In our profile series, Tell Us In Ten, we ask cast members and creatives of top London shows to tell us all about themselves in just 10 questions. From how they got their start in the industry to their favourite shows, we want to know everything.
This time we’re chatting to Tom Edden, currently playing Mr Curry in Paddington The Musical. This unmissable new musical brings one of Britain’s best-loved characters to life on stage through irresistible songs by Tom Fletcher, dazzling choreography – and of course, marmalade sandwiches.
1. My route into theatre was…
At first, aside from an innate instinct for showing off, my route into theatre was very much fuelled by an excellent and passionate GCSE and A-level drama teacher named Jenny Haynes. She made sure my school days were filled with theatre trips, in- and out-of-school productions and visits to the Edinburgh Festival – all of which built such a personal passion for the world of theatre and acting that moving on to drama school and beyond seemed inevitable. I owe her a great deal.
2. My West End idol is…
I simply can’t reduce this down to one performer. I’m constantly inspired by my own collaborators – in the last few years Susan Stroman and Charlie Stemp (Crazy For You), James Macdonald and my fellow cast members from Waiting For Godot. I owe a great deal to Jamie Lloyd as well for letting me into his theatrical universe. But the list of my favourite actors I’ve seen light up the West End begins with Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon, and Jessica Lange, and stretches on to include James McAvoy, Ben Whishaw, and many more besides.
3. My colleagues would describe me as…
Goodness only knows! I hope “fun to have around”. Let’s leave it there and hope the true answer is fit to print.
4. My favourite show (that isn’t one I star in/work on) is…
Gosh, well I’ve never had a night in the theatre quite like when I saw August Osage County when it came to the National Theatre about 15 years ago. Tracey Letts is an extraordinary playwright. I also never tire of a good production of Guys and Dolls.
5. The career moment I’m most proud of is…
I’ve been lucky to have had so many highlights in my career. I’m not sure anything will ever top the wild ride of One Man, Two Guvnors. Getting to follow that show from its birth at the National Theatre all the way to Broadway, and having a riotous party with James Corden onstage each night, was such a beautiful experience. Lloyd’s production of Cyrano was a huge life moment, with an intensely close company – and again, we went to New York, and the promise of that adventure got me through Covid mentally unscathed.
But in recent years, I must say that playing Lucky in Waiting for Godot may be my proudest moment, in many ways because the demands of that role took me to the very edge of my capabilities. That, for me, is the holy grail as an actor: to work with material so masterful that it pushes you beyond your known boundaries.
6. The hardest part about my job is…
Of course, the career, by its nature, is woven through with uncertainty and insecurity, but as I get older, sometimes the hardest thing is saying goodbye to a cherished company of actors once a show has run its course. With those you’ve created a connection with, you know you will remain friends, but you’ll never quite have that day-to-day ritual simpatico that can make a show such a joyful experience.
7. If I wasn’t an actor, I would be…
Fantasy? A world class concert pianist or conductor – I love classical music. In reality – I haven’t a clue.
8. Something people don’t know about me is…
I identify as a bird watcher – never happier than when I’m in some wild natural spot looking out for our feathered friends.
9. The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…
Something about your own path being exactly the path you should be on. Resist the urge to compare yourself to anyone else. That way madness lies.
10. The one thing I wish I could tell my younger self is…
Nothing – whatever I had going on was exactly what I needed to get me here. However, I maybe would have warned myself against my first accountant – what a crook!
See Tom as Mr Curry in Paddington The Musical – now on sale at Official London Theatre.
