The Full Monty Sheffield: Who is Destiny actor Talitha Wing and what did she say about filming in city?

As Destiny Schofield, Gaz’s tearaway teenage daughter, the rising star is in many ways the beating heart of the show. The smart and sassy schoolgirl, who lives in Gleadless Valley in the show and attends the fictional Sheffield Spires Academy, is trying to figure out her future while reconnecting with her father in the eight-part Disney+ television sequel to the film.

There’s excellent chemistry between Talitha and her on-screen dad, Robert Carlyle.

Talitha Wing is 26, the same age as the hit 1997 film, and she is described as being based in London and Vienna, though she told The Star she also has family in Sheffield, where the TV series was filmed. She speaks English and German, and her previous roles include Flick in the Sky TV drama Wolfe, and Sasha in the TV series Alex Rider, which can be seen on Amazon Prime. She also appeared in the 2019 film Military Wives.

Her agent’s website describes how she is not just a talented actor but a writer and poet too, with a number of plays and a poetry collection already under her belt. She also plays netball, runs and does yoga, and is skilled at contemporary dance and a number of other danceforms.

Speaking to The Star at The Full Monty TV series premiere, she told of her fondness for Sheffield and how the city had embraced the show and its cast. “We’re always welcomed to Sheffield with such open arms,” she said. “It does just kind of feel like the home of the series and there’s nowhere better we could be doing this premiere than here. It just feels right here.

‘Sheffield folk are some of the friendliest, kindest, warmest people I’ve ever met’

“I’ve got some family in Sheffield so I’d been up a few times but during filming I really got to know it and see all the golden nuggets that I hadn’t seen before, and spend time with the people, who are some of the friendliest, kindest, warmest people I’ve ever met. I had a blast in Sheffield so I’m happy to be back.”

Given her age, Talitha could be forgiven for not having seen or even heard of the film before she got the role but she explained that was not the case. “I watched it a few years ago and really enjoyed it and then I watched it again while I was in the audition process. I watched it with my grandparents and it was great,” she said. “I think it’s such a great film.”

Talitha told how she was ‘in shock’ when she found out she'd got the part but didn’t have long to let it sink in as the read-through took place just a few days later.

Asked about her character, she said: “Destiny is a rebel, a rebel with a cause I should say. She’s trying to fight for the right things. She’s got quite a bolshy exterior but deep down and as people might come to learn in the series she's actually quite soft inside.”

The Full Monty TV series is available to stream on Disney+ from June 14.