A YORK school girl performs alongside Hollywood stars in a new blockbuster set to be shown in cinemas later this week.
Anna Cook, who is 13 and attends Bootham School, plays a role in The Choral – a new historical drama released today (Friday, November 7) – which stars Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Mark Addy, and Simon Russell Beale.
The film follows members of a Yorkshire choral society which recruits a group of teenage boys and girls for a performance during the First World War.
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Filmed in Yorkshire and featuring predominately local extras, Anna became involved with the project after being referred by her agent - Tarquin Talent Agency - who she joined while attending Stagecoach.
She said: “In The Choral, my character is a middle-class girl, and I think I’m a nice person in the film.
“It’s different to my other roles – I’m also in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Joseph Rowntree Theatre where I’m playing Veruca Salt later this month – but I get to sing in both and I love singing. I’d love to perform in New York one day.”
In the film, Anna features in two scenes: one in which she has a vocal solo singing Land of Hope and Glory and the second where she acts alongside Simon Russell Beale, who scolds her character in a scene.
Originally, she was called for a one-day shoot and given her own trailer – next to the film’s assistant director – and chauffeur, but due to scheduling, she was invited back the next day for further takes and to be featured in another scene.
Anna added: “It was really good and the actors were really nice – Simon Russell Beale was really chatty and kept speaking to us in between takes. Ralph Fiennes was in character during the filming, but when we spoke to him after, he was nice too.
“It was strange going from being on set in the morning to hanging out at my friend’s house on an evening – it went from calm to crazy!”
Anna was also joined on set by one of her school teachers at Bootham, who was an extra but also features on the film's poster (in the bottom right corner).
Anna’s mum Sarah Armitage, also expressed her pride in her daughter’s blossoming career as an actress saying: “I think it’s great. It’s so great for Anna – she’s actually dyslexic, so it’s really good that this is her thing.
“I expected her to be starstruck when she met Ralph Fiennes, but she was so patient and professional on set. It was a fantastic experience.”
Anna added that she was delighted that the film, which had previously been rated a 15, had been reclassified to a 12A – meaning that she would be able to watch it in the cinema on opening night.
The Choral will be screened in cinemas from Friday. Tickets for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, also starring Anna, can be purchased online or by phone on 01904 501935.
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