Alexander Devrient made an impression in his guest role on Emmerdale, and he's just been enjoying the sun and football in Brazil for this year's World Cup.
Though Emmerdale could have been labelled his break out role for television, Alexander's already gained an impressive list of credits in film including Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Erasure to name just two.
He's also worked in the theatre and is fluent in English, French and German.
FemaleFirst got the chance to chat to Alexander about his Emmerdale role, career highlights and more in an exclusive interview.
Alexander DevrientAt what point in your life did you realise acting was a career path you wanted to walk down?
I’ve always had a passion for acting from a very young age. I started taking acting classes at school and participated in every school play. I went on to study Economics and International Relations at the University of Birmingham. The turning point came in my 3rd year. I was writing my dissertation on “Europeanization and Human Rights in Turkey”. It was a fascinating topic, yes, but I felt this urge to finish my Bachelor and give acting a chance. I applied for drama school and luckily I got in! My Lebanese granddad was also a source of inspiration. He still performs and has done so for over 55 years now.
What would you note as some of your favourite memories in your career to-date?
Getting to play alongside Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was definitely a highlight. I also tremendously enjoyed touring around Europe with French theatre company Tour de Force. I got to play old tyrant Harpagon in Moliére’s comedy l’Avare (The Miser), a role I found equally fascinating as it was challenging.
Ranked high up there is also our sell-out run of French romantic comedy J’me sens pas belle. It’s a two-hander and I couldn’t have hoped for a better team. The bond on stage with fellow French actress Pauline Cousty was magical and director Emilie Perraudeau knew how to put all the dots together. Last but not least, the whole Emmerdale adventure was definitely a highlight too!
You came into Emmerdale this May as Laurent - how much did you know about the character when auditioning for the role?
To be honest, I didn’t know a huge amount about him. It was clear that he was French, driven, ambitious and passionate about cycling. He was training to take part in the Tour de France and didn’t quite anticipate that he would literally come crashing into Emmerdale. If only he’d paid more attention during English classes at school!
How did you find the reaction from fans when Laurent made his debut?
The reaction to “the French chap” has been great and I think that fans thoroughly enjoyed hearing Kerry (Laura Norton) attempting to communicate in broken French with Laurent. In the end, they managed to understand each other despite the language barrier, much to the dislike of Kerry’s boyfriend Dan (Liam Fox).
You had to film falling off a bike for the debut, was that a difficult process?
I’d love to say that I did the stunt myself but I had a body double who took care of the fall. His name was Tim Halloran and he did a great job.
He threw a spanner in the works for Kerry and Dan's relationship, can you tell us a little about that storyline?
Laurent’s arrival is a real test, especially for Dan who becomes extremely jealous. Kerry loves winding him up but she’s also looking for Dan to make more of an effort in showing his love. She succeeds, leaving Laurent heart-broken and hurt. Yes, I’m looking for sympathy and cuddles here.
Will Laurent become a regular?
There have been no talks about making Laurent a regular but I wouldn’t close any doors as of yet.
You've got film and theatre credits including Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Voodoo Magic - how does all that work compare to your Emmerdale role?
What combines all three projects is that I played French characters. My gypsy in Sherlock Holmes was named Ferrag, he was a ferocious and witty thief. Philippe in Voodoo Magic came from an estate on the outskirts of Paris but used his brains to work his way up the academic ladder. As a professional athlete, Laurent fell into a completely different category. Because I speak fluent English, German, French and Spanish I get the opportunity to use my languages a lot, both on stage and in film.
You're also an established voice over artist, how do you go about getting a career in that industry?
The Voice Over industry is a funny one, it’s not easy to break into it. I work mainly as a German voice and it took me years of knocking at doors before I got my break through. The most important thing is to keep working on your voice. That applies to both careers as an actor and as a voice-over artist. Every artist who wants to break into the industry needs a professional Voicereel. Speak to sound engineers, listen and understand your voice, then record a mixture of corporate, commercial and narrative recordings. If you are into animation, play around with different voices, find a character and develop a character reel. Once that’s done, you can start contacting voice over agents.
Do you have any other projects in the pipeline you can share some details about?
I am lucky enough to go to Brazil during the World Cup, after that I will carry on working on an international feature with Croatia’s rising star director, Slobodan Karajlovic.