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16
Nov
Young Ripon actor starred with Ralph Fiennes – and then went back to film school
A young actor from Ripon is starring in a major film with Ralph Fiennes, before he’s even graduated from film school.
Oliver Briscombe plays Lofty in The Choral, a historical comedy drama written by Alan Bennett currently on release across the UK.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret, he recalled how he felt when he first heard he’d landed the part of Lofty 18 months ago. He said:
I was astounded that I’d got the role. It’s such an exciting thing to hear, and I was just in total disbelief. I was just going along for the ride, so to hear I’d got it was incredible.
Filming took place over the summer on location in Saltaire, Keighley and Harrogate, and at Versa Studios in Leeds. The fiilm had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
So how did it feel to work with Ralph Fiennes, legend of the British stage and screen?
Oliver said:
It was great. It’s quite intimidating to be told ‘you’re going to be acting alongside Ralph Fiennes – tomorrow'. You think ‘That’s the guy who was in Schindler’s List and The Menu!’. It was my first acting job, so I was quite nervous anyway, but he’s so nice – he's always in work mode, but always so willing to help.
The first time I met him was at the table read. They sat me between Mark Addy and Ralph Fiennes, and he was just such a presence – very calm and very professional. Just to be able to see him act alongside me taught me a lot, and bouncing off him in scenes was a real privilege.
Ralph Fiennes starring in The Choral. Credit: Sony Pictures / BBC Film.
Oliver was born in Harrogate and grew up in Ripon, attending Boroughbridge High School.
He started acting at the age of seven, when he joined Ripon drama school Upstage Academy. He stayed there for 11 years, putting in an award-winning performance at Harrogate Competitive Festival for Music, Speech & Drama along the way.
Oliver is currently in his final year at MetFilm School Leeds, and is having to juggle his coursework with an acting career that appears to have taken off slightly prematurely. He has already landed his next movie role and starts filming again in a few weeks’ time.
But he may have to mentally change gear for his next job, as The Choral has been something special, according to co-stars. He said:
Because we were playing a choral society, it sort of turned us into a choral society. There was a proper sense of community – how we were on screen was how we were off screen – so it was non-stop hanging out with each other.
Mark Addy [The Full Monty, Robin Hood, Game of Thrones] and Alun Armstrong [Get Carter, Patriot Games, Braveheart] said this film was different. They said they hadn’t felt as good about being on a film set in ages, and told me to just enjoy it. And to do it in Yorkshire was really special.
The Choral was released on November 7 and is still in cinemas, including the Curzon in Ripon, and the Everyman and Odeon in Harrogate.
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