Being Penny And Desiring a Period Drama Role: A Conversation with Olivia Newton for the Release of The Worst Planet On Earth
Olivia Newton is a Nottingham based actor and BAFTA winning Television Workshop alumni. Since returning to acting she has been working widely with parts in CBBC’s Jamie Johnson, the feature film The Devil Outside and National TV advertising campaigns.
After the success of her first short film lead in Catharsis, Olivia is set for her first comedy lead in The Worst Planet On Earth where she stars as Penny directed by Joe and Lloyd Stas and executive produced by Sam Raimi.
The Fan Carpet’s Marc Jason Ali caught up with Olivia ahead of the release of The Worst Planet On Earth, we talk about her desire to be in a Period Drama, being a fan of Jane Austen and what made her return to Acting...
If we go back to the beginning, was there a defining moment for you to get into the Film Industry?
It is hard to pinpoint because as a child, I can’t really remember a time when I didn’t want to act. That began very early. I was lucky enough to get in to the BAFTA award winning Television Workshop so I began working in the film industry as a child and had quite a lot of high profile auditions and a lead in a kids TV show but then I walked away from the industry when I was 15. I had a lot of reasons but basically, I think it all became very real and that is a lot for a 15 year old.
I can pinpoint the moment I decided to come back though. I had had a difficult couple of years, had a baby, struggled with my mental health and left my teaching career. I was on a long car journey and I was talking to my husband about the last thing that had really made me happy and I realised it was acting… and I needed to return to it.
You have The Worst Planet on Earth coming out, what can you tell us about your character and where you fit into the story?
My character is Penny, a disgraced astronaut who was sent on a mission to explore a wormhole (probably just to get rid of her!) She finds herself back on earth but in the future when humanity is extinct and Earth is pretty rubbish and full of the scum of the universe. She has one friend, Cola the useless wizard, and together they try to find a way to get Penny back home.
Worst Planet on Earth was shot over 2 weekends and the filming schedule was quite tight because we had a lot of locations. There was a lot of running to get the drone shots right and it is not very easy to run across rocky terrain in Doc Martens but it is even harder in a full wizard costume as Micheal Muyunda who plays Cola will tell you! Plus when you are using a drone you don’t have a full crew present to explain what is going on. I am sure some of the ramblers were pretty shocked when an astronaut and a very clumsy wizard dashed past them.
The Worst Planet on Earth has Sam Raimi onboard to Executive Produce, how did that collaboration come about?
Joe and Lloyd, the directors of the film, have been working with Sam for a while on another project and they pitched him the idea for The Worst Planet on Earth and he loved it and jumped onboard with his producing partner, Debbie (who was a producer on South Park). It’s very exciting.
Keep up-to-date with Olivia Newton on Facebook and Instagram: @OliviaNewtonActor.
Head over to Holomax Theatre to check out The Worst Planet On Earth, a Behind-the-Scenes look and their other fantastic films.
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