The newly refurbished studio has transformed a classroom into a mini auditorium, thanks to the generosity of donors to last year’s Annual Fund. The Corfield Studio provides a flexible performance and teaching space, enabling the Performing Arts department to stage more small-scale theatre, film and dance productions in a professional environment.

Hermione is known for her versatile work in film and television, including blockbusters like Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, hit TV show Outlander: Blood of My Blood and the critically acclaimed independent film Rust Creek.

Sharing insights with our pupils, Hermione looked back on her time at Downe House with great happiness. When she arrived at Downe House, she didn’t know she wanted to become an actor, but she immediately loved performing in plays. It was only after joining the National Youth Theatre, when she was 14, that she began to see acting as a possible career. Surrounded by young people from a wide range of backgrounds who all shared the same ambition, she realised it was something she wanted to pursue.

From that point on, she threw herself into every theatrical production at Downe House. She took acting and musical theatre examinations through Guildhall and RADA, and appeared in as many productions as possible. She recalled House Drama particularly fondly, as well as productions including Kiss Me Kate, Harry Potter and The Golden Compass.

Although she considered attending drama school, she already had an agent by the time she left Downe House and chose instead to study English at UCL. However, as her acting career began to take off, she found herself balancing writing university essays with learning lines in her trailer and decided to focus on acting full-time.

“It’s a fantastic job”, she says. “When I’m on set, it’s the best job in the world.” She shared the excitement of working on massive studio films, noting “Some of my first jobs were insane, they were small parts in massive films.”

She’s also received rave reviews for her performances in independent films, like Rust Creek. She loved the camaraderie she found on that set, “You were so close to the action, you could see all the cogs turning.” With a female director and a female director of photography she found everyone “pulling together and creating something great.”

Asked about how she prepares for emotionally intense scenes, she explained that she sometimes takes herself away and listens to classical music to help her get into the right mindset.

Of course, the profession is not without pressures. Missing out on a part can be frustrating, and the unpredictability of the profession can also be challenging. For that reason, she encouraged students to develop complementary skills, such as writing plays or directing short films. But looking back to her time at Downe House, she noted few experiences are as daunting as competing against your friends for the same roles.

One reason she began writing for the theatre was to gain a greater sense of control over her career. Acting, she explained, involves a great deal of waiting. Some weeks are filled with auditions, while in others there are none. Even after a successful audition, it can be months before a project begins.

Hermione was particularly impressed by the Downe House film department. Regardless of the area of film or TV our girls might want to go into, developing an understanding of cameras and the technical aspects of filmmaking can be extremely useful.

She’s grateful to Downe House for providing her first taste of performance, and for making a career in acting feel possible. Like so many alumnae, her closest friendships were forged here, “All my best mates are still Downe House girls.”

Asked whether she was concerned about the impact of AI, she hopes it will be used as a tool to support the creative process, like using AI to adjust shots that might otherwise be unusable. She also hopes audiences will not want to see AI replace real actors.

Recently, she’s been enjoying working with Tom Hollander, “He’s such a good actor, very funny.” Next, she hopes to travel to America to film a true story in which she will play the daughter of a journalist. As she hinted: “All hell breaks loose.”

We can’t wait to see the finished film!