British actor Lara Pulver is a tantalizing presence onstage and onscreen, whether it’s giving an Olivier Award–winning performance opposite Imelda Staunton in “Gypsy” or proving Benedict Cumberbatch’s equal on “Sherlock.” Now she’s taking to the big screen in the vampiric franchise “Underworld: Blood Wars” (out Jan. 6) co-starring Kate Beckinsale, Tobias Menzies, and Charles Dance. She tells Backstage about working on both sides of the pond and her well-informed approach to auditions.
Tell us about your role in ‘Underworld: Blood Wars.’
I play Semira in the new “Underworld” film, the villainess of the film. It’s wonderful, actually, in a big studio movie like that to play such a wounded chameleon who becomes a master manipulator in order to get what she feels will give her self-worth or happiness or power. It was wonderful. I really enjoyed it.
As a British actor, do you have SAG-AFTRA and Equity cards?
I do! I lived in Los Angeles the last seven years and I am a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. My first SAG job was “True Blood”—again in the vampire realm; I’ve come back to my roots!—and I joined American Actors’ Equity when I did “Parade” at the Mark Taper Forum in 2009.
What was your most memorable survival job?
Gosh, it’s so weird because you don’t want to remember them! I remember being an usherette at my local theater very, very early on, selling ice cream and programs—because they’re not free in the U.K.—during pantomime season, which was super interesting. It meant a lot of kids, a lot of sweets, a lot of sugar-induced kids. But it was also wonderful to be a punter and be an usherette and witness a live show every day. Although obviously my main concern was the safety of the audience!
How do you typically prepare for an audition?
My technique is to honor the writing. I slightly overanalyze every punctuation mark, every choice of word and phrase. For me, it’s always my way in. Especially when you’re turning up not knowing what they really want. It’s “How do I quickly own your words?” That would probably [be] my first way in. I’m not a writer, but if I were a writer and someone came in and just started paraphrasing my text, I think I’d be like, “Would you please just say what’s on the page? I’ve spent endless hours deciding if that’s a comma or not.” The text gives you the voice, and it’s your interpretation of that voice.
What movie should every actor see?
Having just worked with Imelda Staunton, I remember seeing her in “Vera Drake.” Knowing the way Mike Leigh works, in a very improvisational way, and seeing how present and how vulnerable she is in that movie, I found it absolutely heartbreaking. Just a master class. Then to have the good fortune to play opposite her onstage, and witness the skill set she brings in a theatrical environment—I’m in awe.
Do you have a worst audition story?
I remember still being in drama school, and they were casting the very first “Mamma Mia!” in London. It was huge! They had said to prepare an upbeat pop song and they’d need to hear the first 16 bars. And I stupidly couldn’t find my sheet music. I went to the music library at the drama school, photocopied it, and went to my audition the next day. And hadn’t checked the key of the music! So I had that wonderful moment in front of the entire panel of...having to go into the outer stratosphere on the first note. Then knowing throughout the whole first verse that the chorus was then going to be totally out of range! And you know it’s coming, so tears started running down my face because I knew it was coming, and they knew it was coming. And we all just started laughing. They really kindly stopped it and the pianist sight-read it and transposed it into a familiar key. He was extremely generous doing that. So lesson learned—the 101 of auditioning for a musical.
READ: “7 Musical Theater Songs Guaranteed to Pump You Up”
Do you remember what your first headshot was like?
Oh, hideous. Absolutely hideous. A week before the photographer came to my drama school, this hair show event was happening and they wanted two volunteers to do the hair show. For me it just meant a bit of cash. So me and my friend Katie, we went to do this hair show. She very cleverly said to them, “Don’t do too much to my hair. Maybe trim it.” I went, “Oh, you can do what you like.” I went from waist-length, gorgeous, curly, dark hair to a crop they dyed purple. Then the next week we had our first headshots! I just remember the principal of my drama school saying, “Lara, you have to do something.” It was absolutely hideous. How naive I was! As a student it wasn’t worth 80 pounds, but it felt like it was at the time. It’s in my mother’s scrapbook somewhere. Which is where it will stay.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I think I would say enjoy the journey. I’ve always prided myself on working so hard and then achieving goals without realizing the pleasure is often in the journey. And actually the journey can be just as fun, if not more so, than the outcome.
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