âWe want to find new voicesâ â Naomi Scott
âI didnât go to drama school, I didnât get the opportunity to⊠there may be barriers to entry to that sort of thing,â says east London actress Naomi Scott.
She co-founded production company New Name Entertainment with her husband Jordan Spencer four years ago.
It now has a special fund to help students from working class backgrounds to attend top drama and film schools.
âItâs not just about learning the thing, itâs also about navigating it. Thatâs something that is really important to us,â she says.
âWe set up the New Name fund to put certain students and people through drama school or a National Film and Television School (NFTS) course,â she adds.
âI just think itâs really important.
âWhen it comes to the idea of barriers to entry, I think that people who are from lower socioeconomic situations or from maybe environments that arenât supportive of that type of path⊠youâre not set up to succeed.â
The fund also supports working class students with a programme of mentoring and career development support.
âI think itâs a real blessing to just be able to make things out of curiosity⊠and lean into that,â Scott says.
âThe idea of New Name is because number one, we always want to feel like we are learning.
âWe also want to find new voices: new writers, film makers, ideas and stories.â
She adds: âWe canât do everything, but we can do our small bit to maybe help some people have a clearer path to what they want to do.â
Scott returned to the big screen on Thursday in horror film sequel Smile 2, directed by Parker Finn.
Scottâs last big role was as Princess Jasmine in the 2019 live-action Disney film Aladdin, directed by Londoner Guy Richie.
When not filming, Scott says she enjoys travelling around London.
âI love being in London,â she says. âBest city in the world.
âI do love going on the Tube⊠it reminds me of being a teenager and the first time of feeling independence.
âI used to always go into London for castings, so I guess thereâs something nostalgic about it for me. And itâs great public transport.
âElizabeth line â love it. Air con â top notch.â
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