The stage and screen have been beckoning Callie Cooke from a young age.
Growing up near Stratford-upon-Avon tends to have that effect, but Cooke attributes her love of acting to the soaps she watched growing up, giving her that taste of pop culture she craved. From her time on stage in Firebird, Lindy Pepper-Bean on Doctor Who, Esther on the critically acclaimed Cheaters, and soon-to-be Jodie on Apple’s F1 movie, Cooke is steadily building up quite the portfolio for herself. She’s taking chances and willing to make mistakes along the way and with a future that is sure to be bright and bold, we can’t wait to see just how far she’ll go.
When speaking with her, there’s a ferocity, a hunger, that gives you the impression that she’s ready for more, a fire that can’t be satiated with any one role. With every part that she takes on, Cooke gives her everything, a trait she learned in acting school, putting the work into her not-so-typical university experience. It was a place that not only taught her the art form but gave her discipline as well as the room to have fun. She strikes the balance wonderfully, allowing herself the grace to play.
In conversation with 1883 Magazine’s Dana Reboe, Callie Cooke discusses Cheaters and how she relates to Esther, her part as Jodie in Apple’s F1, the beginnings of her career, what acting school has taught her, the advice she’d give to Lindy Pepper-Bean, her love of the stage, and so much more.
You’re no stranger to the stage. Firebird earned you a nomination for emerging talent in 2015. Since then, you’ve been in Filthy Business and The Strange Death of John Doe. What is it about the theatre that entices you as an actor?
It’s how I learned about the business. I grew up quite near the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) in Stratford-upon-Avon in England and I watched shows there, I saw the most unbelievable actors and I always thought it’s what I would work in. I went to drama school and when I left and I was like, “If I do a play a year, I’ll be chuffed.” [laughter] And how things have changed. I thought Firebird was the most unbelievable launch pad. I didn’t get off the stage and I played this 16-year-old girl who went through hell and back. It was such a good showcase; people were talking about it and I was really lucky that it took off in the way it did. I fell in love with it. I love everything about theatre, we started Firebird in this tiny box dungeon in North London and tickets were five pounds and so the audiences were mostly students. It was such a fun experience. I’m forever grateful for that being my start.
Do you remember the performances on the stage or even on film that pulled you onto this path?
Little Miss Sunshine was probably the first film I fell in love with. I grew up in a very normal working-class family and for me, my first taste of culture was soaps. Every night my and I family would watch soaps. I didn’t go to the theatre as a kid or I didn’t really read plays. I was always watching TV and I was blown away by these soap actors that you thought were real people. It’s such a comfort thing. Both my parents worked a lot and it was the one thing that would get us all together on an evening and we would watch it. And I think we’re so lucky that if we want it to be, everything can be cultural to us, we just have to see it that way, right?
I definitely agree with that. What lessons from acting school have you carried with you to the stage and screen?
I think mainly just don’t be a dick [laughter].
That’s a good one.
Look, drama school is a whole different discussion, right? But it taught me to be on time and it taught me to not have an ego because they will squash that out of you as quick as they want. It taught me how to survive in London as an 18-year-old. I was at school Monday to Saturday, eight till eight, we weren’t having the uni experience that some people have [laughs] and I was quite strict with myself, and took it quite seriously. I made up for it years later. I did the partying. It brought me some amazing friends. But as seriously as I took it, I also learned to not take it too seriously, and allow myself the freedom to play.
I think that’s a great lesson to take on any audition or anything that you do in life – don’t take it too seriously because you end up putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. And for what?
And look, I get it. I get that there are certain roles and there are certain jobs that require the most focus and they should be taken incredibly seriously. And sometimes, you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. I mean, both my sisters are nurses and what they do every day compared to what I do every day is a stark comparison. And I’m like, “God, am I lucky?” I’m doing a hilarious job. I’m having a great time, for the most part, with brilliant people. Drama school was a hoot.
Turning to Cheaters, when you read for Esther, what about her captivated you?How do you think she’s grown between seasons one and two?
I was like, “Oh my God, how has this person who hasn’t ever met me before written me on paper?” I identified so much with her, and I was like, “Well, I have to get this.” They put me through my paces and I did seven auditions. I was quite new. And I had to prove my worth a bit. But I related to her so much. And I thought she was so funny and so charming. Occasionally as an actor, you read a script and you read it out loud because you know that could be your voice. I had that. I fell in love with her straight away.
What do you think audiences should expect from season two?
Season two picks up six months later. It explores how a relationship can work if it begins through infidelity. We’re picking up the mess six months on. Esther just got back from Thailand and she’s got a new boyfriend and she thinks that because she’s done some yoga on a beach she’s healed [laughs], but it’s not quite what it seems.
Moving from Cheaters, let’s talk Doctor Who. Can you take me back to when you first found out you got the part and what were your initial thoughts on Dot and Bubble?
When I found out I got the part, I was sat at the bank [laughter]. I was in the bank and my agent texted me, “Oh, by the way, you got Doctor Who.” It was huge. It was crazy. I don’t know how it happened. I’d never met Russell (T. Davies) and I literally did a tape for Lindy, sent it off, forgot all about it and then two or three weeks later, got a call saying I was doing it. I still don’t know how it happened. They must have been struggling to get anyone to do it. Oh, come on. I had the best time. It came out of nowhere. I was aware I was making Doctor Who, but I think because I shot most of it on my own and because of the nature of the schedule. We shot my episode first.
Wow!
Ncuti [Gatwa] hadn’t even shot yet. I got to know this crew. I was saying hi to everyone. It was such a weird and wonderful experience. It felt like we were making this one-off little mini-drama and then they took two years to shoot the rest or for it to come out.
I saw a video of you on the official Doctor Who Instagram walking around the TARDIS set for the first time. Can you talk a little about that?
It was so fun. It was like a dream come true. It’s like, I’m obsessed with movie magic, and I hope it never leaves me. It’s so magical. Firstly, it’s absolutely huge. Everything is real in front of you. And the way it’s lit. I was a dream for the press team because I was like, “Anything you want me to do, I’ll do it. Anything, anything, because I’m having the best time.” I didn’t even shoot on the TARDIS [laughs], but we just ran around it, I realized at the time how lucky I was. It’s not until I watched the episode and I saw the engagement from the fans and stuff that I was like, “God, what an experience.”
That kind of brings me to my next question. Why do you think Dot and Bubble really resonated with audiences?
I had no idea which way it was going to go, because I hadn’t seen any of it either. I thought, “God, I hope it’s not terrible. I hope they (the audience) get it. And I hope the point is made.” And I mean, credit to the people who worked on it. It’s not hidden that the budget is a lot bigger this year because of Disney. I think that everything they wanted to do, they were able to do because I think if they’d made this episode 10 years ago with a different budget, would it have worked? I don’t know. Also, Ncuti being the first Black Doctor, I think Russell’s opinion was always that we would be ignoring a political statement. It’s tricky because we’re not politicians, but we’re also in one of the biggest shows in the world on a platform to make a point about something. And I think it’s really brave and really impressive that they did.
And they stuck the landing beautifully.
I could see why there would have been a little bit of worry around that script, but I think they stuck the landing for sure. You know, the fans can be quite…. Eccentric [laughter]. The BBC were worried that I was going to get some hate. But honestly, they (the fans) were all amazing. They were so supportive and so kind. They knew I was just playing a character. I don’t regret doing it at all. I think it came out of nowhere and ended up being one of the most magical experiences of my life.
I know you’ve been shooting F1 in the States. What, if anything, can you tell us about your character Jodie? What has been your favorite thing about filming in America?
Jodie is in the pit crew. She’s the female mechanic in the pit crew. Which is cool enough in itself. It’s going to be an amazing movie. We’ve been shooting it for nearly two years. I’ve been in maybe six countries, but they’ve (the rest of the cast and crew) have been in maybe 12. We’ve followed the Grand Prix around the world. The speed of the cars is unbelievable. The sound of the cars is unbelievable. Like Joe (Kosinski), our director, he just knows how to make a movie. It’s going to be spectacular. And whether you like Formula One or not, it’s just such a good movie.
Nothing will beat that first day walking into that read-through. Because I grew up near Silverstone in the UK. And that’s where the read-through was. I walked in on my first day meeting Brad Pitt and Jerry Bruckheimer and all these people. And it was in a room that I used to waitress in when I was 16.
Full circle moment!
I used to be a terrible waitress. And in this room that I was now sat in doing this read-through, I was like, “God, if you had told me that, you know, years ago, I would not have believed you.” But do you know what’s been so amazing about it? It’s been this mad for everyone else, too. Like even Brad is having moments. And the crew, they make movies like Dune and Star Wars. And even then they’re like, “This is insane.” Just the scale of it. Just the fact that we’re allowed to shoot on a live track, which has never been done before. You’re essentially the 11th team on the track. So, we’re kind of being treated like a real team, which is insane that they’ve let a bunch of actors and filmmakers do this. It’s unhinged. I mean, the insurance must be through the roof. I don’t even want to think about that [laughter].
And my last question for you, is what piece of advice would you give your younger self knowing everything that you do now?
To do all of the part-time jobs that you hate doing. I think that they’ve shaped me as a person massively. You know, all of the weird dead-end jobs that I’ve done over the years, which are many, and the amount of tears that have been shed over them. But I look back now and I don’t regret a single part of that journey. I’m really glad that it happened this way.
Also, better care of your eyebrows when you’re a teenager [laughs], because you’re going to regret it as an adult. You know, I used to shave my eyebrows. I went through a phase where it was cool, and I bleached my hair in every colour imaginable. My mates and I would just bleach our hair on a Friday night, and half of it would fall out. But I stopped bleaching my hair.
I feel like that’s a quintessential teenage experience.
You have to go through it. You have to go through it.
Callie, thank you so much for your time today. It’s been lovely.
Oh, thank you, it was so nice.
Cheaters series two is on BBC iPlayer now.
Follow Callie Cooke @Callie_Cooke
Interview Dana Reboe
Photography Klara Waldberg
Styling Hebe Fox
Hair & makeup Kate Glanfield
