Hello Survivors! With this exclusive interview we are launching a new summer section, entitled “Back in Time”, dedicated to our favourite period dramas of all time. For this special first episode, we had the chance to speak with rising young star Flora Mitchell, who played Leonora Colbourne on Sanditon. We discussed her experience in the role, the show, her dream roles and what’s next for her acting-wise. Check out the full interview in the video below!
What’s the main element in Leo’s character and Sanditon itself that fascinates you the most and convinced you to join the show?
FLORA MITCHELL: I was excited by like just being a TV show, but the similarities between me and Leo were quite big. You know, I hate wearing dresses, and so does she. I like running outdoors and so does she. She has an eagerness to learn and understand everything, and I think I have that as well.
What’s been for you the biggest challenge you experience in portraying Leo?
FLORA MITCHELL: I think kind of understanding her situation a bit more because she did have a father that didn’t pay much interest and she didn’t have a mother. She lives with her cousin. So it wasn’t exactly like the ideal kind of circumstance.
In your opinion, what makes Sanditon unique in comparison to other shows you have watched?
FLORA MITCHELL: I think the characters, because they’re very forward-thinking. For example, Leo isn’t the stereotypical girl and Georgiana is kind of fighting against slavery.
What’s been for you the funniest scene to shoot on Sanditon? And on the other hand, what’s been the most challenging?
FLORA MITCHELL: The funniest was probably when I was asked to become a chicken. This is in pursuit to cheer Augusta up when she’s been heartbroken. I could do the movements because that was just like a chicken, but the sound wasn’t so great. I sounded more like a duck or a screaming child. My hardest scene instead was probably the one I had with Colonel Lennox, when Leo was kind of trying to understand who her real father was. Because if he had said ‘Yes, I am your real father’, then everything would have changed for Leo and everything that she’d known would be different.
Speaking of dream roles, do you have one? If so, what is it?
FLORA MITCHELL: Jo from Little Women. I read the book and watched the movies, and I really love her. I think she’s so brave and you know, she writes, even though it’s a man’s job.
If you had to give some advice to people like you who are trying to pursue an acting career or a career in entertainment in general, what kind of advice would you give them based on your own experience so far?
FLORA MITCHELL: Well, Charles Sturridge, who directed some of Season 2, told me that I could do whatever I put my mind to and I think that’s true for anyone. If you work hard on something and you really pursue it and you really want to reach that goal, whatever it is, I think you can do it. Dreams do come true. So dream big. It’s not just cheesy phrase, it do come true. Mine came true and yours will too.
The interview with Flora Mitchell has been condensed and edited for length and clarity. Take a look at the full interview at the top of the article!
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