Thomas Aldridge – Interview
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The Palace Theatre, London
Thomas Aldridge is not stranger to Stage, Film and Television, however for the past eight years he has found a home at the The Palace Theatre in London playing Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. He kindly answered a few questions for Theatre South East about his role and time in this amazing magical show.
You have been in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for 8 years now. Tell us about your journey with the show and playing Ron Weasley?
I joined the show in its second year, starting rehearsals around 8 months after it first opened at the West End’s Palace Theatre. The buzz around Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was through the roof, and shortly after I started rehearsals the show won a record breaking 9 Olivier Awards so the pressure was on to take the baton on and not drop it. It was pretty scary taking over in a show that was so successful, not to mention portraying a role that means so much to so many people. But playing Ron Weasley is an absolute joy. There’s a reason he is one of the most loved characters in modern day literature.
The stage show is set after the books end when Harry, Ron and Hermione are all adults with children of their own…how do you go about playing such an iconic character in Ron, as an adult? And how does it help having the backstory of younger Ron from the books and films?
Obviously, with so much back story in the books to draw upon, there’s an awful lot of detail to help with developing a character portrayal such as Ron. But there’s also a lot of blanks to fill in ourselves as the story is set 19 years on since we last saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Draco. We know some of the events that have happened in that time from what we learn in our play, as well as some added canon stories that J.K Rowling has created, but there’s also room for creating a bit of backstory ourselves. What’s without doubt is that life and events and family and growing up change you as a person and it’s our job as actors to decide how those things have molded these characters.
Harry, Ron, Hermoine are one of the most famous trios of all time. What do you think makes their friendship so special and relatable?
I think Harry, Ron and Hermione are so loved because they are outsiders in a way – you might even say misfits who found each other and celebrated each other. I think that’s what bonded them and that’s the thing to hold on to even when it comes to their relationship as adults. They each have their imperfections but those imperfections are almost their superpowers and as friends they recognise that in each other.
Have you ever met Rupert Grint and what did you say to him? If not, what would you say to him / ask him if you did meet him?
I haven’t met Rupert, no. But I’d love to. A lot of the cast of the films have been in at some point which is lovely but Rupert came to see it just before I joined the show. We have both been the custodians of Ron Weasley for huge parts of our lives. I suppose I’d ask him if you ever feel like you aren’t Ron anymore or if he stays with you. I’ve never played a role for this long before and I find it hard to imagine ever not being Ron Weasley.
The Weasley family in the Harry Potter books are full of quirky characters, how do you relate to that? And do you draw on experience from your own life and family?
I’m actually an only child from a single mother, so my household was very different to The Burrow. However, it was filled with the same amount of love, as well as being run by a fierce and brilliant woman – my mother is quite a lot like Molly Weasley. I enjoy the fact that the Weasley family are full of men and boys, yet the two most formidable in my opinion are the women, Ginny Weasley and Molly Weasley are true forces of nature in the books. That’s definitely one of my favourite similarities between The Weasley Household and my home life both as a child and an adult. My mother, my wife and now my daughter are all flying the flag for women ruling the world.
The show is full of incredible special effects, illusions and magic – are there any that your character is not involved in that you would love to do?
I don’t get to come out of the fireplace, not only does it look really cool but it’s a lot of fun to do and I’m furious that I don’t get to do it, ha ha.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is performed in two parts, which is unlike any other show in the West End, as an actor how do you prepare yourself for that? And what is it like going on that journey with the audiences?
The great thing with a show in two parts is that it’s just as much a commitment from the audience as it is for the cast. We spend the day together and we all spend an entire day in the same world which makes it almost immersive. When we take our bow at the end there’s definitely a different type of bond with the audience. It’s very special.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child continues at the Palace Theatre.
Questions: Sammi O’Neill
Photograph: Manuel Harlen