Heartstopper star Rhea Norwood has revealed her new West End role is a dream true come.
The actor, known for playing Imogen in the hit Netflix coming-of-age series, is currently portraying the iconic role of Sally Bowles in the new run of Cabaret at London's Kit Kat Club, appearing alongside Strictly's Layton Williams as the Emcee.
In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Norwood opened up about her West End debut, saying it's something she's wanted from a young age.
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"I’ve found it really magical, we’ve been welcomed so well into the company and everyone is so top of their game and grounded and lovely," she told us. "I feel very respected and held in the show.
"It’s my West End debut. It’s been a ten-year-long dream to be here, so I feel incredibly fortunate and lucky and so privileged to be able to tell this story."
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Norwood and Williams took over their roles in early June and will appear in performances up until September 21.
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The strictly limited run means Norwood is not taking any second for granted, as she explained: "Sally has been dream role since I was 16, so I’ve not wanted to do that dream a disservice by getting anxious or worrying about anything.
"I’m very much going out there and serving the story that I want to tell and basking in that and enjoying that and giving birth to my version of Sally."
Norwood took over the role from Only Murders in the Building star Cara Delevingne, who has appeared as Sally since March. The Heartstopper star revealed she received a message of support from Delevingne - plus a certain Oscar-winning actor.
"Cara reached out, she was really lovely," she told us. "Eddie [Redmayne] reached out.
"He’s been an acting hero of mine since I was a teenager," she added. "I got the email on the first performance which was also my birthday and I was like, 'This is the best day of my entire life'."
Redmayne played the role of the Emcee in 2021 in the revival of the hit 1966 musical, and is now playing the role on Broadway.
Tickets for Cabaret can be bought at ATG Tickets and Love Theatre.
Heartstopper seasons 1-2 are streaming on Netflix. Season 3 will premiere on Netflix on October 3.
Emily is an experienced freelance entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily is a former Deputy News Editor and Evening News Editor at Digital Spy. She has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow.
A small and big-screen obsessive – with subscriptions to every TV and film service under the sun – Emily knows her movie stars from soap stars, and is always clued up on the latest reality show dumping, just-dropped trailer or off-screen spat. She's interviewed a number of celebrities over the years, with highlights including The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett and GMB's Kate Garraway (who "loved" her trousers).
Emily counts Sharon Horgan and Julia Davis as her TV heroes, and is a loyal Wes Anderson fan. LinkedIn
