Words: Tina Edward Gunawardhana Photos: Alice Luker
Dusky beauty Nethra Tilakumara is part of the next gen of Brit Lankans making their mark in the British entertainment industry
During your career have you found being an actress of colour has hindered your possibilities?
When I was starting to audition more at 15, I began to realize I was always going up for the quirky ‘best friend’ rather than the lead which was always a specific look that wasn’t me. It was also a time I started to realize there weren’t many girls who looked like me as the leads on screen. It definitely is a little harder but there’s nothing to say that a powerful array of roles won’t happen for young Asian actresses like me, especially with diversity being a prominent discussion in film and TV. I want to play characters that tell our stories from our culture but also being able to play the girl next door that isn’t solely defined by being Asian. Things are slowly changing and there are wonderful writers out there who want to create more diverse stories as well as directors and casting directors that want to change the face of film and TV.
How old were you when you first started acting?
My mum, Shehani put me into Stagecoach which was a Saturday acting school when I was 4. I was really shy and I didn’t like it at first but that was very short lived.
What swayed you to go to acting school?
I just wanted to be better, so it seemed like the obvious route. I was doing my A- Levels and auditioning for all the drama schools in London. However I didn’t get in anywhere.
I auditioned at Emil Dale Academy which was a musical theatre school but it wasn’t a BA Drama degree, it was a two-year BTEC extended diploma but I loved the atmosphere of the school and it felt right. Everything happens for a reason because had I gone to drama school to do a degree, I wouldn’t have been able to book work. Emil Dale was such a brilliant place to train; I owe a lot to them.
At what age did you realize you wanted to be a professional actress?
I was 8 doing a production of Hairspray!
