Interview: Actor Ilan Galkoff on BACKSTAIRS BILLY

Rehearsals are well underway for the world premiere of Marcelo Dos Santis’ new comedy play Backstairs Billy, starring Dame Penelope Wilton and Luke Evans, which begins performances at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre on 27 October. We spoke to Ilan Galkoff (Leopoldstadt, West End; Chess, ENO) who plays Young Billy in the production.

Ilan, you'll be playing Young Billy in Backstairs Billy, with Luke Evans playing the older version of the character. Have you worked closely together to portray Billy at different ages?

Throughout rehearsals, I’ve been observing Luke as much as possible, and what I’ve seen so far of his performance is beautiful. He’s incredibly knowledgeable about Billy, and he’s been so helpful whenever I’ve had questions.

The play is mostly set in 1979, which is where we meet Luke’s Billy. However, we also see some flashbacks to 1953, which is where I come in as the younger version. These two periods of time find Billy at very different stages of his life. In 1953, he’s only a year or two into his royal service and by 1979, he’s close to having spent 30 years at the Queen Mother’s side. From a performance point of view, this requires different approaches from Luke and I; you’ll have to come see the play to understand what I mean!

How much did you know about the Queen Mother and the story surrounding her relationship with her servant Billy before you began rehearsals?

Before reading the script during my audition process for the project, I really didn’t know anything about the Queen Mother, and certainly not about Billy. There’s a fantastic documentary online about them both which was really helpful, as well as the script itself, which paints a vivid picture of Billy’s life in Clarence House.

In my lifetime, I only ever knew the Queen Mother as an older lady in the shadows of her daughter, but it’s very interesting to learn about some of what might have gone on behind closed doors!

You clearly weren't born in 1979, so have the other members of the cast given you many 'back in the day' stories to help you picture what life was like in that era?

Absolutely. I’m incredibly lucky to get to share many of my scenes in the play with Dame Penelope Wilton, who is playing the Queen Mother. She’s such an insightful scene partner, and often shares stories and personal experiences from back in the day.

You've performed professionally from a very young age. What has been your favourite production to work on to date?

This is such a difficult question, as each project is special for different reasons. However, if I was to pick a favourite stage project, it would probably be playing Adrian Mole in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ at the Menier Chocolate Factory. This was my first lead role, and throughout the entire show, I hardly left the stage! Also the script and score by Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary was hilarious and beautiful - a lot of fun to perform.

My favourite screen project would be one that I filmed earlier this year, The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Based on the bestselling book by Heather Morris, the six-part series will premiere on Sky and Peacock in 2024. It’s clear to see that Anti Semitism still very much exists, and therefore telling these Holocaust stories is more important than ever. My experience of filming the series was phenomenal. Every single person involved was so passionate and kind, yet it was also heartbreaking to re-enact even a tiny piece of what the real victims of the Holocaust would have been through. It’s an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I’m so proud to have been part of it.

What advice would you give to young performers starting out in the industry?

My advice to young performers would be to keep working hard and persevering to get to where you want to be. This industry can be really tough; there’s a lot of rejection, and often you won’t even find out you didn’t get a role until you see the cast announced online. The thing to remember is that there are so many factors that go into casting an actor, many of which have absolutely nothing to do with acting ability, so if you aren’t cast for a specific role, it doesn’t mean never, just not this time. Keep believing in yourself and working hard to improve your ability, and you’ll succeed!

Backstairs Billy plays at the Duke of York’s Theatre from 27 October 2023 - 27 January 2024, with tickets available here.