Bel Powley is not a good liar. “I have a bad blush reflex,” the actor says, and her hands instinctively shoot to her face. “I go really red.” She’s been in the entertainment industry more than half her lifetime but, off stage, pretending is a different story. “I could tell you I liked your outfit if I didn’t,” she says, her easy laughter assuring me she’s not directing the comment anywhere specific. “But a big, big lie?” She shakes her head emphatically, every move she makes open and expressive. “To someone I loved, I’d quickly give myself away.”
Love and deceit form the marrow of the latest project for the 32-year-old actor, Tom Stoppard’s 1982 play The Real Thing. The play-within-a-play structure sees her character, Annie, an actor, grapple with her relationship with playwright Henry, her sparring partner, played by Mare of Easttown’s James McArdle. “Our chemistry feels really good,” she nods.
