My first West End job and my first television job are all part of the same memory. When I was asked to audition for Call the Midwife in 2019, playing a young woman named Marian, I was already performing in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, juggling multiple swing tracks and fitting auditions into whatever pockets of time appeared. I filmed the self-tape in the Palace Theatre dressing room with help from a castmate who read in for me between cues.

I wasn’t nervous at first. I approached the audition with a sense of calm practicality because there simply wasn’t time for anything else. The nerves caught up with me later at the read-through when I was asked to read the lead actress’ lines as she was on set that day. I was not a confident cold reader at the time, and suddenly I was reading more lines than I had mentally prepared for, opposite the cast and creative team. My adrenaline kicked into gear and carried me through.

When the role was confirmed, I found out the episode director was someone I had worked with during my training at ArtsEd. It felt like a full-circle moment that reminded me that you never really know when you’ve left a lasting impression on someone.

Stepping on to the set for the first time was unforgettable. The attention to detail was extraordinary and it genuinely felt like I had time travelled straight into 1964 East End London. The props, costumes and light haze in the air supported the world so convincingly that it grounded my performance the moment I walked on.

Looking back, the only thing I would change is documenting more of the experience for myself. Those early milestones move quickly and they deserve to be remembered properly. Something I remind myself of often, and want to share with whoever it may resonate with, is the importance of valuing the life you live around the work. The slower moments between auditions, the experiences that seem unrelated, the parts of life that have nothing to do with acting – all of these eventually add depth and texture to your performances. The characters you play are shaped by the fullness of your own life. Honour that and let it feed the work.

CV: Rayxia Ojo

Age: Undisclosed
Training: ArtsEd
Theatre includes: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace), Icarus (Unicorn)
TV includes: Call the Midwife (BBC), Supacell (Netflix), Christmas in Lagos (Amazon Prime/Greoh Studios)
Agent: Denton Brierley