Leila Khan - On Adultery and Growing Up Too Fast

Leila Khan Wants to Taste a Little Bit of Everything

interview + written AMANDA MORTENSON

Leila Khan first read Jess through a few audition pages for Adultery and immediately recognised someone trying to outrun the fact that she had been forced to grow up too quickly. The rebelliousness was there, but so was the need to make Jess and Ollie feel young, playful and uncomplicated before the story begins putting pressure on them. School follows Jess home, her mother tightens the rules around her social life, and Khan describes the result as an “avalanche effect” that felt recognisable to the teenage experience. Preparing Jess meant building a playlist and thinking about the books she might read, a very different process from Crookhaven, where Khan returned to Amira through diary entries and scripts she read until she could recite them word for word.

Leila wears a total look by MY BEST FRIEND and shoes by MALONE SOULIERS

That attention to detail has sharpened since Heartstopper, Khan’s first professional acting job and the set where she says she made friends for life. She now asks “why” far more often when reading a script, sometimes down to something as small as why a character sighs in a scene. The habit makes sense for an actor already thinking beyond her own performance.

Khan wants to direct one day and spends time on set watching other departments work, asking questions and noticing how directors handle a room. For now, she is still interested in range rather than narrowing herself too quickly. She wants to “taste a little bit of everything,” although theatre is beginning to pull more strongly. Between Adultery, Crookhaven and the final Heartstopper film, Khan is still early enough in her career for each project to change the process, and experienced enough to know that no two characters should be prepared in exactly the same way.

Leila wears a total look by MY BEST FRIEND

Leila wears a total look by MY BEST FRIEND and shoes by MALONE SOULIERS

Amanda Mortenson
When you first read Adultery, what did you know about Jess from the first few pages?

Leila Khan
From the initial audition sides I got a real sense of Jess’ youthful spirit and desire to be free from whatever she’s gone through before we meet her. There’s a rebellious nature to her but it was clear to me that this stemmed from the fact that she had to mature pretty quickly at a young age.

What did you need to get right about Jess and Ollie’s relationship for the rest of the story to work?

It was really important for their relationship to feel playful and new. The authenticity of young uncomplicated love is something Johnny and I spoke about quite often. They’re just two kids that are in love, which makes what happens to them even more devastating.

Of the pressures around Jess — class, school, social media — which one affects her most directly?

The pressure of Jess’ school life bleeds into her home life throughout the show and I think those two things become a combined issue for her. Hannah, her mum, is overprotective and restricts her social life because of her behaviour at school. So it all just comes crashing down causing an avalanche effect which is something that is quite authentic about the teenage experience.

Heartstopper was your first professional acting job. What habit from that first set do you still carry into every job?

I really did make friends for life on that show and I learned quite quickly how collaborative and creative your work can be when you form that level of trust. It’s a really vulnerable experience for everyone on set and while there’s so many departments, we are inevitably all working towards one goal. So going on to any production, it is definitely a priority of mine to form strong connections with cast and crew so that we can all work hard, communicate well but have fun while we’re doing it.

Leila wears a jacket by GANNI, a dress by SANDRO, shoes by MALONE SOULIERS and jewellery by MISSOMA

The final Heartstopper film closes something that began with an open casting call, what was hardest to leave behind?

I suppose all of it! It hasn’t quite sunk in yet because we always come back each year. Next year when we don’t step back onto that set is when it’ll hit me. When I really think about it though, the thing I’ll miss the most is working with my family.

What do you notice in a script now that you might have missed when you first started acting?

From a young age I’ve always had a keen eye for literature and tearing texts apart so nothing really gets past me but I definitely ask WHY a lot more when I’m reading a script. Especially when a character behaves in a way that doesn’t align with me (Leila), asking why constantly - even asking why a character is sighing in a scene is something I’ve definitely done a lot more over the years.

And what is the first thing you do when you return to Amira for a new season of Crookhaven?

Returning to Crookhaven felt exactly the same as being cast in season one. We all put so much love and passion into that project so it was a genuine pleasure to hear we get to do it again. The first thing I do is read the scripts until I can recite them word for word and then for Amira I made diary entries to track where we left her in season one and where you find her in season two. Every role I take on is a different process. With Jess I made a playlist and thought about the kind of books she would read, with Amira it was a lot of diaries and introspection.

Has playing Amira made you more conscious of what an actor can communicate without dialogue?

100%. Amira absorbs and evaluates everything around her before she acts and so when playing her it’s a lot of listening and internalising. In hindsight, this really helped prepare me for stepping into Jess for Adultery.

You’ve spoken before about wanting to direct. What do you pay attention to on set now beyond your own performance?

I would love to direct whether that be TV, Film or Theatre I’m not sure yet. I’ve got a lot of time and experiences to be had before I work it out. At the moment I’ve got the privilege of working with really talented people across all departments and picking their brains. I do take note of what I like about the way the directors work. Most days I’m hanging around on set when I’m not needed and just absorbing what’s going on around me.

What are you looking for in the next role that you haven’t had the chance to explore yet?

To be completely honest I just want to do everything. I want to stretch myself as an actor and taste a little bit of everything. At the moment though I’ve definitely got my eye on theatre.

Leila wears a dress by STELLA MCCARTNEY and earrings by ALEXIS BITTAR

Leila wears a dress by STELLA MCCARTNEY and earrings by ALEXIS BITTAR

---

talent   LEILA KHAN
photo   DAVID REISS
styling   PRUE FISHER
hair + make up   CHARLOTTE YEOMANS
copyright LE MILE Magazine / David Reiss