'I'm glad I didn't leave Yorkshire, I was so scared I'd lose myself' - Natalie Gavin launches screen acting school in Leeds

Her drama teacher noticed her lack of involvement and Natalie was called to the front of the school auditorium and told to perform a 15-minute improvisation to her classmates. “I remember it vividly. Everybody turned around and I went bright red. As redheads, we go a different kind of red, there’s no hiding it,” the 37-year-old laughs. “I remember the heat running across my face. My school jumper was red as well. I’ve never been so frightened in my life. I remember my hands shaking violently and thinking what am I going to do?”

Nervous receptionist – that’s what she decided on, armed with glasses on a chain around her neck, and clutching a briefcase in one of her trembling hands. “I remember pretending to be on the phone and I rocked back in my chair and I threw myself off it and everyone cracked out laughing. That was it, from that moment. I got such a surge, such a fire in my belly. I was like whatever this feeling is, it’s good and I want to keep having it.”

More than 20 years later, she still is. She’s perhaps best known for her roles in Line of Duty, Ackley Bridge, Gentleman Jack, and the award-winning film The Arbor, but Natalie has a long list of credits to her name including Shameless, Jericho and The Syndicate, as well as numerous stage productions. Now, after teaching and mentoring in the industry for more than 11 years, Natalie has recently launched her own screen acting school.

Based in Leeds, taking over what was the city’s act4TV base after the founder stepped back from the business, Natalie Gavin Acting (NGA) Screen Acting runs a series of classes and workshops designed to support and inspire the next generation. Natalie, who grew up in Bradford, had been teaching at act4TV for a number of years. “We’ve built a community here, with people that have been teaching for years and the idea of closing it and reopening it didn’t feel right,” she says. “So we’ve kept it going, but we’ve revived it as we’ve gone along.”

Delivered by screen professionals including Natalie herself alongside Nathan Graham, John Gully and Elliot Benn, NGA classes are open to beginners and intermediates, as well as pros wanting to deepen their craft. Anyone with an interest in acting or who wants to boost their confidence is welcome, Natalie says. “I want to have everybody believe in their abilities, grow in confidence and grow in the industry.”

The focus is on giving actors tools they can use in the room — whether that’s an audition, a rehearsal, or a shoot. “You need to be able to inhabit a space,” explains Natalie, who lives in Halifax. “A living room set, or a kitchen or an office - if you’re not practicing using these spaces, when you get on set and you’re working in the industry, you don’t have time to feel uncomfortable. You need to have exercised that, developed those skills so that you’re confident.”

Having a school has been a dream of Natalie’s since those days of drama at Buttershaw High. Since her teens, it has been written down on a piece of paper of goals she wanted to achieve “so it’s a massive tick” to have done so, she says. “All I’ve ever said all my career is we’ll see. I do my best at whatever I get the opportunity to do - and then we’ll see,” she reflects.

“It always felt a bit ambitious to say I’m going to be an actor because I had no knowledge of how I was going to get there. I had no opportunities at reach, that’s what it felt like. I didn’t know how or where to start. I knew I was interested - and the more I dived in, the more I was handed help. I feel that’s such a rare thing. I was so lucky and still feel really lucky...

"I just feel like I’ve had that all the way through my career and I feel like it’s my opportunity to help now. If I can bring people in to be seen by the right people, if I can help direct or nurture people’s careers and their acting skills to the best of my ability, I’m so passionate about that.”

Having struggled at school (she knows now she’s severely dyslexic), Natalie left with barely any GCSE passes to her name, and claims she used her “charm” to secure a place at performing arts college in Leeds.

From there, she undertook Drama and Theatre Studies at Huddersfield University, taking time away from the course for her role in Shameless. Her career then launched with a powerful performance as young playwright Andrea Dunbar in Clio Barnard’s The Arbor.

Whilst many of her peers left Yorkshire for London, Natalie was determined to stay put. “I was so scared I’d lose myself,” she says. “I feel like when I open my mouth, people can see the rolling hills, and the slag heap, the coal mines. That makes me me and that’s what makes me a product. I sell that.

"In the industry, being an actor, you need to know who you are, what you’re about and what you can bring. (Yorkshire) is my everything, it’s my soul - as well as being ginger...I’m glad I never felt pressured enough to go to London and stood my ground and stayed here.. And it’s possible...You can be here and have a successful career.”

She’s channelling that message into all of her students at NGA now. “I want to give others from working-class, Yorkshire roots the belief that they can do it too,” she says. “I want people to know that their voice, their story, and their background are strengths and not barriers.”

For more information on NGA Screen Acting, and to book classes, visit nga-screenacting.co.uk