Small Change

inews on Luke Evans

So in 2008, when the role of Vincent came up in a play called Small Change, written by Peter Gill about two boys and their relationships with their mothers, he took matters into his own hands and wrote to the casting director of the Donmar. “I just had a feeling that this was the right role, and this could be my moment to break out of musical theatre.”

It worked. “Three weeks later, I landed the role, and it changed my life.” The production caught the eye of some influential people, it transpired. “From that play, I was schmoozed by two big agents in America. They flew over – two different agencies. One took me to lunch at The Ivy. The other thought they’d be clever and take me to dinner at The Ivy. I walked in, and they were like, ‘Oh, good evening, Mr Evans’. I’d never stepped foot in The Ivy in my life, then it was twice in one day,” he says, laughing. Since then, he has appeared in the Fast and Furious and Hobbit franchises, and been nominated for several awards.

Small world, small change. I met Peter Gill for dinner with one niece last month, and Evans' old Cardiff singing coach also works with another.