Meet The Lion King's new leads: 'The Pride Rock prop is older than us!'

From American Psycho to The Lion King? “Yeah, it’s quite a shift in tone...” admits Posi Morakinyo, as he and Asha Parker-Wallace burst out laughing.

Yes, in the kind of strange twist only Theatreland could manage, the two new leads of the West End family blockbuster, The Lion King at the Lyceum theatre, are both coming straight from the cast of the bloodthirsty serial killer musical American Psycho, which was a recent hit revival at the Almeida. Friends and colleagues Morakinyo and Parker-Wallace - now also to be known as Simba and Nala - see the funny side of the shift, but this is simply the life of an actor, where the projects vary wildly and you have to jump at opportunities that present themselves. Besides, simply on a practical level, the high energy demands of American Psycho - all hardbodies, 80s music and splattering action - has been excellent physical preparation for what is to come...