Hollywood actor Tom Hopper surprised cast members of Ashby School’s production of ‘Return to the Forbidden Planet’ by dropping in to help with rehearsals. The show was last staged at the school in 2002, when Tom – then a student at the school – was on roller skates playing the role of Ariel the robot.
Tom, who is best known for his roles as Dickon Tarly in ‘Games of Thrones’ and Luther Hargreeves in the Netflix series ‘The Umbrella Academy’, spent three hours working with the cast and giving his feedback, as well as posing for photographs. Assistant headteacher Ali Jackson, who directed the school’s production 20 years ago and is at the helm again this year, said: “I have kept in touch with Tom over the years so, when I told him we were doing ‘Return to the Forbidden Planet’, he was really keen to be involved.
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“His visit gave us all a real boost. He was so generous with his time. We managed to keep his visit a secret so the students had no idea he was coming. They were absolutely thrilled to work with him, especially as so many of them know him from ‘The Umbrella Academy’.”
Tom said: “It was such a gift for me to be able to come in and work with the students. It was amazing to be back in the place where it all started for me and to see young actors with so much potential.”
Several members of the original cast who appeared alongside Tom in 2002 will also be returning to the school to watch the show. Mrs Jackson added: “For me, the 2002 production holds very fond memories. Working with that cast really helped to shape me as a teacher so it will be really special to have so many of them in the audience for our 20 year anniversary.” ‘Return to the Forbidden Planet’ will be staged from March 16 to 19.
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