As far as homegrown British talent goes, Naomi Scott is definitely one of the best we’ve got. 

Since being cast in the 2017 Power Rangers film, the actress and singer has had a meteoric rise to stardom, starring as a real-life princess in the 2019 live-action remake of Aladdin, then as Elena in the Charlie’s Angels blockbuster that same year.

All things considered, Scott’s career trajectory sounds like a fairytale. It might surprise you to learn, then, that acting was never part of her grand plan. 

In a new episode of Collider Ladies Night, the actress revealed that she never initially considered becoming an actress. Her first love? Singing.

“I started out in music,” she explained. “I started out writing in these kind of writing camps and it was only when I got Terra Nova, which was this Fox show, that I really kind of had to make a decision in terms of what I was gonna pursue in that moment, because it was always music first, to be really honest with you.”

It wasn’t until she landed the part of Princess Jasmine in Aladdin, in fact, that she got to combine her love of acting and singing. And despite not having pursued a traditional route into the entertainment industry, Scott explained that she didn’t allow her lack of formal training to become a source of distraction or self-doubt.

“I didn’t grow up reading Shakespeare, I didn’t do theatre, all of these things that just play on your mind in terms of, ‘Oh, that must mean I’m not a real actor.’”

“The more that you realise that, the more time you spend doing that, the less time you actually spend figuring out, learning and growing and actually becoming the artist that you want to become and not just the artist that you think you should be.”

Scott went on to explain that while it’s tempting to play the comparison game, individuality is what really makes you stand out. 

“‘Oh, I should be like this person,’ or all these people you look up to and you think, ‘How do I get there?’ But just the version of yourself.”

The actress also opened up about how diversity is changing the industry for the better, both in front of and behind the camera. 

“Now more than ever, there is so much appetite for specificity. Not just specificity in terms of the content that we watch, but specificity in terms of journey of how you got there as a writer, actor, director. There’s no one way. Yours can be unique and lean into your uniqueness. But I have to tell myself that!”

Scott’s words remind us that no matter where our passions lie, breaking into a new industry isn’t half as scary as we imagine. Though starting at the beginning might initially be daunting, by having confidence in what makes us unique, and showing up to put in the work, forging a new path is completely within our reach. All it takes is that first step.

Images: Getty; Sony