Phoebe Waller-Bridge shares technique she used to tackle stage fright

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has revealed how she managed to overcome stage fright.

The actor and screenwriter, who is best known for creating comedy drama series Fleabag, recalled how she was hit with nerves while performing Noël Coward’s play Hay Fever in the West End in 2012.

Speaking to The Mirror, Waller-Bridge said: “I suddenly got stage fright. And this amazing actor could see I was getting nervous. He took me out [behind the curtain] and I could hear the buzz of the audience.

“He said, ‘This is what you do if you are feeling scared. You stand behind the curtain, take a deep breath and you just go: Fuck you, you are lucky to have me.’ And you say it as loud as you can and we did it every night. Sometimes doing that feels great.”

Since achieving worldwide success with Fleabag in 2016, Waller-Bridge has gone onto star in Solo: A Star Wars Story, produce Killing Eve and serve as a writer on the James Bond film No Time To Die.

She next stars in Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, where she plays Indy’s goddaughter Helena Shaw opposite Harrison Ford. Other members of the cast include Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Mads Mikkelsen and John Rhys-Davies.

In a four-star review, NME wrote: “[Director James Mangold] marshals frantic set pieces with plenty of quite noticeable CGI. This is perhaps sad for those weaned on the superb practical effects of earlier Indy outings. Still, it’s a lively, enthralling tale with some particularly emotive scenes in the final act that are bound to cause a tear or two.”

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny is released in cinemas on June 28.