25 Nov 2023
St Albans actor Anna MacLeod Franklin stars in new film ‘The Mystery of Mr E’, Deborah Heath finds out more…
Anna MacLeod Franklin, who will be familiar to many of you from her many OVO performances, celebrates the release of film ‘The Mystery of Mr E’ on Amazon Prime today (Saturday).
Having seen Anna commanding the stage in many productions over the years, I felt like I was talking to an old friend when I met her to discuss this exciting project. However, firstly I wanted to find out about her route into the wonderful world of theatre.
Although she was involved in school productions and went on to study drama and English at St Mary’s College Twickenham, Anna’s path to an acting career was an unconventional one.
She had a cooperate career in her 20s and 30s while she did community theatre in her spare time.
One of her proudest moments was playing Boudicca in OVO’s first Roman Theatre production in 2014. Anna became increasingly involved in OVO productions and around the time they became a professional company, she became a professional actor.
At almost 40 years old and with a young family this would have been too bold a choice for many but Anna explained:“ Actually I feel more confident and comfortable in my own skin in my 40s. Also, when I was in my 20s the landscape was very narrow in terms of body diversity – now there’s a vast improvement and we see actors of all races, shapes and sizes represented.”
Anna’s first professional acting job was with Moving Stories Theatre in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ playing the nurse. “I’ve played the nurse about five times now!” she chuckled. It’s a role she does very well as I can attest having seen her in OVO’s production at the Roman Theatre Festival this summer.
“Shakespeare is still so alive,” she explained. “His characters are beautifully drawn and still resonate now.”
A pivotal moment in Anna’s career came during lockdown, when OVO live-streamed a Zoom production of The Regina Monologues. This was seen by the producers of The Mystery of Mr E, who had long been looking for someone with the amiability and demeanour of Hattie Jacques to play a key role in their film. Anna did a screen test and got the part! The project started in August 2021 and was two years in the making.
“There is a real Agatha Christie set up to the story,” said Anna.
“This was even the case with the filming because the cast and crew were bubbled together in a country estate in Yorkshire. It was a brilliant experience from start to finish – we felt like family and are all still in contact via WhatsApp.”
I asked what sets The Mystery of Mr E apart from other films and Anna began: “Well first and foremost, Sophie Hannah the writer. She’s so talented and writes the new Poirot novels. This film began as a stage musical for her child’s school but she has adapted it for film with the wonderful independent director Martyn Tott.
“Secondly I think we’re probably the first people to make a murder mystery film that is a musical. As well as having a Christie-style twist, it is a tongue-in-cheek, funny and family friendly film, although Amazon have rated it a 15. The other thing that sets it apart is the detectives. Unlike the classic middle aged white male police officer, the lead detectives are twin boys in their early 20s.”
As she went on to explain more I got the sense that there is a really exciting new energy to this project and I can’t wait to see it.
So what’s next for Anna? Well, there will be a revival of the fantastic OVO production of Romeo and Juliet elsewhere in the UK.
Closer to home though, Anna will be performing in their Roman Theatre promenade production of A Christmas Carol which promises to be as magical as last year and will set St Albans residents up for the festive season. She will also be involved in next year’s Roman Theatre Festival. “I love St Albans – it’s home,” said Anna. “I was born and raised here, went to Beaumont School and I still live locally. What sets it apart is the thriving culture scene, especially for community theatre.”
When I asked Anna if there was any advice she would offer to aspiring actors she laughed “Just believe in yourself and don’t waste 20 years like I did!”
It was an absolute pleasure to chat to Anna and I hope that like me you are intrigued by The Mystery of Mr E. I will certainly be tuning in, not just as a murder mystery fan but to proudly support this lovely local treasure!
See it on Amazon Prime from today (Saturday November 25).
