Roly Botha

Roly Botha is a wonderful human. Anyone who has met or worked with them will tell you the same. Roly is an actor, composer and theatermaker. We met for this interview in a cafe in Victoria train station, and whilst listening to the audio I realised- not just that I shouldn’t interview and eat at the same time- but also that I am immensely lucky I am to have met Roly at this moment in time.

Roly Botha’s career is so far one many actors dream of. Within one year of their professional acting debut (in which they played the lead role in one of the most respected fringe theaters in London The King’s Head) they had their first lead role on a West End stage at the Trafalgar Studios. Not to mention the several monumental credits in between, short films, a couple BBC shows, and a show at the National Theater which they casually forgot to tell me about until I saw it on their instagram… But throughout it all they has remained painfully grounded. With self-awareness that, though triggered by insecurities, Roly has managed to motivate into self-improvement. They are constantly trying to educate themself, challenge themself, and call themself out on when they notices their influences and icons are becoming a bit one sided.

A large part of Roly’s charm as an actor is their ability to play within a role, and to throw themself into a character with such abandon. Theirreative capacity to improvise and devise heartfelt moments, as well as deliver comic lines that make you ugly-snort-laugh- indeed tears, snot, and involuntary noises have been known to come from the audience of Roly’s shows. But while it’s easy to make light of audiences reactions to theater, these various bodily fluids are a true testament to Roly’s skill and emotional intelligence as an actor.

‘I have been super super lucky with the work that I've done. I've worked with really lovely people, I haven't had any really bad experiences doing acting work. It's been brilliant, I'm so so lucky. Pretty much all the issues that I've had have come from me. So I remember while we were rehearsing 'Strangers In Between' (Rolys first professional show) I think it was the first run through for the production team, so we had the producers in we had lighting, sound, everyone came in to watch. And I hadn't learnt all of my lines yet, looking back on it, if was in a fucking great place, and it was fine, but like it was a really big show, I was speaking all the time, there were lots of lines and I didn't know them all perfectly and I felt really insecure and that they'd all made a mistake in employing me. So that really freaked me out and I had to go and sit outside and have a little cry. And then our very wonderful stage manager, and very wonderful assistant director came and picked me up and brought me back inside, basically. They were like 'stop being a dick' in a very lovely way! But it was like, your at work stop crying. Yeah, and that's been the recurring trouble that I've had is just fear and insecurities, and not feeling good enough from things.’

As for how Roly is combating the insecurities ‘I try to be honest about how I'm feeling. In all of my relationships; with friends, romantic relationships, family to an extent. I try to at work, but I always feel like i'm on slightly unsteady ground at work because I don't want to give people a reason not to have me there.’

Imposter syndrome is a huge part of many actor’s lives, the weight of which can go hugely un-appreciated by those around them, and unfortunately a lot of the current structure of the actors world feeds into this problem. The interpretation of an actor's performance by its audience can be divided at the best of times, and there’s no way to guarantee the responses that you hope for. So it’s safe to say that, while thrilling and momentous, it can leave you a little rattled; let alone when your barely 19, the lead in a 3-hander play; with a sex scene, a fight scene, and your getting your kit off in the West End. (But for the record, I have seen Strangers In Between 5 times now, and I cry every bloody time.)

However despite the insecurities, when asked where they are happiest they said ‘Creative people are difficult to please, aren't we! Because where I'm happiest and were I'm most stressed tend to be the same sorts of places; on stage, in a rehearsal room, London. It's really fucked up that my first response isn't 'My family' 'My other half'!’ and that to me says it all about creatives- In choosing to be a creative you may be so overwhelmed by your insecurities that you want to cry, but it’s still the place your happiest!