Starring in shows such as 'CHLOE' and starring in 'The Bay' on ITV. We get to chat to Eloise Thomas about her time on the shows, being on set and we ask her what's next for the rising star.

Thanks for talking to ReVamp, where did your acting inspiration come from, and did you grow up always wanting to become an actress?

I started acting when I was four, I went to a Saturday performing-arts school where I did singing, acting and dancing. From a young age I had the opportunity to do small shows at venues like the Bloomsbury theatre so I enjoyed performing from a really young age. I ended up going to Sylvia Young Theatre school part-time at around 14, I carried on singing, dancing and had an acting coach called Bryn Williams who had a more mature, hyper-real approach. I think that was when I seriously wanted to become an actor, where it wasn’t just about performing but story-telling and immersing people into different characters and their walks of life.

I think I always wanted to become an actress but the reasons why changed overtime. From a four/ five year old wanting to just be silly and prance about on stage to then being older and now wanting to really embody a character and impact an audience.

You are best known for playing ‘Young Becky’ in ‘CHLOE’, do you believe this really helped your name in the acting industry?

Definitely! Having a strong show like this as a first television credit and getting to work with an incredible team really boosted my confidence as an actor and it made me walk into castings with a new spring in my step. It was affirming and a new experience for me having casting directors mention my role in ‘Chloe’, I think it made me realise that the casting process was a collaborative practice rather than something that intimidated me when I was younger and still trying to bag a job.

You are going to be starring in the new documentaries,  ITV Drama ‘The Bay’, what made you want to go for both of these roles?

Firstly based on the audition for The Bay, the team seemed like they’d be wonderful to work with (Which they were!) and I was invested in the storyline. The role was also a step up from Chloe in a sense that I was to have more lines, more scenes, it felt like a new challenge that I wanted to throw myself into and the role itself of Izzy I wanted to explore and create complexity out of a character who initially comes across as an angsty teenager. We’ve all been that teenager before so I wanted to tap back into what that was like and bring it to life in a multi-dimensional way whilst also tying it into the more heavier, moving themes of the story. I love going into new roles like a puzzle that needs to be put together to create a clearer picture, the role of Izzy felt like there was a lot to ‘bite into’ and play around with!

Take me a day through on set, what does a day on set normally look like for you?

Partially what I love about acting is that everyday is different! Sometimes you’re lucky and pickup- time can be late morning or evening. Most of the time, I am waking up around half 5, 6am. I throw on comfy clothes and do some basic skincare, down some water (maybe a cup of tea if I have time) and initially just get into a focused, clear mind. I then get picked up, driven to unit base where I have a breakfast, get into costume, get my makeup done, catch up with the cast and crew. After that, I get driven to set which can sometimes be on location or in a studio and that’s where the acting begins! Around halfway through the day, we go back to unit base, eat lunch and then carry on filming. One of my favourite parts of the day is going back to unit base at the end where the makeup artist has a hot cloth to put over my face to clear all the makeup of the day. When I get home, I might go for dinner and drink with a cast mate or sometimes even alone, then just have a relaxing evening before the day starts again!

When you go for auditions, what is your routine, what do you do before auditioning for a role?

Similar to being on set in some ways, I wake up early so I have time to feel fresh and focused. I go over my lines and my notes that I workshopped on a few times but not too many as I don’t want to stress myself out or overthink it, just the right amount to feel that I am definitely prepared. I always have a good breakfast, drink lots of water so I have a lot of energy in the room. I love trying out different outfits too because you always want to wear something that makes you feel cute at a casting! I get to the audition office about 10/15 minutes before and then do the audition. I get really excited after auditions, its such an adrenaline rush for me and I love getting to work with casting directors and directors in the room but at the same time I am trying to learn to also quickly move on in order to not dwell too hard. Usually, I end up walking around the area for a bit, treat myself to a coffee and lunch, I have a bit of a bad habit treating myself after auditions because it feels like the best excuse to do so!

In terms of prepping for the role, I have a whole book of writing where I analyse the role, I sometimes write diary entries in the mindset of the character to understand the role better, I jot down loads of notes and ideas and I basically get it on it’s feet and experiment with it a couple of times. I try my best to find that right balance of not overdoing it or under doing it as you don’t want to feel unprepared but you also don’t want to lose the magic or become desensitised to the role when it’s been done over and over again.

You are always so busy, achieving so much, what do you do in your downtime and why do you think it is important to have that downtime?

In my downtime, I have a cinema membership so I love going to the cinema several times a week. I feel like I’m a cosy person like I just enjoy being around my group of friends, catching up, cooking together, going dancing together, having a cute night in just being cosy I guess! I’m a bit of a workaholic so I have to force myself to slow down and enjoy it, we all need a bit of doing nothing sometimes!

What is next for you?

The Bay is coming out mid March which I’m really looking forward to, I think watching it will remind me of how great of a time I had filming it over summer. It’s my first role where I have a lot of speaking parts in it so that’ll also be interesting to see. Over December, I wrapped on ‘True Detective: Night Country’ in Iceland which was an insane once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That was a big learning curve for me doing an American project, in an American accent, I felt like I was treading out of my comfort zone which I found so exciting.

The Bay is out today on ITV1 at 9pm and all episodes out on ITVX afterwards.