The Day Drinker Young Star Anika Boyle: “Remember, it’s not what the business can do for you, but what you can contribute to the business”

Anika Boyle is a young Scottish-Polish stage and film actress who has won several Best Actress awards. She is best known for her roles in the theatrical production Stranger Things: The First Shadow and the short film series Elementary Brilliance in the UAE. She also debuted in Malayalam cinema. While she is cheerful and full of life in real life, she’s drawn to dramatic roles that contrast with her natural personality. These roles allow her to better understand other people’s emotions, which helps her grow as an actress. Anika is fascinated by genuine human feelings and believes that being a great actor means stopping the act and simply being yourself. She also finds it important to be involved in projects that address significant social issues.

She made her West End debut after relocating to London, where she originated the roles of Alice Creel and Eleven in the world premiere of Stranger Things: The First Shadow — a prequel to the Stranger Things TV series created by the Duffer Brothers and Kate Trefry, produced by Netflix. Despite this important experience, she focused on her work in film afterward.

A major moment in her artistic journey came when she was invited to audition – and was ultimately cast – in a lead child role in the upcoming film Day Drinker, directed by Marc Webb and starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz. She prepared under intense pressure while filming Summerwater, the upcoming six-part drama for Channel 4 in Scotland, which made the opportunity even more memorable.

Since the very beginning, when Anika realized that acting felt like second nature to her, her mother, Kasia, has been by her side, supporting and managing her career. They’ve been through both rejections and breakthroughs together. Anika believes that rejection isn’t a setback, but rather a motivator – something that pushes her forward instead of holding her back. She’s not afraid of hearing “no”; instead, she sees it as a natural part of the journey toward success. Anika approaches challenges with determination and, despite the turbulent changes, understands that acting is her calling.

In her first in-depth interview, Anika shares with Drive Music Media what it felt like to be cast in Day Drinker, whether she feels more at home in film or theater, and why her challenging roles in the social campaigns Stuck and 47 Seconds were some of the most meaningful experiences of her career.

Interviewer: You started your acting journey at a young age – how do you feel about that? What do you love about acting? What’s the hardest part for you, and what feels easy or natural? How does it feel to have won the award for Best Child Actress?

Anika: Acting has been part of my life for so long; it’s just a part of who I am. Ever since I can remember, I’ve watched my older sisters perform on stage, and they inspired me. My mum says I soaked it all up like a sponge. She saw something natural and raw in me and decided to quit her job, giving up her career to focus on building up mine and my sisters' careers. Since then, we have worked on so many different projects across the Middle East, particularly in Dubai, where I was raised. I’m so grateful I’ve had so many years to build on my acting skills to help me become the actress I am today. I love that I get to do what I love by portraying different characters and telling their stories. There is always something new that I learn about the world and myself, which expands my horizons and my acting ability. I find it easy to memorize lines and large chunks of monologues, even in different accents. When I was little, it was hard for me to make myself cry on the spot, so I practiced, and I found that, as I got older, it came naturally to me.

When I won my first award for Best Actress, when I had just turned 7, I was overwhelmed and excited at the same time. I didn’t know whether to scream or cry, so I got a little emotional. I didn’t expect it at all. I was the youngest one there, and I was up against so many amazing adult actresses. I believe such instant recognition for my first film role gave me the confidence to keep going and kick-started my career in the right direction.

Interviewer: What do you enjoy most about being on set? Do you like playing happy emotions more or sad ones? Why?

Anika: I love working with so many creative people and making friends and memories for life. I also love having my hair and make up done and chill in my trailer whenever I am not needed on set and don’t have to do more tutoring. Though nothing beats the excitement of a call to set and action!

I prefer playing challenging and realistic roles which allow me to express sad or even angry emotions. Since I am generally a happy and fun-loving person, I like to put myself in other people’s shoes and portray emotions contrasting to myself. I once had to portray a dying girl for a 47 seconds social campaign aimed at raising awareness about Lebanon’s electricity crisis and its impact on daily life. It was filmed in one continuous take and I had to control all bodily functions including breathing and blinking whilst connected to a life support machine. Even though it was a tough gig and hard for mum to watch, I was grateful for being able to do that for such a cause.

Interviewer: You were recently cast in Day Drinker alongside Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz. What was the casting process like for this film?

Anika: It was actually an open casting call my mum found on Instagram looking for a girl with my background, so she applied for me and we got a self-tape request within the same day. I was filming a TV series in Scotland at the time, so we had to film it in a hotel room in-between a busy shooting schedule and partly on set. The tape was 5 minutes long, so it took a bit of time to prepare it and upload it while shooting in a remote location with a very weak wifi signal. I was quite late to the party, as many girls had in-person auditions before I even sent my tape. It was very well received by Hannah at Lane Casting, who said my tape was fantastic, and they invited me to their offices to give me the best opportunity for this project.

Luckily, I was back in London for 4 days, so I could meet the team, and the next morning my agent emailed that I was down to the final two and they would like to schedule a Zoom recall with the director Marc Webb. He asked if I could prepare an additional scene. Unfortunately, I wasn’t available at the suggested time as I was back in Scotland filming the key scene for Summerwater, but luckily they worked around it, and I had a Zoom meeting with Marc and the team from another hotel room with my laptop propped up on an ironing board… Since the timing was tight, they started international licensing straight away, which is not an easy process, but it wasn’t until a week later that my agent called my mum to tell her I booked the job! I found out at school since my agency is in the same building, and I was so excited and on the verge of crying. I called my mum straight away! So a week later, after wrapping on Summerwater in Scotland, we were on a plane to Spain!

Interviewer: What was your very first role in a movie? How did you feel at that moment? What helps you get into character before one? Is there a casting experience that stands out in your memory? Why?

Anika: My first speaking role in a film was portraying Annalise in Elementary Brilliance directed by Leo Wong. Even though it was a collaborative project for the 48 hour film festival, which meant everything starting from script, filming to editing had to be finished and submitted within 48 hours, it went on to win many awards internationally, including around 6 Best Actress awards for me – I can’t remember exactly since I was so young. The film did so well that we got to film two sequels. You can watch EB and EB2 on Pocket Films on YouTube. EB3 has been in the works for some time but will be out soon. Before EB, when I was 6 years old, I portrayed the titular character of Amber in "Amber" directed by Faisal Hashmi, which can also be watched on YouTube. When getting into a character, particularly for a self-tape, since you're usually provided with short scenes, I make sure I understand the plot of the story, especially what happens before the scene and after, so that my intentions are more clear, which allows me to make better acting choices.

However, if I'm lucky enough to book a role and I'm already on set, before performing a scene, I make sure I understand what is going to happen and I make sure to ground myself by taking a few deep breaths, so I am fully in the moment. Something that I will always remember from the casting experience is whenever I would get a recall or a step further in the casting process, my mum would always prepare a surprise reveal for me. Once I came off the bus from school and she was there with a kite and I was excited because I had to guess what I got a recall for. Another example was, when I was walking back from school she was there with a colander! This guessing game always made me really excited. When I got cast in Stranger Things and later in Summerwater, she managed to connect my dad and my sisters on zoom, since everybody was in a different part of the world, and the reveal made me really emotional and happy to celebrate the wins together.

Interviewer: Do you enjoy theater or film more? In the future, would you like to be more of a stage actress or a film actress? Why?

Anika: I love going to the theatre as much as I love watching movies and TV series. We watch a lot! It’s kind of like research. My first professional job straight after moving to London was originating the role of Alice Creel in the world premiere of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which was my West End debut. I loved being a part of this huge production as it’s hard to beat the thrill of a live performance. If you wish to have a peek behind the curtain of this massive show and what it took to make it, you can now watch the documentary on Netflix.

After finishing my West End contract, I wanted to focus more on screen work to reach a wider audience and after many director recalls and pencils and "almosts", I was fortunate enough to book a TV series for Channel 4 and straight after a Hollywood movie! I would love to book more films, however I would take any right opportunity offered to me.

Interviewer: What advice would you give to other kids your age who are just starting to audition? Is there a piece of advice you wish someone had given you on the day of your first audition?

Anika: Always be yourself as there is nobody else like you and that’s your superpower. Camera is allergic to acting so be natural. Believe your instincts.

Be prepared to put in a lot of hard work and commitment if you really want to succeed. You have to want it with all your might and not get discouraged when you get a NO. You have to be persistent and get up and try again. Be open to small or even unpaid collaboration projects because they can be a stepping stone to something bigger. I'm living proof of that. Remember it’s not what the business can do for you but what you can contribute to the business. You have to carve yourself a place at the table and that requires a lot of sacrifice and dedication.

The piece of advice I wish someone had given me on the day of my first audition would be that it will all be worth it in the end. Every audition gets you closer to the right role for you but you have to be prepared for it. Just keep at it and use every opportunity to perform, starting from your bedroom in front of your family. When we were little my parents had no choice but to see a free show from us every night.

Interviewer: What are you looking forward to the most about filming Day Drinker?

Anika: I am so excited to be a part of this level of production and to be working with such experienced and legendary cast and crew. The experience so far has been extraordinary and after a little break and a few days back at school, I'm about to be back on set!

My first day I was straight into it – I can’t wait to share what I looked like after my first day of filming – it was quite a sight! That’s what I love about it – everything works like clockwork – there is no mucking about and the level of professionalism that’s expected of me matches the adult cast which is great as I don’t like to be treated like a child whilst working with adults and it’s a great preparation for the future.

Interviewer: Right now, you’re balancing acting with going to school – can you share a bit about what that’s like?

Anika: It can be challenging but my school is very supportive and luckily when I’m missing school to be on set I have a dedicated tutor who makes sure I am keeping up with my schoolwork. When I’m away from home on set I just want to be performing… I’d prefer to be in front of the camera every day, so sometimes tutoring is the last thing I want to be doing but I know it’s important not to fall behind and one-to-one learning is very beneficial as we get a lot done. In some subjects it actually helps me get ahead a little bit and understand certain topics better.

Interviewer: If you could choose one word that describes your acting journey right now, what would it be – and why? What do you hope to share with people through your acting? Do you feel like you already have a little (or big!) mission in the world of film? What is it?

Anika: The first word that came to my mind was roller coaster as it’s been quite a journey but I think now I choose believe. I'm glad I had a steady start and had a chance to get used to the business instead of being thrown right into it, as it's a lot to take in. One of my favourite quotes is by Vincent Van Gogh:

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. Starting small is still starting, and small beginnings often lead to extraordinary endings."

I would love to continue raising awareness on social injustice issues, like I got a chance to in "STUCK" raising awareness on paralysis and "47 seconds" raising awareness on energy crisis, both directed by Tahaab Rais. I am looking forward to developing a proof of concept film "Children of All" into a feature film in the role of Noa, as it discusses the relationship between social inequality and parenthood, and is written and directed by Gorkem Sifael. Gorkem has originally written Noa as Noah – a boy – but has changed the role to a girl after my audition. This film has a brilliant concept and I cannot wait to tell this story, as it's aiming to change perception of how we view the world.

I think it’s a bit early to be talking about what my mission is. I still have a lot to do to establish myself in the industry and hopefully Day Drinker will provide a great opportunity for me to prove myself and continue my journey.

Pictures were taken by Kasia Boyle, Abdulla Alhashmi, Nicholas Dawkes, Stranger Things on stage and Maryam ALMheiri