Harry Potter star returns to former Norfolk high school for acting masterclass

Students were treated to a magical masterclass in acting when a West End leading actor paid a visit to his old high school.

Sam Clemmett, 24, who donned the Hogwarts uniform as Albus Potter in JK Rowling's theatrical installment of the boy wizard series, returned to Thorpe St Andrew High School to share his incredible experiences with the youngsters.

'You're only as good as the people around you when you're in a play' he said.

'Harry Potter was a lot of pressure and when it came to the first preview there was an air of anticipation.

'We thought we had something special, but we didn't really know what we had until we went on stage.'

Sam, who grew up in Brundall, near Norwich, began acting as a hobby at eight years old and eventually became a star in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London's Palace Theatre.

He used his professional expertise to take the students through some of the breathing and articulation exercises that he would practice before every day of performances.

'It's a very demanding show and very physical,' he told the youngsters, 'so every day would start with a warm up of things like yoga and cardio to make sure we had the stamina to perform in the shows and not injure ourselves.

'I was in Harry Potter for a year and that was around 400 shows – the most I'd done before that was about 80 in two months.'

With a career that is showing no signs of slowing down, the students were eager to find out Sam's top tips for making it in the world of acting.

He said: 'I had a whale of a time at Thorpe St Andrew High School and the sixth form was a brilliant choice for me in terms of working on my craft.

'As you grow up you learn what works and what doesn't work for you and it's important to have a safe space like this to fail in.'

After Christmas Sam will be jetting off to New York to reprise his role as Albus in the debut Broadway production of the award-winning play.