At just 26, Pippa Bennett-Warner has already achieved many actors’ goals, from treading the boards at the National and having a part written specially for her to sharing scenes with luminaries like Derek Jacobi and Eddie Redmayne. She debuted aged 11 as one of the young Nalas in The Lion King, but since graduating from RADA, she has focussed on “straight acting”. Her projects are nevertheless diverse, from classical (Grandage’s King Lear and Richard II) and contemporary (The Witness at the Royal Court, D C Moore’s The Swan) stage plays to popular screen dramas, including The Smoke, Doctor Who and – coming soon – Abi Morgan’s River.

Read my full theartsdesk interview here