Louis Hill

Louis Hill trained at Rose Bruford College on the BA Acting course. He has been acting professionally, from stage work to commercials in both the UK and abroad.

Louis Hill

Can you tell us about your one-man play, Love & Tigers at The Hen and Chickens Theatre?

The play is about a guy who is trying to solve the mystery of a vanishing woman in his life. He admits that he would make a terrible detective, but ultimately he has to follow a series of clues that he has imposed upon his own make-believe world in an attempt to find this woman, whom he believes will somehow save him. Really, though, it's about being lonely in London and wanting to belong. It also explores friendship as you move through adulthood, and how friendships have to change and evolve.

You wrote, acted and produced the play. What was it like taking on all three roles?

When you're writing something you know you're going to perform, there can be an incredible temptation to write from the perspective of the person who is about to perform it. You can sometimes make choices that aren't necessarily the best choices for the play itself, but are things that you, as an actor, want to do or think would be cool. It's important when you're writing something you're going to perform to write what you think is best, and then, when it comes to performing it, figure out how to do it.

The play seems to touch on something very universal — the way friendships change as we get older.

As you move through your late twenties and early thirties, so much of people's lives are changing and swirling around. Huge decisions are being made — for some people, marriage or children, and for others it's, what takeaway shall I have tonight? You suddenly see these vast discrepancies in people's lives, and that affects friendships. Sometimes you have to be okay with letting them go.

What was the audience response like?

People really connected with the play because ultimately it is grounded in experiences that I think so many people recognise. People can think, Oh, I know what that feels like. I see why he's putting up these walls. I see why he might avoid this difficult conversation. I see why he's yearning for this particular thing from a friend.

You play multiple characters in the production. How did you approach that?

I wanted to put on a play with lots of characters while keeping the main character and the story at the centre. It shouldn't be about how many voices I can do. It should be about the story and the characters.

You also play female characters. How did you approach those voices?

I read quite a lot of audiobooks, and it's a real pet peeve of mine when men do female voices and try to make them sound stereotypically feminine. It can become almost like a caricature. So for the female character in this play, I actually just gave her a Northern accent. That was enough. It was clear that she was a woman. I didn't need to come out in a dress and wig and speak in a high-pitched voice.

Do you think there's a temptation for actors performing multiple roles to exaggerate each character?

Definitely. There's a temptation, particularly on stage, to go bigger in order to differentiate the characters. In my production, we made the decision that all the other characters were voiced through a microphone. When I was playing the main character, it was just me, without amplification. When I became another character, the microphone was used. That gave the audience a really clear visual and auditory indication: Now I'm somebody else. I wanted people to enjoy the voices and the different characters, but ultimately I didn't want them constantly thinking, Louis is doing all these voices. I wanted them to enjoy the story and forget that I'm doing all of it.

Do you think being both an actor and a writer gives you greater control over your career?

Being an actor and having the ability to write is such a gift because you can be more in control of your destiny. As an actor, there can be huge periods where you're unemployed and nothing is happening. If you're a writer as well, you always have something to do. Writing doesn't necessarily have to tangibly inform your career in the sense that you write a television series or make money from it, but it's always a creative asset. It informs your performances because you understand character more deeply. I think it adds to the longevity of a career. Any actor should write, it's such a useful thing to have in your back pocket.

How important was drama school in developing you as an actor and writer?

For some people, there can be a tendency to assume that everything at drama school should be for them. Sometimes there are lessons that are more esoteric or out there, or simply things students aren't interested in. My reaction was different. I came to appreciate drama school much more afterwards. It made me more confident in myself as an actor and much more driven. I also made friendships and connections there that have lasted to this day. Most importantly, it's where I began writing.

Which acting technique has stayed with you most strongly from your training?

Meisner. The skill of reacting to what the other person is actually giving you becomes incredibly entrenched. What they give you is what you react to. That's so vital, particularly for theatre, where anything can happen. Nine times out of ten, the thing you're expecting to happen happens. The actor opposite you gives you roughly the performance you're expecting. But the moments when they do something completely unexpected are when you really need the capacity to run with it. You need to know your character well enough to respond instinctively.

So how do you keep that acting muscle alive?

I think it's underrated how useful it is simply to muck around. I live with actors and work with actors, so often we'll riff on ideas or find ourselves doing something silly together. That can be a really lovely way of continuing to talk about story and keeping that little creative muscle alive.

Finally, what would you say to someone trying to build a creative career across acting, writing and filmmaking?

Keep making things. You never know where something is going to take you. You just have to put it out there and see what comes back. Being able to create your own work means that you're not entirely dependent on somebody else giving you an opportunity. You can write something, perform something, make a film, experiment and learn. Even when something doesn't immediately become the thing you hoped it would become, it can lead to something else. That's what keeps it exciting.