At just 26, Mia McKenna-Bruce is already a bit of an industry veteran. <\/span><\/p>\n Born and raised in London, she was 10 years old when she joined the cast of Billy Elliot the Musical, which was quickly followed by TV appearances in Holby City, EastEnders<\/a>, The Bill and CBBC\u2019s Tracy Beaker Returns. <\/span><\/p>\n She has since appeared in Netflix\u2019s The Witcher<\/a>, ITV\u2019s Vera<\/a> and the film Persuasion, but it\u2019s new indie movie How to Have Sex that has landed her on BAFTA\u2019s Rising Star shortlist<\/a> \u2014 16 years after her career actually started\u2026<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> How does it feel to be nominated for a Rising Star BAFTA?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I can\u2019t get my head around it. Every time someone says it, I\u2019m just like: \u2018What on earth?\u2019 It\u2019s the dream. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you win, what will you do with your award?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I saw an interview with Kate Winslet where she said she put her Oscar in the toilet so that people can do their Oscar acceptance speech in private. Maybe I\u2019ll follow in her footsteps.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Who would you love to meet at the awards?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Kate Winslet. Can you tell that I\u2019m obsessed? She seems so real and grounded. My aim as an actor is to be as honest and real as possible, so I look up to her. Also, watching Titanic made me realise that acting was something that I wanted to do.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You started as a child actor on TV \u2014 what was it like making the transition to adult actor?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It was hard. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I was having panic attacks before and after auditions. I\u2019d had such a good run of it as a child and I didn\u2019t want it to end. <\/span><\/p>\n I had to step away for a bit. I left my agent and went to Australia with my best friend and got a job in a call centre. After six months, I decided to give acting another shot.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n How do you reflect on that time now?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m grateful for it. It has given me a deep love and appreciation for what I do. I don\u2019t take it for granted because I can easily remember that time when getting work was really difficult.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Last year, you starred in How to Have Sex, which features a sexual assault storyline. Did you have any concerns about those scenes?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I think it\u2019s human nature to be a bit nervous to film sex scenes. They\u2019re always a bit awkward, but we had an intimacy coordinator who worked with us at our rehearsals in London. By the time we were on set in Malia in Greece, it was all choreographed and we knew exactly what we were doing.<\/span><\/p>\n Do you have any favourites from the films nominated this year?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n All of Us Strangers. It\u2019s beautiful. That\u2019s what I love about British films \u2013 they\u2019re so real and honest and they always move you. When I\u2019m watching a film, I\u2019m like: \u201cBring me the drama.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Phoebe](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/01\/EE2266-240d480.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"EE2266\\"\/")
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