Aggy K. Adams on Channelling ‘Chaos’ and Learning to Let Go of Control
“There’s nothing better than putting your lived experience into an art form”
photography Jason Jude
talent Aggy K. Adams / CLD Communications Ltd
fashion Rachel Davis / ONE REPRESENTS
makeup Dani Guinsberg
fashion assistant Lauren Glazer
production Ignas Kelpsas
suit Bella Freud
shirt Rejina
tie Bella Freud
PYO @Couveture & the Garbstore
shoes Burberry
ring Ruha
suit Bella Freud
shirt Rejina
tie Bella Freud
PYO @Couveture & the Garbstore
shoes Burberry
ring Ruha
shirt Rejina
tie Bella Freud
suit trousers Bella Freud
socks Missoni
ring Ruha
With several shorts and featured roles under her belt, Polish-born British actress Aggy K. Adams joined Netflix’s hit drama series The Witcher (2019) for its third season in 2023 and is on a booming career trajectory, pursuing independent film. In conversation with ODALISQUE, Adams breaks down the early stages of her acting career, how she got into character for The Witcher, and tells us about her upcoming indie film debut.
Ella Nelson: When did you first realise you wanted to pursue acting as a career, or has being an actor always been the goal?
Aggy K. Adams: The first thought of acting came to me as an impulse – I must’ve been around 10 years old, and I did some acting classes, which I really loved. I remember receiving a lot of praise from my teacher and classmates, too, which made me feel that I was good at it.
Realising later on in life that I wanted to pursue it as a career has always been a negotiation between that pure moment of love, joy and creativity, and crippling doubts in my mind. I am learning that perhaps one wouldn’t exist without the other.
EN: That can be a hard balance to navigate. Was there someone in particular whom you looked up to when it came to acting while you were growing up?
AA: I remember watching Julia Stiles in Save the Last Dance and Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted. I really looked up to them both, especially Angelina. She had that sensitivity and rawness I was mesmerised by. For example, in that intro scene where she rules the psych ward – I just couldn’t look away.
EN: You trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Did you have any drama or acting experience prior to attending? What were those early experiences like?
AA: I had very little experience at that time. Whatever I heard from teachers when I was 18-19 years old, I took it extremely seriously and as ‘the truth’. I didn’t realise at the time that teachers are also humans with their own journeys and flaws. I was lucky to work with great teachers at Central, but also not so lucky later on with other ones.
EN: Great teachers can truly have such an impact! Was there a particular teacher, moment, or lesson that left a lasting impression on you – something you still carry with you in your work today?
AA: The person who helped me the most with confidence and craft was Alexa Lipworth, who runs an English-speaking theatre company in Paris called ‘Acting Ensemble’. I spent a lot of time in Paris training with her during and after COVID. She dug me out of the hole of insecurity that previous teachers helped me enter. She is busy directing plays now, but we still work together when we can.
EN: You’ve worked in both film and TV. How do you approach these two formats as an actor? Do you find your process changes between them?
AA: I have been lucky enough to work in TV for the last four or five years, and this year I wanted to focus more on independent film. The approach between film and TV is very different. In film, I feel a lot more agency and co-creation. The formats and scripts are shorter; I can approach them more with the entire context in mind and then try to work out how best my character can serve the story. TV is a much longer process, often without a single visionary, and the scripts and episodes are always changing. I feel ready to take on a new TV show now though, and I have read some incredible scripts recently!
cardigan Toga
skirt Ray Chu
pulla @Couveture & the Garbstore
dress Milo Maria
shirt A Jane
tights Tabio
boots Huishan Zhang
EN: In 2023, you joined the cast of The Witcher as Iskra – an elven member of the notorious gang of teenage fugitives known as The Rats – for the series’ third season. What was it like joining a show that already had so much momentum and such an established fanbase?
AA: It was tricky at times because there was a lot of attention on us already. But that pressure came with some benefits, and doors have opened as a result.
EN: How did you prepare for the role of Iskra?
AA: She was a great character to prepare – very physical! Firstly, training how to fight with the Wakizashi (shorter Katana) sword was a very thrilling and challenging experience too. The prosthetics, hair and costume were a large part of the preparation for an elf character in the fantasy world. Shoutout to the incredible Megan Thomas, who did my hair, makeup and ears every day!
EN: Was there a particular aspect of her character you were especially drawn to explore? And in what ways, if any, do you see yourself reflected in Iskra, and vice versa?
AA: I wanted to make Iskra a little like a Harley Quinn character. I’ve worked towards complex, unpredictable and chaotic energy, high intellect and emotional instability. I definitely have some chaos in me, so it was about tapping into it and bringing it out to the surface. She is also bubbly, fun-loving and witty – that, I say, we share somewhere too. At the same time, her extremely violent tendencies were something that scared me and felt harder to tap into.
EN: Your character’s story is also explored further in the prequel series The Rats: A Witcher Tale. Did the work you did on the special influence how you approached the character when returning to The Witcher? What was it like getting the chance to expand on Iskra and her story?
AA: Yes, we shot the prequel before filming Season 4 of The Witcher, so that was helpful for me in how I established the character. We were originally supposed to do a six-part series on The Rats, exploring the backstories of each character, but it was later downsized to a feature-length special episode, so navigating that was tricky at times.
EN: You mentioned earlier that you want to focus more on independent film this year, and in line with that, you recently shot your upcoming film, Deepest Darkest. How did your experience filming an independent feature compare to working on a high-scale Netflix series, particularly in terms of creative freedom?
AA: I loved it so much. It was one of the most fulfilling and purposeful experiences; it enriched my life and me as a person tenfold. It is in the final stages of post-production now, and I can’t wait to share it with the world. The director, Florence Kosky, and I created something from the deepest, darkest depths of our hearts and experiences. It is also my first leading role in an important story for an independent film, so it’s extra special.
EN: What is something your time as an actor has taught you about yourself?
AA: It teaches me something about myself all the time. I am learning to let go of control, navigate my nervous system and its triggers. It’s been validating and therapeutic as well. There’s nothing better than putting your lived experience into an art form; it helps me see different perspectives.
EN: That’s a beautiful way of looking at it! Is there something you know now that you wish you had known at the beginning of your career?
AA: Nothing. I am grateful that I’ve lived all my experiences and learnt from them. I believe it’s not something you can know before. However, I do wish I had a better support system earlier in life.
EN: To round things off, do you have anything exciting coming up? Or anything you’re especially looking forward to in your next steps?
AA: Yes, everything is very exciting right now – I’m really looking forward to sharing Deepest Darkest with the world very soon! And I’m hopefully filming another leading role in an independent film soon!
dress Toga
Pulla @Couveture & the Garbstore
boots Huishan Zhang
Earrings Actress’s own
