Olivia Pickering, aged 9, and Rory Wilmot, aged 11, star in Netflix’s brand new psychological thriller series Unchosen, starring Asa Butterfield and Molly Windsor.
Written and created by Julie Gearey (Coronation Street, Prisoner’s Wives and Intergalactic), the six-part thriller delves into a conservative religious sect.
The series has a star-studded cast including Molly Windsor (The Unloved, Three Girls, War of the Worlds), Asa Butterfield (The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, Sex Education), Fra Free (Les Misérables, Hawkeye), Christopher Ecclestone (Doctor Who, Dodger), and Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Downton Abbey, Time).
Unchosen follows Rosie (Molly Windsor), a devoted wife to Adam (Asa Butterfield) and mother to Grace (Olivia Pickering). They all live in a quiet Christian community helmed by religious leader Mr Phillips (Christopher Eccleston).
Unchosen marks Olivia’s first major acting role – a huge milestone in her young career as she takes on the role of Grace, the daughter of Rosie and Adam.
Olivia said:
“My mum and I moved to Shepperton for 5 months while I was filming. I got to work with the most amazing cast and crew. Molly, who played my mum Rosie, was so kind and always looked after me — I learned so much from her!
I also did some scenes with Fra (Fee)… he is the kindest “devil” ever!
A big thank you to Jim, the director, for being so patient and kind and to Kelly and Jess at KVH casting for my first big role.
Playing Grace meant so much to me because she is hard of hearing just like me, and even though I don’t wear my hearing aid as much now, it was really great to have it in the show!
I really, really hope I made Julie the writer and everyone proud.”
Fellow Articulate talent Rory Wilmot also features in the series in the role of Anthony.
Olivia said:
“My best friend on set was Rory, who plays my cousin Anthony! We had so much fun on and off set — we even went to Legoland together!”
Alongside his role in Unchosen, Rory is playing the role of Neville Longbottom in HBO’s upcoming TV series Harry Potter, which is set for release this Christmas.
Rory said:
“I’m super pleased Unchosen will finally be out. It seems ages ago we shot it; a lot has happened since then.
I felt so proud and excited when Stacey and Lucy, my agents, Facetimed me to say I got the job!
I enjoyed playing Anthony and acting out the conflict with him, it was a great role to play. He was torn between his loyalty to his dad and his loyalty to the brotherhood.
I found it interesting how sometimes you only get a short time to go on set and make the most of your moment, sometimes there was only time for one take, so you have to be prepared and ready.”
Both Olivia and Rory train at our drama school, taking group and online screen acting lessons and learning from working actors in the industry.
“One of my favourite moments on set was filming with Olivia. I had lots of fun with all the amazing cast and crew and can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
Alongside Unchosen and Harry Potter, Rory is set to appear in a couple more exciting productions that will be released later this year, and Olivia is set to start filming for a major television series across the South.
You can watch the series now on Netflix!
If you want to learn more about our work and casting agency, head to our representation pages.
