This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
What’s the view from your sofa?
We’ve got a lovely little fire and a comfy sofa. We look out onto the garden through a big glass door. But we’ve been renovating the family home for five years and our telly’s hanging off a half-renovated wall with wires and wood sticking out. You can’t watch anything on it because the sound is destroyed. So when we watch together, it’s mainly films on a projector.
What have you been watching recently?
I’m really behind – I’m only just finishing Succession! It’s such a brilliant show. And I really enjoyed Riot Women, not just because my mum [actor Lorraine Ashbourne] is in it. I’m so pleased it reached a lot of women. It’s such an important story about our society.
In I, Jack Wright, the family are dysfunctional backstabbers. What appealed to you about taking the part of Jack’s granddaughter Emily?
It doesn’t take itself too seriously – it’s a bit of fun, like Knives Out. A family battle for an inheritance is a theme going back to the Greek tragedies. It gets to the heart of human nature – so many families are torn apart by things like this.
Your mum, your dad Andy Serkis and your brothers Louis and Sonny are all actors. Was it inevitable that you would follow in your parents’ footsteps?
We were always encouraged to be creative – we’d dress up, make little films, forcing whoever was around to watch our shows. Mum and Dad would’ve supported us whatever we wanted to do. Going on set, especially on The Hobbit, was magical. I wanted to live in that world. Dad read the book to us every night while he was filming, doing all the voices. It was fabulous!
What advice did your parents give you?
To find work on the side, because acting is constant rejection and it could dry up in an instant. I’ve worked in hotels and all sorts of jobs. They’ve also encouraged us to follow our own path and not be competitive with each other – if a job’s meant for you, it’ll come your way.
What was it like to act opposite your dad in A Letter for the King and Sonny in La Cha Cha?
Brilliant. I absolutely loved it. I hope I’ll be able to tick off Louis and Mum too one day. With Dad, it was gorgeous to hang out together in Prague – we rarely get time, just the two of us. Sonny and I spent five weeks sharing a caravan during lockdown. In one scene, I had to slap him and I was wearing big silver rings on my fingers. He was flinching when they said, “Action!” Perhaps I wouldn’t have gone so hard on him if he hadn’t been my brother!
Do you bristle at the term “nepo baby”?
I’ve got to take ownership of it because it gives you a foot in the door, though your parents’ connections only get you so far. I know many people who struggle to get an audition or be seen by an agent, so I count myself lucky. I still audition – if you’re no good, no one’s going to hire you just because you have famous parents.
Your dad is also a writer and director. Do you ever ask him to write you a part?
I’d never be like, “Dad’ll give me a job.” I’d never want to be in any of his films if it wasn’t completely right but, equally, I wouldn’t turn down the unique and special experience of him directing me.
Do you harbour ambitions of being behind the camera?
I’m in the middle of shooting my first short film, Hunger. I wrote it, I’m directing it, and Haymarket Theatre [where she starred in Grace Pervades] let me film it there. I’m not acting – it stars Solly McLeod, who I’ve just worked with on Star City, and Esther O’Casey, whose sister Agnes was also in that show. I had the time of my life marching around with a monitor around my neck and shouting at people!
I, Jack Wright continues on Monday 13 July at 9:15pm on BBC One, with all episodes available now on BBC iPlayer.
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