‘Fat Funny Friend’ Roles Led to Breakthrough,Says Actor Harriet Webb
LONDON – Actor Harriet Webb,known for roles in I May Destroy You,Mr Bigstuff,and Big Boys,credits early,ofen typecast roles with paving the way for her current success,revealing a formative experience with body image criticism ultimately fueled her determination.
Webb recounts a challenging but formative period studying in London, living in a freezing Finchley house with friends reminiscent of Withnail and I.To support herself while pursuing acting,she worked as a teacher and a host at Peckham’s Forza Wine restaurant,also enjoying the nightlife in Soho and Camden,describing her 20s as an “extended childhood.”
Early in her career, Webb accepted smaller roles, celebrating even three lines of dialog. She frequently played “fat funny friend” parts, a type she continues to occasionally portray, believing it strategically opened doors. “I don’t think there’s any shame in utilising what you’ve got if it leads to an prospect further down the line to show your other dimensions,” she stated.
A pivotal moment arrived with Michaela Coel‘s I May Destroy You, the script for which she received “out of the blue.” She secured the role after one self-tape and an audition,describing Coel’s on-set presence as “inspiring,” noting her “grace and warmth and hilarity.”
Webb also highlighted the influence of Danny Dyer and Ryan Sampson, her Mr Bigstuff co-stars, praising their perfectionism. While acknowledging her own tendency towards appearing ”scatty,” she admitted to being a perfectionist herself, willing to perform “100 takes” to fully explore a scene.Dyer, she noted, “has never dropped a word of a line and he never corpses,” while she is easily distracted. Dyer also possesses ”zero ego” and a “galvanising” energy.
Webb confessed to being “really hard on myself” and driven by “blind self-belief” – a constant pursuit of betterment that she admits can be “really exhausting.” She attributes some of her casting success to being “easy to be around,” recalling Big Boys creator Jack Rooke describing her as “provocatively kind.”
Reflecting on her journey, Webb connects her current confidence to a childhood memory of a girl in a dress, maintaining a “low-level sense that everything is going to come good” despite no longer spending time “ankle deep in a river.”
