Andrea Valls
Actress, Andrea Valls, pronounced the Spanish way, An-drey-a, thanks to her Spanish heritage, is a breath of fresh air with a strong set of goals. An intelligent, compassionate women, who certainly doesn’t take herself too seriously. Something her instagram will attest to with her regular comedy reels.
Probably best known for her role as Jess in the popular children’s BBC show, ‘Waffle the Wonder Dog’, Andrea has more recently appeared in ‘Cheaters’, written by Oliver Lyttelton. It was first broadcast on BBC One in February of this year. The mini romcom series, each episode lasting a bite sized 10 minutes, in short, is about the fall-out from a drunken one night stand. What’s great about it is that it’s easy to binge without taking up your whole weekend! It’s funny, well acted and contains quite the plot twist. Don’t worry if you missed it in February, you can still catch it on BBC Iplayer, Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
I caught up with the lovely Andrea in the leafy corner of London that she lives, for a little photo shoot and a chat to learn more about her and what’s next. Being someone that’s terrible at telling jokes I wondered if comedy had always come naturally to her? Turns out she was quite the studious type and despite school being a friendly, safe place, being funny was her way to ensure she was liked, it was also her way to feel free. Approaching her 30’s, Andrea feels more sure of herself and happy with who she is, having learnt so much during her 20’s she is looking forward to the next chapter, facing it with more confidence and developing her characters for her instagram and You Tube sketches, much of her inspiration coming from her Spanish mother. Thanks to the global pandemic lockdowns, like many creatives, Andrea used her time wisely and took the opportunity to hone her craft, and this is when her comedy sketches really bloomed. She says “social media has really opened up the floor, particularly for women, in what was perhaps considered as more of a boys club”.
Andrea is clearly very driven and ambitious with her ultimate goal being to star in her own written “comedy drama with a punch” she tells me, also directed and produced by herself, no less! But for now I asked her what’s next? She fills her time in-between acting with personal training, “fitness is very important to me” she tells me. However, you’ll be pleased to learn that she can be seen on your screens again this year on channel 4, appearing in a darkly comic story that follows a young man finding his place in a world he never knew existed, titled, ‘Somewhere Boy’ formerly announced as ‘ The Birth of Daniel F Harris’, created and written by Pete Jackson. There is already talk of a second series, so definitely one to look out for!
Time for the quick fire round;
When and why was the last time you cried? When I was last drunk (laughs)…I drunk cry A LOT!
What did you have for breakfast? A cucumber wrap with salad cream!
What 3 items would you hope to have with you if you were stranded on a desert island? An endless supply of drinking water, something for warmth as I hate being cold and a good book.
What are you reading at the moment? A thriller by Lisa Jewell, ‘The night she disappeared’
Who’s your celebrity crush? Jason Bateman
What’s your guilty pleasure? ‘Frosé’ … frozen rosé
What 3 guests (dead or alive) would you invite to a dinner party? My Spanish grandparents and my grandfather on my Dads side.
What’s your most annoying habit? I loose everything, it actually pisses me off how careless I am! (laughs)
What’s your favourite memory? Whole summers spent in Spain as a child, with my family.
What makes you laugh? Everything! (laughs) I awkward laugh at bad stuff!
Written and photographed by Dawn Collins
