Actor, and master horseman, EDDIE EYRE, 25, plays Henry Crawford in the stage version of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff, from September 3 to September 7.

When, and under what circumstances, did your stage career begin?

I started to do lots of acting when I was at university, in Birmingham, doing a history degree. I knew then that it was where I wanted my future to be, and I went on to London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

Are, or were any members of your immediate family, involved in drama?

There is absolutely no background in acting or anything else to do with the stage or films in my family.

I don’t know where my acting gene comes from. I met Sir Richard Eyre (the great director and former head of London’s Royal National Theatre) and tried to see if I could establish some sort of family connection. No chance – certainly if there was any family link, it wasn’t close enough for him to offer me a job!

Which experience/role do you regard as the highlight of your acting career?

My current role as Henry Crawford in Mansfield Park is very satisfying. He is not exactly a villain, but he does add a sort of dangerous, disreputable streak to the story. I am very drawn to costume drama. I love watching it on TV, and reading it. I suppose it goes with doing a history degree.

Have you appeared alongside any celebrity actors?

I did a Volkswagen advert for the Spanish market. It involved me riding on horseback in and out of parked VWs.

The idea they were trying to get across was the horse was a class act, but the cars were even classier. The horse I rode had played Joey the War Horse in Stephen Spielberg’s film. He was the most famous actor on the set. He even had his own stunt double!

When was your most awkward moment on or off stage?

I went in for the 24-hour New Voices challenge at the Old Vic in London. It meant a new play had to be written, learnt, rehearsed and staged in the course of one day.

You are flying by the seat of your pants. God knows how much of the script I fluffed, but I think most of us managed to keep roughly to the script. We must have got something right, because the audience response was just about the most fantastic thing you could imagine.

Do you do have any other skills apart from acting?

I teach sword fighting and jousting techniques at drama classes. Also, I’m a member of a horseback group called the Knights of Middle England.

We stage entertainments at events, like the British open showjumping championships. It’s a sort of high-activity medieval horseback experience with lots of fire and action. Unfortunately, I don’t have a horse at the moment, though I’d love to have taken Joey the War Horse home.

What role would you most like to play and why?

I’d really like to do Lago in Othello. And Macbeth. I don’t know why I’m drawn to such villainous roles. Maybe it’s because the bad guys seem to have the meatiest parts. More generally, I’d really like to work on something like Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings.

Any tips to pass on to other actors?

I’m still learning a lot, but I would say grab every opportunity, go to every possible audition, cram in as much as you can, in life as well as work.