Maisie Smith is an award-winning actress, former Strictly finalist, and has most recently been touring areas across the UK and Europe as Beth in Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds, Spirit of Man. However, she is probably best known for her portrayal of Tiffany Butcher in BBC’s EastEnders.
Maisie made her screen debut as a young Queen Elizabeth in The Other Boleyn Girl, alongside Scarlett Johansson and Eddie Redmayne. In the same year she made her first appearance in Albert Square. She played Tiffany for 13 years, becoming a central figure in the iconic Butcher family; taking on many gripping storylines, and scooping up awards including Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor at the British Soap Awards, and Best Young Actor at the Inside Soap Awards. In 2019, Maisie won Children in Need: Strictly Come Dancing Special with Kevin Clifton, and the following year partnered with Gorka Maquez to reach the final of series 18 of the popular long-running show.
After leaving Eastenders in late 2021, she toured with Strictly Presents: Keep Dancing in 2022. She went on to star as Fran in the UK tour of Strictly Ballroom the Musical (based on Baz Luhrmann’s award-winning film) for which she earned a nomination for Best Performer in a Musical at The Stage Debut Awards. This month she will be at The Oxford Playhouse, taking on the role of Marge Sherwood in the highly anticipated production of The Talented Mr Ripley which is touring the country prior to its West End debut. We wanted to find out…
What Makes Maisie
Happy?
Being with the people I love.
Sad?
Not being with the people I love.
Angry?
When I let the fear of failure dictate my decisions.
Confident?
Valuing individuality over comparison.
Thoughtful?
Learning about people through the stories they share and the experiences we exchange.
Dramatic?
When my hair won’t go the way I want it to go so I sit on the floor and cry about it
The Talented Mr Ripley at the Oxford Playhouse
Step into a world of deception, desire, and deadly ambition….
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the publication of Patricia Highsmith’s iconic novel which was to be the first in her popular Ripley series. This latest version, adapted and directed by Mark Leipacher, reimagines for the stage the chilling story where we first meet the opportunistic, obsessive ‘nobody’, Tom Ripley. Set in the sun-drenched backdrop of 1950s Italy, this is a grippling production with razor-sharp dialogue and psychological intensity and promises a Ripley ‘such as audiences have never seen before’. Starring Ed McVey in the title role, the cast also includes Bruce Herbeline-Earle as Dickie Greenleaf and Cary Crankson as Freddie Miles/ Alvin McCarron.
Performances at The Oxford Playhouse will take place between 13-18 October and can be booked at the theatre’s Box Office in Beaumont Street or on online, oxfordplayhouse.com.
Full tour dates can be found at TheTalentedMrRipleyPlay.com.
Photo by Danny Kaan, LtoR Leda & Maisie Smith in rehearsals
