Stateside success is just what the doc ordered for Antonia
IT’S the happy, uplifting, toe-tapping ending to great feel-good Scots movie Sunshine On Leith.
The film, a hit adaptation of the stage musical featuring songs by The Proclaimers, climaxes with a stirring version of I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) with the cast and hundreds of extras dancing in the heart of Edinburgh.
But star Antonia Thomas says it was all going to be very different.
“It was actually an addition as it wasn’t going to end like that,” revealed Antonia, 32, now one of the leads in big American drama series The Good Doctor which is shown here on Sky Witness.
“We had shot a different ending but everyone watched it in the edit and decided it needed something more rousing.
“It needed more high-energy, singing and dancing. So we rehearsed for about a week or so, because there were so many people involved, and then went back and shot it.
“On the day, everyone was so nervous because it was such a huge thing to get right.
“But it was so much fun. There was an incredible atmosphere and everyone was having the best time.
“Even though we were doing it again and again and there were a million different camera angles, no one minded.
“The film is definitely a highlight of my career, a huge stepping stone for me.”
Filming also took place in Glasgow and Antonia was back in the city to work on Channel 4/Netflix comedy Lovesick.
But the London-born actress now calls Vancouver home for the vast majority of the time as that’s the filming base for medical drama The Good Doctor.
She plays surgical resident
Dr Claire Browne, close friend of autistic surgeon Dr Shaun Murphy.
He’s played by fellow Londoner, Freddie Highmore, who broke through with starring roles in films Finding Neverland and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.
“It was a real whirlwind as far as how popular it has become and it’s great to be a part of something like this,” admitted Antonia.
“When I got the first script and saw it was developed by David Shore, who created House, I knew it was going to be well-written.
“So it was a no-brainer when I was offered the part. We were still tucked away filming it in Vancouver when it started airing in America and almost overnight it became hugely successful.
“It was a bit surreal as we were removed from it and it was only really when we went to Los Angeles that we realised how big it was.
“It’s the first thing I’ve done in America and it’s been great for my career.”
But being one of the stars has meant putting in the hours in a way Antonia hasn’t experienced before.
“The system here is very different from home. As one of the leads you just go on until the work is done.
“In Britain you might do a 12-hour day, but not here. You might start the week finishing at maybe seven at night, but by the end of the week you’re finishing at 2am.
“In the first season we were starting a huge scene at 1am and I was looking at people and thinking, ‘What? Are we really carrying on?’
“I was so tired, but you build up a stamina pretty quickly and learn to make sure you get good sleep.”
Antonia has fallen in love with both Vancouver and Canada in general.
And when she’s not working until the early hours of the morning, she’s tried to see as much as she can.
“Vancouver is high on the list of the world’s best cities to live in and in the summer, at least, it’s a real outdoorsy place,” she adds.
“I’ve tried to take advantage of that while I’ve been here and when I had some time off I went to the Rockies.
“The only thing is that the weather has obviously now turned and the winters are a bit harder.
“When the rain starts, it forgets to stop.”
The Good Doctor, Sky Witness, Tuesday, 9pm.