

people is a sad and reproachable thing. What do you think your best trait is?

Sense of humour (laughs). Just in terms of not taking

myself seriously. What’s your biggest achievement so far?

Oh God, there‟s not too many to pick from (laughs).

I think my biggest achievement is signing with

United Agents. Speaking of United Agents…?

I got really lucky. I had just decid-

ed to dye my hair more red- every-

thing about me is very redhead- my

temper, my general energy, and the

parts I play. I think it helped a lot in this shallow four-minute

duologue I was doing, because I

was a memorable one to look at in

terms of overall image. I had a

great partner too, and I was very

lucky that all things came together

at the right time. It was a young agent too, unlike some of the others

that have signed people like Ewan

McGregor, Jack White, and Kate

Winslet. So I‟m really excited to be

with someone who‟s just as excited

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Hatty studying lines for an upcoming play in her

home. to be there as I am. What do you look forward to with United

Agents? Is fame something you look at as a form

of suc-cess? No. I think if you aspire for fame, you are aspiring for

very little. There are those who aspire for success and

fame comes as a result, and there are those who aspire

for fame and don‟t get anywhere near success. My

main aspiration, and this is so dark (laughs) is to be on

the Memorandum reel at the end of the Oscars. I want

to be the one at the end. What words do you live by?

“Don‟t say it off the pitch; say it on the pitch.” It‟s

my Dad‟s thing, coming from a sporting family.

great you are. Just do it. And I think that‟s the most

important [thing], especially in a field like acting,

which is all about peoples‟ opinions and perceptions

of you. You‟ve got to be able to back it up. What morals did your parents instill in you?

Teamwork is the big one. I think teamwork is the

most important thing, whatever sphere you‟re in. In three words, what does it take to be an

actor/ actress? Imagination, commitment, and play.

Last question- any words of inspiration for

the aspiring masses? I‟m still the aspiring masses! (Laughs)

What does that mean? I had to throw it in there, for the younger genera- tions. You know, the seven through ten’s.

It means, if you think you‟re good at something or

you think you‟ve got something to say, show it.

Don‟t go around talking yourself up about how

(Laughing) You get out what you put in, and I

abso-lutely believe that.

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