Eleanor Worthington-Cox: A Re-Emerging Theatre Actress

At the age of 10, Eleanor Worthington-Cox made history as the youngest Olivier Award winner for her performance as the eponymous character in Matilda the Musical. A decade on, she has established herself as one of the most versatile young actresses on the West End, recently securing a second Olivier nomination for her role in Next to Normal. Now, she has reunited with her Next to Normal director Michael Longhurst to take on the role of Hero in his production of Much ado About Nothing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The show marks the first time Eleanor has worked at the RSC since her time with Matilda, and we spend some time discussing why this show means so much to her.

In this brand new interview, Eleanor Worthington-Cox tells us about rehearsals for Much ado About Nothing and the experience of returning to the RSC as an adult following the tremendous success she had with Matilda. Earlier in the year, she finished a run of The Little Foxes at the Young Vic Theatre, starring opposite Anne-Marie Duff. It seems amazing that after such a gritty American drama that she's now turning to one of Shakespeare's most well known comedies, but she assures us that the production will still turn to more poignant subjects. Indeed, Michael Longhurst's production reimagines the show into the world of football, WAGs and social media, and so it seems likely we'll get to see another thundering performance from Eleanor Worthington-Cox. During our conversation, she tells us about her own relationship with social media and how she's become more weary of the various platforms available now and how apparent contemporary issues are in the show when relating it to Hero's slander. 

Much ado About Nothing runs at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until 24th May with tickets available now!