Interview: David Moorst Talks TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

David Moorst's acting credits range from A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Bridge Theatre and Violence and On at the Royal Court to TV shows like Killing Eve and Grantchester and films Peterloo and Waiting for the Barbarians.

His current project is Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's seminal novel, now playing at the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End. Moorst plays Dill Harris, best friends with Scout and Jem Finch. The cast also features Rafe Spall as Atticus Finch, Gwyneth Keyworth as Scout, and Harry Redding as Jem.

Where did you train, and what was your first acting job?

I trained at LAMDA. My first professional acting job was performing in a play by Beth Steel at Hampstead Theatre called Wonderland. It was set during the Miners' Strike in the 80s. It was a great first job. It sort of set the bar for me in terms of why I want to make plays.

You've done an interesting range of plays and musicals, stage and screen. Is that deliberate to avoid getting pigeon-holed?

I suppose I can't really say that it's completely deliberate (I'm not in a position to be too picky!) but I've definitely strived for that. I do the things that excite me. The things that matter to me.

Did you know much about To Kill a Mockingbird beforehand - had you read or seen it?

Like lots of people, we did it at school. So we all sat round and read the book together and then watched the film. Aaron Sorkin's play isn't really the book or the film though. That's the thing that excited me when I read the script. I didn't want to do a Mockingbird that I'd read or seen before.

Tell us about your character Dill

Dill is an optimist. Harper Lee based Dill on a young Truman Capote from when they were friends growing up next door to each other. I read a book recently in which a school teacher described him as "a bird of paradise in a flock of crows".

What's it like playing a child on stage?

It's great fun. Dill is so youthful and it's so lovely to be able to have the freedom to throw yourself into that. I love getting to run around Maycomb with Gwyneth and Harry.

Is it exciting to get to do an Aaron Sorkin script? Were you a fan of his work?

It's so exciting! He's a writer who I don't think I realised I was a fan of, simply because I didn't clock how many things of his I'd seen. His writing allows you to hear something new each time. To try new things. That doesn't happen very often.

Why do you think we love courtroom dramas so much?

I think we love courtroom dramas because they sort of happen on the perfect playing pitch. Two sides set out against one another with various players and a referee. There's all sorts of complexities within that, but I think the set-up allows people to really interrogate what they think is right and fair, or wrong and unjust.

What parallels are there between the play and our world today?

The play looks at how we view our "friends and neighbours". It looks at the need to find justice and find empathy within a deeply segregated community. Unfortunately, I don't think it's too hard to see the parallels there.

How do you think British audiences will respond to this very American story?

It's an American story but what it says about how we look at each other and how we treat each other is very much universal. When I read the book at school, one of the things I remember very clearly was being introduced to a community. The people within Maycomb. Even to me then, a teenager from a town in the North-West, I could see parts of Maycomb in my town.

What advice would you give to aspiring actors?

Go for it! I heard lots of "Is that sensible?" and "What will you do for a proper job?". Yes, it's not easy and things will stand in your way, but spending time listening to other people's reasons not to, would be a very not "sensible" thing to do in my opinion. Use that time to work hard and learn more about what you want to do.

And finally, why should people come see To Kill a Mockingbird?

You should come and see this play because it has a great deal to show you about how far we need to go. I've been sat with this play in my head for over two and a half years. It's only become more relevant during that time.

To Kill a Mockingbird is currently booking at the Gielgud Theatre until 13 August. Book tickets here

Photo credit: The Other Richard