Leicestershire actress Posy Sterling talks about her love of ice baths, landing her first leading role and being named as one of the UK’s brightest rising stars…
Posy’s hard hitting performance in upcoming indie drama ‘Lollipop’, has caught the attention of Screen International, who have named her one of their ‘Stars of Tomorrow’.
Recognition from the respected publication puts her in esteemed company, with previous stars such as Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch and Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer gracing the list.
Speaking of the honour, Posy told Pukaar that being noticed for her first leading role was ‘quite the surprise’.
However, she’s incredibly proud of her performance, which sees her play Molly – a woman who’s struggling to regain custody of her children after being released from prison.
“It required a lot of me. I had to dig deep and go to some tough places, but I felt that it was a really important story,” she said.
“I felt a sense of duty to get it right because I was in service of real people who will see themselves in it.
“It’s a role which challenged me and also healed me to an extent. In a role like this, you get to express yourself in a way that you don’t normally give yourself permission to and I find that very cathartic…”
Posy lives in Market Harborough, where she runs her own Screen School for aspiring actors and creatives. She undertook training at the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London and has vast experience of treading the boards in theatre.
She has appeared in the BBC’s ‘World on Fire’ and has acted alongside Oscar and BAFTA-nominated actor Saoirse Ronan in the forthcoming film The Outrun.
However ‘Lollipop’, which is backed by BBC Films and the British Film Institute, is her first experience as a leading lady. And people have had quite the reaction to the film, and her performance so far.
“People who’ve seen the film have said that you’re changed after seeing it, and that’s the best compliment I could get as an actor. That is the ultimate goal – to make the audience feel something and to tell a story which affects them in some way,” revealed the 28-year-old.
“In many ways, the role has changed me too. When you play a part, you have to do your research, see things from other people’s perspective and back them 100 per cent.
“ I’m fascinated with people and the psychology of people, so for me as an actor it’s great to b”e able to immerse yourself in a character…
When it came to preparing for the role, Posy spoke to a lady who’d been through a similar experience to her character, in the film.
In order to deal with the challenging nature of the role, she practiced grounding techniques on set and worked with a trauma therapist in between scenes.
But what really helped was taking early morning ice-baths – something she’d highly recommend.
“It is extreme, but it’s so good for your mental health it would really set me up for the day,” she revealed.
“When you’re going through something traumatic – whether it’s real life or you’re just acting it out in a film, your body doesn’t know the difference. So it’s important to stay grounded and ice baths are great for bringing you right back to the present. Plus it’s an amazing buzz!
“If you haven’t tried it, you should definitely give it a go!”
