Maltese-born actress Marama Corlett, 29, stars in the upcoming series, The Watch, based on the characters from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, about a group of misfit cops in a corrupt world where crime is legalized. Corlett plays Corporal Angua, a police officer who also happens to be a werewolf. Corlett initially set out to be a ballet dancer and pursued her first passion with the company Ballet Russ de Malt, in Malta, before moving to England. She landed her first acting role in The Devil’s Double, in 2010, starring Dominic Cooper and directed by New Zealand director, Lee Tamahori. She went on to perform on the West End the following year in a production of The Children’s House, in which she played opposite Keira Knightley, Ellen Burstyn, Carol Kane and Elisabeth Moss. The same year, she landed the role of Rina in the Sky 1 TV drama, Sinbad. In 2013, she was cast in Desert Dancer, which starred Freida Pinto, and in 2014, appeared in two blockbusters: Guardians of the Galaxy, and Maleficent.

What can you tell me about The Watch? Is it very different from the novels?

I wasn’t familiar with the novels, but I quickly immersed myself in them after I got the role. There was a lot of love and hard work put into the series, and hopefully, we’ve managed to capture this incredible world which I have so much respect for and which our show was greatly inspired by.

And your character?

So, I play Angua von Uberwald, who is a corporal and a member of the City Watch. When we are first introduced to Angua in Episode One, she’s bored, sitting around and staying out of trouble, shooting pigeons in this city that is essentially dead at heart. And then as the story unfolds, we find Angua is also lying to protect herself. She’s a werewolf, as you say, and she struggles with that duality. She’s basically living in a body she has no control over. 

You have an interesting background. Your dad is from New Zealand, your mom is from Malta, and your maternal grandparents are Sicilian.  

I know. (laughs) I had a somewhat conservative and quite complex upbringing. I grew up in Malta, a tiny island half the size of New York City. Before I was born, my Mom joined a new international religion in the 70s called the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies. My Dad joined while traveling around America. My parents had an arranged marriage in NYC by a man they believe to be their Messiah and they got married in Madison Square Garden with about four and a half thousand other couples. They didn’t know each other at all, I guess it was like the 70s or 80s version of Tinder, but low to in this case if you match you also get married!  (laughs) This meant that my three sisters and I were brought up as Moonies. It was interesting growing up that way in Malta as it’s always been an extremely Catholic country. Some countries have a pub on every corner, but Malta has a church on every corner. (laughs)

Do you still identify as a Moonie?

I’m still trying to make sense of it myself, to be honest with you. It’s still very much part of my family’s life and I respect that, but I wouldn’t say I follow it as a religion as such anymore.

With your Dad being a Kiwi, have you spent much time in New Zealand?

Well, it was always very expensive for my family to get to NZ. I remember as a child – being one of four kids – my parents would save up and then every four or so years we would visit my grandparents and family out there. We would rent a van and drive all over the country visiting my Dad’s childhood friends along the way. I’ve been many times and have fond memories of visiting New Zealand whilst growing up.

Do you identify more with New Zealand or are your sensibilities closer to Europe?

Well, I have both passports which are great, so let’s start with that. (laughs) That’s an interesting question. I think I have New Zealand to thank for my free spirit, and for a strong sense of character. The European in me longs for the Mediterranean. I don’t favor either, and I’m proud of my mixed heritage. It gives me an identity.

Initially, you wanted to be a ballet dancer. When did you know you wanted to be an actress?

Because we were so close to Sicily, we were brought up on Italian television, and I grew up with television constantly playing over and over again, and so I watched these wonderful Italian films. At a very young age, I was introduced to neo-realism and the great Fellini and Antonioni. I was always so fascinated by how these actors who had been through such adversity and poverty could reenact or bring out their emotions in such a way over and over again. I thought it was so beautiful, and I was always intrigued by acting, and how people did it. 

Was there a certain performance or actor that inspired you?

Anna Magnani, she is Italian, I loved her. And Toto, he was more of a comedic actor. 

You’ve also worked with some very big names: Angelina Jolie, Keira Knightley, Elisabeth Moss. What were those experiences like, and were you very intimidated or starstruck?

I think, of course, you are always starstruck, especially if you are going into something fresh.  And for me, I came into it without any traditional training. I sort of fell into acting – I was very lucky. And when I first did my first proper job, which was a play in the West End, The Children’s Hour, it was with Elisabeth Moss, Keira Knightley, Ellen Burstyn and Carol Kane, who are fantastic actors. Ellen Burstyn was very generous, and she gave me and a few other actors free mentoring in method acting, which was all the stuff she learned from Lee Strasberg.

Any advice from any of them that stands out?

I remember Ellen Burstyn saying something like, “Work brings more work,” and that is so true. I feel like I have lived so many lives, and I’ve had so many jobs. I used to be a care worker for people with disabilities, I taught ballet, I was an usher in a restaurant at the cinema, and I used to sell stuff door-to-door. I’ve done all sorts of things. But that work ethic can be applied to any kind of work. It always leads you into something else. And that really stuck with me, what she said. 

Is anyone else in your family in the entertainment business?

Actually, my sister is a ballet dancer, my other sister works in costumes in the film industry, and my third sister is a teacher, but she also sometimes works in props for the film industry as well. So, I don’t know what happened, but yeah, it’s funny, I guess. My Dad is quite a joker and my Mom is too, she’s very much into entertainment and plays guitar. I think they are kids at heart. And I think that is what acting does, it keeps you in a world of play.  (laughs)