Navigation trail

• Actor: Tobias Menzies

Actor: Tobias Menzies

This Case Study belongs to Actor.

Tobias Menzies has worked in a variety of mediums most recently working with Pete Postlewaite in King Lear at the Young Vic, taking a major part in the successful HBO and BBC series Rome, as well as a smaller part in blockbuster Casino Royale. He holds a diploma from RADA.

I came late to acting. I was not part of the drama scene at school, and I studied maths, physics and history at A-level. However, I was taken to see theatre and dance throughout my childhood, my mother being a keen theatre-goer. Through her I was introduced to companies like Theatre de Complicite (who I subsequently worked with), Shared Experience, as well as contemporary dance and other visual theatre companies who were creating their own work. It was this kind of work that I was excited by when I started to look into studying theatre having finished school.

My first move was to study drama on the Post 18 course at Stratford-on-Avon College. The qualification we took was A-level Theatre Studies, but the course was much broader than that, encompassing costume, theatre design, sound, lighting, dance, direction etc. This allowed me to try out lots of different areas of theatre and performance.

From there I went on to study acting at RADA in London for three years. It was a purely practical acting diploma, and it was there that I got hooked on acting. I found drama school a very important stepping stone into the profession, and I think drama school training is particularly important for those who want to work in the more technique-heavy area of theatre, but drama school training is far from essential and is not for everyone.

My first job was as a semi-regular character on the television show Casualty, playing the son of one of the doctors. This gave me valuable filming experience, which is hard for drama schools to prepare you for; there’s no replacement for the real thing.

I joined an acting agency during my last year at RADA. The final year is orientated towards gaining representation for the students. The final three terms are spent rehearsing and performing plays and presentations to which agents, casting directors, directors, etc. can come and see your work. It is virtually impossible to work as an actor without an agent, so gaining representation is an important step towards becoming a professional actor.

Acting is not an easy profession, but it can be hugely rewarding and a lot fun. One of the challenges is job insecurity, as work and therefore income is unpredictable. You also have to deal with a lot rejection, as most actors, even successful ones, will lose more jobs than they gain.

But on the plus side, it is rarely dull, you will meet some very interesting people, and with a bit of luck work on stimulating and engaging projects that you care about.

Case Study sourced by Miranda Glavin of AGCAS, 24 July 2009.