Amelia Gething on Sky Atlantic’s Mary & George, how social media skits brought about her big break, learning to be the ‘bestest, baddest’ version of herself and having a face for period drama.
Amelia wears dress by Stella McCartney; and jewellery by Anoona Jewels
You’d have to have been living under a rock to have not heard the buzz around Sky Atlantic’s Mary & George. A period drama the likes of which we’ve never seen, the highly anticipated seven-part series is finally due to hit our screens this month. Adapted from The King’s Assassin, the non-fiction book by Benjamin Woolley, this historical psychodrama tells the story of Mary Villiers (played by Julianne Moore), a woman of humble beginnings and formidable ambition who moulded her second son, George (Nicholas Galitzine), to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England (Tony Curran) and become his all-powerful lover. On announcing the show, Sky Atlantic set the scene thus: “Through outrageous scheming, the pair rose from humble beginnings to become the richest, most titled and influential players the English court had ever seen, and the King’s most trusted advisors. And with England’s place on the world stage under threat from a Spanish invasion and rioters taking to the streets to denounce the King, the stakes could not have been higher.” It was a dream project for Amelia Gething, who plays the part of Frances Coke, a member of the Villiers family through marriage. “The cast and crew are all so incredibly talented,” she tells me. ‘The directors, Oliver Hermanus, Alex Winckler and Florian Cossen were amazing; working with Julianne was incredible; and I had a lot of on-screen time with my mother in the show, Nicola Walker, who was really fantastic to work with. Everybody was just so brilliant and inspiring to watch, it was a privilege just working alongside such talented people… and yeah, it was just a real dream, because it’s such an impressive show. It was really fun playing Frances, too, there’s a real nice character progression – from her first appearance to her last – and she goes through such a whirlwind of events. The whole series is just really well thought out, the writing is amazing, the characters are brilliant, and I think it’s going be really good.”
“I feel like PEOPLE probably think I was this super CONFIDENT person to begin with, but you know, when you’re doing stuff ONLINE, there’s no one that’s going JUDGE you”
The 25-year-old was last seen starring alongside Sex Education’s Emma Mackey in Frances O’Connor’s Emily last year, I wonder if it has been a conscious choice to focus on period projects. “I think it has just kind of happened this way… I’ve been told I have a period face,” she laughs. “I’m going to take that as a compliment! I actually don’t watch period dramas; I’ve only really watched ones I’m in. But I enjoy being in them, because there’s always so much drama, and that’s always fun as an actor! I would love to try something a bit more modern in the future though, even if it’s just to wear a pair of jeans and a jumper for my costume, rather than a very tight and uncomfortable corset.” That said, there are advantages to lacing up on set. “It really does help with the character in a way,” Amelia tells me. “You know, it’s not very comfortable, but that is what life was like, and it does affect your mannerisms and your posture, so it’s definitely helpful, but when it comes to lunch, not so much…” As corsets go, the ones on the set of Mary & George weren’t so bad, she assures me. “I will say, Annie Symons, who was the costume designer, was very kind with the corsets that she made, and I’m very appreciative of them, they were definitely the comfiest I have worn!”
Will she be watching the series with the rest of us this month? “Oh yes, I’ll be watching on TV,” she exclaims. “I enjoy seeing the final product, where I can’t see what was going on behind the scenes in the shot, and I can just see it as it’s meant to look. And seeing all of the costumes and lighting and sets come together. But it comes with a lot of mixed feelings – I’m very self-critical. You know, you are your own biggest critic, so whenever I watch something that I’m in, I’m like ‘Oh God, I could have done that better’ or ‘Oh I messed up that line’ or ‘I blinked funny there’. I think everybody would be the same to be honest, but I like to watch so I can improve. I think with every job I’ve done I feel like my skill set has become slightly more varied and advanced, so I really enjoy watching it for the benefit of future jobs.”
Amelia wears dress by Magda Butrym; and jewellery by TASAKI
Unlike a lot of her contemporaries, Amelia did not go to drama school, making every learning experience extra valuable. Her route into the industry began when, as a teenager she started writing and performing comedy sketches in her bedroom and sharing them on YouTube and TikTok. “That was in around 2017,” she recalls. “I basically just started doing it for fun. And I was very lucky.
that I enjoyed very organic growth when it came to my following. I couldn’t believe people were actually taking an interest in this very niche comedy. When that started happening, I realised ‘Oh, maybe I could do acting as a career, if I use this as a bit of a springboard into that world’. I don’t have any contacts in my family or know anyone remotely related to anyone in the industry, so I always kind of thought, ‘Well that’s a lovely dream, but the likelihood of that happening to me is very, very low’. So, I was very grateful and excited when things started to kick off with my sketches, because it gave me a bit more hope that I might actually be able to achieve what I wanted to achieve. And luckily, I’m here now, and doing it… It worked out very well for me, which I’m very grateful for.”
Amelia was approached by the BBC in mid-2018 and invited to write a female-led comedy show based on her sketches. Working with the Corporation she created and starred in The Amelia Gething Complex. There have been two series of the show, which was aimed at teen audiences, and proved to be the ultimate stepping stone for Amelia. How did it feel when the team approached her, I ask. “I know it sounds crazy, but I didn’t think too much of it,” she admits. “I’d had a few companies approaching me about things, and you have chats with people and things sometimes fizzle out, so I’d learnt to not get my hopes up. But then when it actually started to kick off and become a legitimate show, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement… When we actually started making it, I was just over the moon to be honest. It is one of my favourite jobs I’ve ever done, because it’s so silly and it doesn’t take itself very seriously at all, which made it just such a joy to work on, and write for, and put together.”
Amelia wears clothing and jewellery by Dior
Although the acting has now taken off, Amelia says that she is still writing. “Acting has always been my main focus, and passion, but I have a different love for writing. It wouldn’t be what I would want to do full time, forever, but it’s nice to have the opportunity to work on it in between acting jobs. And it is really magical having written something, and then seeing it come alive on set.”
Is she currently working on anything? “Yeah, I’m doing a lot of writing just for myself at the moment,” she explains. “I’ve done so much comedy, it’s harder to pitch things that are not of that nature, but I would like to experiment with different things. I only started with comedy because that’s what did well online at the time, and it was fun. Now I feel like people are less cringed out by serious content. I really enjoy writing stuff that is more serious; longer form content. So, I’m working on that, just in my own time, without the pressure of deadlines. I’m very ADHD with all of my ideas pinging off of each other. I’ll start one, then move on to the next, and go back to another, and never finish anything. I am trying to get a bit more self-disciplined with that, but I’m really excited for when I do end up pitching and sending these ideas off to people, because I’ve really, really enjoyed coming up with them, and working on them.”
For someone so young, Amelia has certainly achieved a lot – what are the best bits of the job? “Aside from the work, it would have to be all the amazing opportunities I get to experience,” she tells me. “I’m very blessed with all the things I get to do, like our shoot this morning. That was so great, because you get to play dress up all day, working with lovely people. Doing stuff like that definitely didn’t come naturally to me though. I think the first time I was in front of the camera I was very awkward and stiff. Doing it has really helped with my confidence. You know, when I come onto these shoots and people make me look like my best self, wearing clothes that have been handpicked for my figure and my complexion and stuff, it really helps. And I think that helps not only with shoots going forward, being more comfortable with posing and being comfortable in my own skin, but also just in day-to-day life. Kind of helping me to feel like my bestest, baddest version of myself – in the least cringey way!”
Amelia wears top and skirt by Agua by Agua Bendita; shoes by Willa Phoenix; tights by Falke; and jewellery by Lily Gabriella
Considering how she came to be where she is, it’s hard to believe that confidence was ever an issue for Amelia. “I used to be very, very shy, and I still can be,” she admits. “I am quite a naturally introverted person, and I would get very, very nervous when I did red carpet events, or when I first started working on jobs – it’s very intimidating when you arrive on set, especially when you’re new to the game and you don’t know a single person. I was so nervous before, but now I feel much more relaxed in myself, I’ve become comfortable in my own skin. I can comfortably go and start a conversation with someone. If I had told myself five years ago that I would be doing that now, I wouldn’t have believed it probably. I feel like people probably think I was this super confident person to begin with, but you know, when you’re doing stuff online, there’s no one that’s going to judge you, you’re just doing it in your bedroom by yourself, and people can make comments and say things about you online, but it’s just some words on a page, it doesn’t really mean much.”
If the Amelia of five years ago wouldn’t believe where she is now, what does she hope the Amelia of 10 years’ time might be doing? “I would love to see myself continuing to do what I do, maybe by that point I might have written a few things, that might have come out, that I could potentially be involved in acting-wise or directing-wise, because that’s something I’ve always been eager to try,” she says. “So, when I’m on set, I feel like I quite often like to ask the directors lots of questions, because I’m trying to prep myself for taking that on, later down the line.”
Amelia wears top and skirt by Agua by Agua Bendita; shoes by Willa Phoenix; tights by Falke; and jewellery by Lily Gabriella
And what does the immediate future hold, aside from Mary & George, of course. “I’m shooting a vampire movie at some point this year,” she tells me, excitedly. “We just finished a pre shoot last week, actually, and we’ll be completing it at some point within the next few months, I’m sure. So, I am very much looking forward to that because I think playing a vampire is lots of fun. They did my hair and make up very, very scarily the other day. I have like these blacked out eyes, and fangs, and blood coming from my mouth. I got lots of funny looks when I was walking around on set from people who hadn’t seen me yet. They were saying, ‘Oh my God, you look hideous!’. I was like, ‘Why thank you!’.” Finally, a move away from the restrictions of a corset, I exclaim. “Funnily enough it is another period piece. So, yeah, I have got another corset! It’s definitely fun to do a fantasy version, but, yes, it is more period stuff for the time being…” Amelia laughs. Well, she’s got the face for it, after all.
