Earlier this year, Sade Malone was walking the red carpet at Dublin International Film Festival in between performances at the city’s legendary Gaiety Theatre.

At the former, she was leading the cast in Marian Quinn’s Twig — the festival’s opening film — and the latter in John B Keane’s 1959 play Sive. “I think I handled it well,” the actress shrugs, casually.

Despite several Irish roles, Malone spent only a part of her childhood in the country. Born in Greater Manchester, she moved to Dublin as an infant for almost a decade, before settling in Leeds where she now resides. As well as adapting to several accents, Malone says the need to fit in helped her acting “because you’re constantly feeling empathy for different people”.

Often attending classes at a dance school run by her mother (“free babysitting”), Malone got her start at 14 on the CBBC series 4 O’Clock Club. “It felt like a summer camp,” she recalls. “I didn’t care if I got paid or not, I just knew I wanted to do this.”

Training followed at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, with mentoring from Naomie Harris as part of a Bafta scholarship. She picked up an agent at her final-year showcase, and roles included a recurring part in BBC crime drama Hope Street, 2018 TV film The Queen And I and two episodes of Danny Boyle’s Disney+ miniseries Pistol.

“I learnt so much from that job,” Malone recalls of working with Boyle. “The way he taps into such a naturalism, it was like watching genius.”

Twig was her first lead role, a modern retelling of Greek tragedy Antigone set in inner-city Dublin. Malone played a pivotal role in the rest of casting, with the story being adapted to portray the mixed-race experience. “I felt a lot of ownership over it by the time we got to filming, it was in my bones.”

Similarly, playing Sive in John B Keane’s heritage drama seemed like a big step forward for representation. “When you think back to being younger, you forget how important it is to see yourself represented like that,” says Malone. “I hope I can do more of that.”

Contact: Natalie Payne, Payne Management

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