Sheffield actor in new ITV drama says arts careers "harder now than 30 years ago" for working class kids

An actor from Sheffield has said young people from a similar working-class background, who want a future in the arts, have it harder than ever.

Steven Elder, who most recently starred in the ITV drama The Winter King, was born in Rotherham and raised in Sheffield and Worksop.

His mum and dad ran The Lady's Bridge Hotel and Whitbread, at Sheffield's Exchange Brewery, after leaving their former respective jobs as a supermarket assistant and coal miner. 

Steven said: "Becoming an actor seemed to be a pretty strange choice considering my background, because it was regarded as something 'other people' did.

"I did an academic course at uni, and it was after that that I wanted to get into acting, and then I was able to get funding to go to drama school."

Since then, Steven has starred in The King with Timothée Chalamet, Apple Tree Yard, and Last Orders, as well as productions on the West End and with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

He added: "Nothing stood in my way, but now, kids from the working class really have to jump through hoops to get there. 

"It is much more difficult for those actors, from those backgrounds, to get into the business than it used to be 30 years ago. 

"The government funding just isn't there in the same way - there are loans, but that immediately puts you in debt.

"There always seems to be funding available for things governments really want. They need to respect the arts."

From government funding in higher education creative courses, all the way down to school trips in the arts, Steven says things are "different" now.

He said: "We all thought we would find a way to sneak out at the interval. We were thinking 'what are we doing here?'.

"But we had that opportunity and, in the end, we were all entranced by the magic of it and we all stayed."

Years later, in 2018, Steven was back at The Crucible for a Midsummer Night’s Dream - but this time, on stage.

He said: "When I was there in 2018, there was an important moment when my sister came to see me, and we walked to see the old pub building. 

"My sister died later that year, so that was a really special moment. I didn't know how little time we had, so I am very grateful we had that moment."

"I will always be a fan of the place because of those connections. 

"It is never up to me, but I would love to come back."

Despite his love for "the best theatre in the country" and previous work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and on the West End, Steven is "particularly excited" by the screen.

His most recent production, The Winter King, is a reimagining of the classic legend of Arthur.

He said: "It is really gritty, and in a way that embodies as much as we know about the Dark Ages.

"It was a tough shoot but it needed to be tough - you’re depicting a brutal uncomfortable world.

"But with the people, on both sides of the camera, chemistry was extraordinary. Hopefully some will become friends for life."

The Winter King is available to stream on ITVX.