Phoebe Waller-Bridge has shared the explicit technique she learnt to rid herself of stage fright.
The actor and screenwriter is best known for the 2016-2019 comedy series Fleabag, which she wrote as well as starred in as the eponymous lead character.
Based on her one-woman stage show first performed in 2013, Fleabag follows the life of a woman in her late 20s, living in London and trying to navigate grief, love and finding a sense of purpose while wittily narrating her discoveries.
The programme ultimately won six Emmys, two Baftas and two Golden Globes, and Waller-Bridge has given numerous high-profile acceptance speeches as a result.
Though comfortable in front of the spotlight now, Waller-Bridge recalled an instance of stage fright while performing in the Noel Coward play Hay Fever in 2012.
In a new interview with The Mirror, she looked back at having a moment of fear ahead of a performance, when one of her co-stars stepped in to help.
“I suddenly got stage fright. And this amazing actor could see I was getting nervous. He took me out (behind the curtain) and I could hear the buzz of the audience.
“He said, ‘This is what you do if you are feeling scared. You stand behind the curtain, take a deep breath and you just go: F*** you, you are lucky to have me. And you say it as loud as you can and we did it every night. Sometimes doing that feels great’.”
The play revival, which ran at London’s Noel Coward theatre, also starred Olivia Colman, who played the character of Fleabag’s stepmother in both seasons of the comedy series.
Waller-Bridge will feature in the fifth Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which will be released in cinemas on 30 June.
Starring alongside franchise star Harrison Ford, Waller-Bridge plays Helena Ford, the adventurous archaeologist’s goddaughter, who helps him to find a treasured artefact.
