LILY NEWMARK

IS A FRESH VOICE…

Born and raised in Camberwell, south London, Lily Newmark joined the National Youth Theatre before graduating to shorts and music videos. She had a small role in Solo: A Star Wars Story but Pin Cushion, drawing on her own painful memories of being bullied at school, marks her striking breakthrough. It earned her a Bifa nomination for Most Promising Newcomer…

Did you relate to Pin Cushion’s Iona?

When I was 15, I was exactly like her. It was really hard to experience everything again, but it was incredibly cathartic in the sense that I’ve now really told how hard it was, and how I felt.

Did you get on with the actors playing the bullies?

I tried to stay away from them. They’re such lovely people but they didn’t really know how to separate the relationships on camera and off camera, so it made it easier to not be their friend. It was genuinely awkward and tense when we did meet in the scenes.

We saw you briefly in Solo: A Star Wars Story…

Lexi is like the Artful Dodger of the White Worm world. She’s the leader of a pack of street rats. I’ve always loved Star Wars. It was a massive privilege to work on that huge set. And so exciting to be 3D-scanned to be a potential toy!

You’ve got loads in the pipeline, including

Les Misérables and Born A King. Is there a throughline to the parts you play?

Sometimes I go for more vulnerable parts, but I want to show that I’m a chameleon. What I definitely don’t want to be is a star or famous.

Which actors did you most admire growing up?

Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep. Joaquin Phoenix. But no one in particular was the one where I wanted to be just like them. [Pause] Except Danny DeVito. Danny DeVito is my all-time favourite. JG

ETA | 13 JULY / PIN CUSHION OPENS LATER THIS MONTH.