By Lisette Felix

It was beginning to get dark when I arrived at Richmond train station to meet Samarge Hamilton, a young, upcoming actor who is making his debut in a national play in early 2024. He’s already known for his role in the television show, Holby City and has honed his craft doing small parts and working behind the scenes. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts while I waited that I didn’t hear him walk up to me. But all of sudden I heard a ‘hello’, and looked up to see a slightly built man, wearing a woolly hat which obscured most of his face and a puffy jacket that was drawn tightly around him to guard against the cold. We greeted each other warmly and walked quickly towards the Richmond Theatre, site of his new play,  so I could take some photographs before it got too dark. Then, we sat down for a chat.

BB: What made you go into acting?

SH: I remember when I came to this country [from JonesTown, Kingston Jamaica]. It was the year 2000, I was with my dad and grandmother. We were new, so we didn’t really go out… I just stayed in and watched TV.  Then, we only had a few channels. On the BBC in the evenings after the news, they would have a film. ITV, as you know, shows a movie on the weekends so I was always at home. I didn’t play out a lot. One day I watched a film called: ’Man on Fire’, starring Denzel Washington and it was that movie that made me say, I want to do that.

BB: What did your father think of this… And your grandmother – did they support you or did they think what the hell are you doing?

SH: I know it’s crazy, but I didn’t really speak to them about it. When I was in primary school, I was in a play and some people from a local theatre came along and suggested that I join the theatre. After a lot of moving props and sweeping the theatre, I got a walk on part where all I had to do was carry a stick. Since then, I just had the ‘acting bug’.

BB: So, you weren’t exposed to any of these after school/Saturday drama schools (which for the most part, supported talented inner-city kids, i.e., Pauline Quirke Linda Robson) [Birds of a Feather], Chris Tummings [No problem & Desmond’s]

SH: No; I didn’t do that… I would say that a big part of me getting to where I am now was down to my university lecturer, her name is Margo. She sort of took me under her wing.  Once I finished uni., she invited me to her home and worked on my accent, my voice and she helped me with a youth theatre application. So, she became my acting coach and mentor.

BB: How does your family feel about your career now? Have they seen any of your work?

SH: They saw me in Holby City – 1999-2022. They seemed happy and were very supportive about that, but I still haven’t discussed my career with them. It’s probably because I don’t see myself as a star yet.  I almost feel like I will speak to them about my acting career once I get there. Right now, I don’t want to jinx it.

BB: You sound as though you are suffering – maybe just a little bit of ‘imposter syndrome.’

SH: Yes, I suffer with that a lot because I did not go to drama school (RADA) for three years.  Everything I have learnt is on the fly or on the job. I put in the work at youth theatre, but I went to university and had my mentor.

BB: A lot of your contemporaries didn’t go to RADA – Daniel Kaluuya, Idris Elba.  So far so good, you are building your career – you are still young.