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Alex Vlahos: From Merlin to Macbeth

26 June 2013

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Acting

Since leaving Royal Welsh College in 2009 Alex Vlahos hasn’t stopped working, performing on both stage and screen, while gathering himself a huge fanbase as the evil Mordred in BBC’s mega-hit Merlin. We managed to grab him between rehearsals for Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming Macbeth, to chat about how the College inspired his love of Shakespeare, and what it’s like to audition for Ken…

How did your training at RWCMD prepare you for your role in Macbeth, working alongside one of our greatest contemporary actors, and for your other roles since graduating?

alex-vlahos-at-premiere

What RWCMD does brilliantly is offer up a variety of different projects throughout your training to prepare you for the outside world. One of the classes that I revelled in at my time in Cardiff was the Shakespeare project in the second year. The challenges that come with tackling verse, the dexterity of the language and even knowledge of the plays by the Bard himself were all covered and I guess it was there that my appetite was whetted and my love of Shakespeare grew.

Since leaving College I’ve worked at the Sheffield Crucible tackling Hamlet and now have the unbelievable joy of playing Malcolm opposite Ken in his Macbeth for the Manchester International Festival. The training is always there – the hard work is to soak it all up like a sponge… the hard bit I guess is applying what you’ve learned.

As far as my other work goes, RWCMD has undeniably shaped me into the actor and person I am today. Through all the highs and lows, the College has given me the platform from which I am now striving.

What was auditioning for Kenneth Branagh like? How did you prepare for that?

Auditioning for Ken was an incredibly nerve wracking experience, as he is an acting god. I think my usual preparation went out of the window – it was more about conveying my passion for the work (and hoping the lines came out in the right order!) I shouldn’t have worried too much because he was very lovely and complimentary. Our working relationship is founded on the love of the text, and since then it’s grown from strength to strength. As we’re now nearing the end of the rehearsal process, the show is beginning to take shape, I’ve adored having the opportunity to watch him work, alongside the amazing company.

Tell us what else you have been up to since leaving RWCMD? How do you balance theatre and television work? 

Since graduating I’ve been blessed with working in a variety of different disciplines. I graced the Olivier stage in 2011, performing in Emperor and Galilean at the National Theatre, and last year I worked on two major flagship BBC shows, Privates – a 1960’s army drama, filmed on a real working army base in Northern Ireland – and then straight off the back of that, I got to come home to Wales for nine months and play the evil ‘Mordred’ in the fantasy drama, Merlin. Although both shows ended up being pretty full on, I still loved my time on them and found it all overwhelming.

alex-vlahos-in-privates

Alex in Privates

 

What did you enjoy about training at the College?

Well, if I’m honest, my three years at RWCMD were a real eye opener. I started college as a very young man, naive and immature. What happened as I trundled through my training was that I grew up. I became a different person, a better person – so looking back, I think it would be impossible not to say that College has influenced me and made me who I am today.

Are there any elements of College life or training that you miss now you’re a professional actor?

If there is anything I miss from RWCMD, it is the support you get from your peers and lecturers. The advice and comfort that’s always just around the corner if you need it. Acting can be a pretty lonely business, so not having that I guess is something I miss.

Do you have any words of advice for our acting third years, embarking on their penultimate term and looking forward to entering the big stage out there? 

Oh god! How they must all be feeling! That last term can be a tricky one… the added stress of agents and showcase, not to mention it may be the last time you see one another before graduating… I particularly struggled with this term. It came and went so quickly. My advice is to revel in it. Enjoy every second. Revel in that last show. Smile. Take it all in your stride. It’s all going to work out, I promise.

Macbeth, which also features Alex Kingston as Lady Macbeth, is a highlight of July’s  Manchester International Festival. The production will also be broadcast as part of National Theatre Live on 20 July.