Naomi Ackie on I Love Boosters and her approach to acting: “Talent is one thing, but the practice and the craft is completely different”

For a BAFTA, BIFA and Independent Spirit Award-winning actress, Naomi Ackie was a nervous figure at the beginning of her LFF Screen Talk. “Obviously I’m on stage talking, so, like, I can hold it down, but I’m usually quite a reserved, quiet person,” she told host Grace Barber-Plentie. 

Since her breakout role alongside Florence Pugh in Lady Macbeth (2016), Ackie has gone on to star in Hollywood franchises, acclaimed independent films and prestige television. Yet, the actress seemed unsure of her place on stage. “I was terrified no one would show up,” she admitted to the very full audience. 

Her nervousness belied an open, informal demeanour that fostered an intimate atmosphere. She often directed questions to her agent in the audience, making the discussion feel more like a conversation among friends. “Is this weird? Is this interesting?” she asked the audience midway through an anecdote.

But Ackie became animated when discussing her new film I Love Boosters with director Boots Riley – who was also in the audience – which had its European premiere at the festival the previous evening. Ackie stars as Sade, one member of booster trio ‘The Velvet Gang’ (professional shoplifters who steal merchandise to resell it), alongside Keke Palmer’s Corvette and Taylour Paige’s Mariah. A clip of Ackie’s and Palmer’s characters mid-boost proved popular in the room, even after Riley added that part of the scene – which sees Ackie’s character drop a basket of stolen goods from between her legs – was a mistake. 

Ackie likened the experience to her clowning and bouffon training in theatre (she attended the prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama). She never intended to transition to the big screen. “I always saw film as something completely inaccessible,” she admitted. Theatre was her goal, but her first film audition for Lady Macbeth propelled her into the spotlight (“That was a madness,” she joked) and into a galaxy far, far away. For her role as Jannah in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), hers was the first audition tape that director J.J. Abrams saw. “You can’t tell no one,” the studio said once she secured the role. “I told everyone,” she said.

Bringing her latest film to her hometown has made Ackie nostalgic, yet she seemed shocked by her success. “I still walk past a café that says, ‘Employment Wanted’, and I’m like…” – here she gave a pointed stare to the audience – “…you just never know.” She came into her own when talking of her past, recalling working in a pub before booking Star Wars, playing ‘Mystic Myrtle’ in the Crystal Maze live experience and being grateful for her trajectory. “It still feels like a miracle that my only job is acting.”

Fame seems to have made little impact on Ackie, who came across as remarkably down to earth. “After an audition I would always do a little shop,” to lift her spirits, she said (Topshop and Zara were her haunts of choice). She takes pride in her ordinariness and sees no reason to place herself above government guidance. “Please get your tins, food, and your water,” she says directly to the audience. “I’m not even joking. I bought a crank radio.”

After the premiere of Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022), in which Ackie plays Whitney, she returned to her flooded basement flat in Angel. “I was like, whoa, there’s normal life.” She was less excited to discuss the film itself, which she admitted was a critical and box office bomb. “I tried my best. It’s an interpretation.” She confessed an initial reluctance to take on the role. “I was like, don’t tell my agents, but you shouldn’t even give me an audition.” Playing a real person, particularly someone so beloved, clashed with her perfectionism. “You can know someone your whole life and not know their inner world. There was something about the pressure of people knowing Whitney, people loving Whitney.” Despite her misgivings, she sees the funny side. “The stakes are low. Nobody died. It’s fine!”

As easy-going as Ackie appeared, she is serious about her profession. “Talent is one thing, but the practice and the craft is completely different,” she said, emphasising the need for young actors to work hard. “I’m not going to speak for other actors, ’cause for some people it is purely instinctual, but it’s not magic.” She discussed how she would ask directors for three back-to-back takes, building intensity to achieve a smoother performance. 

From Anna in Lady Macbeth – who becomes mute halfway through the film – to the idiosyncratic Bonnie in season two of The End of the F***ing World (2019), Ackie has embodied several characters with distinctive traits. She demystified her process. “It’s extremely technical for me,” she said. “I’m like, I walk five steps and then I turn my head this way, and maybe a blink would be useful here. It’s deeply unromantic.” 

Her dream, she said, “is to do a film where I don’t say a single word”. For now, her immediate future may hold more screaming than talking. Ackie stars in the upcoming body-horror thriller Clayface, as well as the sequel to the indie horror favourite It Follows (2014). “Horror is the funniest job,” she said, miming a scream. Her approach to the genre is the same as her career. “Nothing scares me.”

Naomi Ackie was speaking at her Screen Talk at the 70th BFI London Film Festival.