Essie Randles on expanding their sense of humanity
Essie Randles, who plays Brooke Delaney in Peacock’s Apples Never Fall, chats using music to take themselves away from the noise and get in the right emotional place. They discuss empathizing with their characters, letting go of fear, and the importance of continuing to put yourself out there as an actor.
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For Essie Randles, being an actor is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. “I’ve always wanted to do this, and I’ve always known that this was my goal,” they share.
A newcomer in the entertainment industry, Randles recently broke out as part of the lead ensemble in Peacock’s drama series Apples Never Fall alongside Alison Brie and Jake Lacy. They are excitedly looking forward to many more decades of acting and whatever comes next in their ongoing journey as an artist, embracing everything with an open mind. “I’ve learned that you can’t rush it. Now that I’ve had this opportunity, I’m so glad that I’m coming to it as the person I am now and not the person I was years ago. I’ve had this time to learn and grow, and I’m so glad that it’s happening now.”
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At five years old, Randles discovered their love and passion for acting. After a performing arts night at her school, Randles recalls, “I remember my mom saying [afterward] that it was the happiest she’d ever seen me in my life, and it made me want to keep chasing that feeling. I played a possum in a costume that my mom had made on her sewing machine. It was [an] amazing feeling being onstage and performing.”
Since then, art and performing have continued to be both Randles’ passion and profession. They started performing with a local creative organization called the The Arts Unit — speaking gratefully and nostalgically on what proved to be a major source of comfort growing up. “Collaborating with these amazing artists was the best time I had in high school,” Randles shares, describing those moments as some of the “happiest” in their life.
For Randles, zeroing in on acting as a career from such an early age exposed them to a new perspective on the industry. While they enjoy putting together a performance, Randles is also drawn to how acting doubles as a form of emotional expression and sensitivity. “I’m a very emotional being. Being in a profession where those emotions are valued and seen as an asset, rather than something to overcome, is really positive for me,” they say. “As an actor, you expand your sense of humanity to encompass another person. It’s an amazing thing to get to do. I’m very grateful.”
During their adolescence, Sydney-raised Randles recalls their father taking them to see a production of Suddenly Last Summer. Randles credits their career to watching Aussie drama veteran Eryn-Jean Norvill onstage nearly a decade ago. “I remember seeing her perform and being completely blown away. I thought, ‘I want to do that. That’s what I want to do.’ That’s the moment when I decided [I wanted] to [do this as] a career.”
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Randles is acutely aware of the difficulties of being a working actor. “It’s a really hard profession, [and] there’s a lot of rejection, but if you know that [this is] what you really want to do, you have to keep going,” they say. It’s all about the power of effort, where according to more than just Randles, the true value of artistic pursuit is held. They draw inspiration from Theodore Roosevelt’s The Man in the Arena, which touts true success as consistent effort not immune to failure. Randles welcomes the challenge that comes with building an acting career. “It’s much better to have tried and failed than [to have] not tried at all,” Randles reminds themself, going on to explain their experience with rejection.
“When I wouldn’t get a role, and I would be really heartbroken, there was always a tiny part of me that kept a flame burning for what I really wanted to do. I would try and divert my attention to that tiny, tiny part of myself that believed that I could do it.” Randles also finds reliability and support in their close friends and family, who “have been there for everything” — acting as a much needed rock throughout their journey. “When I first got the tape sent to me, I’d been feeling a little bit down about auditioning, so I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to approach this audition [as] if I don’t have any fear. Fear, thank you very much. Go away.’ Then, the impossible happened.”
A couple self-tapes and Zoom callbacks later, Randles was offered the role of Brooke. “I still can’t really believe it, even though it’s been over a year now.” They immediately got to work preparing and researching — tapping into the power of music and curating a playlist dedicated to the character.
“I would attach different scenes to different songs, so if I was filming the next scene in the sequence, I would return to that song and know exactly the kind of state she was in,” they say, listing Odette’s ‘Magnolia’ and Labrinth’s ‘Never Felt So Alone’ as top picks. Randles used music as a tool, harnessing the underlying emotions within a song to complement their own performances. “I adore music. I love music so much, and I find it so powerful and visceral how a song can affect you so much.”
Randles felt an “almost psychic pull” to Brooke, taking note of several parallels between the two, including being the youngest in their families and identifying as queer. Beyond their similarities, Randles also enjoyed learning new things from the process of portraying Brooke. “Brooke lashes out sometimes, and I at least hope that that’s not similar to me, but I had to find a way of empathizing with where that comes from within her,” they notice. “Her perfectionistic [tendencies] and self-expectations are so high that when other people don’t meet those expectations, it almost feels like a personal offense for Brooke.”
During her time on Apples Never Fall, Randles sought to encompass Brooke’s evolution and dynamic personality as the series progressed — a “satisfying and special” experience unlike anything she had done in theater. “A lot of her walls come down — her fear of being messy or emotional or too much — and you see a completely different side of her by the end of the series. Playing that arc was just a joy.”
Like Brooke, Randles has also changed in the process. They have been challenged to grow and experiment as an actor in all of the best ways. As Randles approaches new projects, they intend to find the balance between taking risks and learning with a level head. “Thanking my fear for watching out for me and trying to protect me from getting hurt, while recognizing that it might not be the most helpful thing to tap into, changed my life.”
Photography IRENE CHEN
Fashion KELSEA CHAPEL
Hair GLENN ELLIS at THE ONLY AGENCY
Makeup CAROL PARK
Words ICEIS AUGUSTINO
Retouch DARIA MOZRR
Special thanks to UNIVERSAL STUDIO GROUP and IMPRINT PR
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They seem so lovely and thoughtful, and as a fellow deep feeler and crier I had never ever considered that acting would be a place where your emotional self would be an asset.
Hope they continue on their path with satisfying, interesting work that inspired them!