Sophie Powles played Holly Barton in Emmerdale
Making her debut as Holly Barton in Emmerdale and having several guest appearances on other shows, Sophie Powles is one of the most recognisable actresses in Britain – but since the dales, what has she been up to?
Sophie, now 36 years old was born in Lincolnshire and is now a mum of two after welcoming her second daughter around Christmas time last year. Although she has had a reasonable amount of success in shows as an actress – she admits that it has been hard finding jobs.
Coming from a working-class background, as a young girl, she knew that she had to save money up to achieve her dreams to become an actress and had to take up Saturday jobs while waiting for opportunities to come along. A lesson that she learned from her parents who supported her by working hard to take her to acting and dancing lessons – to which she knew that she could not rely on them forever and encouraged her to support herself.
But she did not have to wait long as she gained her first role in Holby City then her big break at Emmerdale in 2009, where she played Holly Barton swiftly followed. That gig lasted until she left in 2012 before returning briefly in 2016 where her character was killed off. Sophie also landed a role in the teen drama Britannia High which was only on for one year.
Using this opportunity, Sophie decided to move to London to land bigger roles where she tried to network along with doing workshops but struggled financially which led to her finding a job at a heath food café to pay rent.
She admitted that a few people have recognised her and asked what she was doing there which she replies ‘I need a job, I need to pay my rent’.
She adds: “The acting industry is so hit and miss, one minute you could be having the best job and then it finishes and there is no guarantee when your next job is going to be and you just have to accept that and be willing to get your hands dirty and get to work.”
Powles said that she knows fellow actors who are embarrassed that they have to get a “normal job” but believes “no-one should ever feel embarrassed or ashamed because there are so many actors out there and not a lot of acting opportunities, so of course it makes sense that we have to do other things while we wait”.
She also added that, over her career, she had “done all sorts”, from teaching yoga to children, nannying and babysitting, to working in a café, being a lifeguard and volunteering at an agency for people with disabilities and special needs.
During Covid, she was involved in a project called the Isolation Ensemble as part of the 2.6 Challenge, an initiative launched to help UK charities to raise money for regional theatres in need.
The Isolation Ensemble was a group of 26 actors who perform 26 short scenes – which they rehearsed together via Zoom, email and on the phone – to create a piece of collaborative online theatre
In her personal life, Sophie is in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend Mark Waters, who is a director and cinematographer. The pair have welcomed their second daughter around Christmas last year, after having her first in 2021.
Viewers will be happy to see Sophie reprising her role as Holly in Emmerdale one last time as her mum Moira goes ‘under the knife’ to get rid of her tumour.
