'Everyone should be working on themselves': The Serpent star Ellie Bamber insists all would be better off with therapy as she reveals how it has helped her navigate tough times
Ellie Bamber has spoken candidly about going to therapy, as she insists that 'everybody' should be getting help with their mental health.
The Serpent star, 24, has revealed that therapy is one of her passions, and has helped her navigate 'not so great' times in recent years.
She told The Sunday Times' Style magazine: 'Therapy has definitely helped me with anything I’ve been struggling with. Everyone should be working on themselves, to understand that we all have faults as human beings and we can all be better.
A healthy mind: Ellie Bamber has spoken candidly about going to therapy, as she insists that 'everybody' should be getting help with their mental health. Pictured in 2019
'I know that from a personal perspective it has helped me with myself at times when I felt not so great. I’m very happy now, though.'
Another boost to the star's mental health will likely be the gradual reopening of the nation's social spaces, after spending the past year locked or heavily restricted.
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Listing what she's most looking forward to, she said: 'A restaurant! Dancing with my friends! Dressing up! I really love to dance, so anywhere that bridges the gap between pub and club. I just can’t wait to wear heels again.'
Earlier this year, Ellie revealed that she had to learn Thai and hire an acting coach to help her perfect her German accent for her role in acclaimed series The Serpent.
Navigating the tough times: The Serpent star, 24, has revealed that therapy is one of her passions, and has helped her navigate 'not so great' times in recent years. Pictured in 2019
The actress plays Angela Knippenberg in the true crime drama, which follows the horrific story of Charles Sobhraj, who preyed on and murdered Western tourists throughout Southeast Asia during the 1970s.
Talking about the show and the preparations for her role on Thursday's Lorraine, Ellie said: 'It was definitely difficult, I had an amazing acting coach in the UK who helped me with my German accent and I had a local Thai teacher.
'With Thai I leaned it like a song, I was in my hotel room trying to learn it like a song. It always modulates, Thai there's an upward inflection and downward inflections o it was really helpful.'
Ellie's co-star Jenna Coleman, who plays Marie-Andrée Leclerc, also had to learn French-Canadian language, Quebecois, for the starring role.
Starring role: Ellie recently revealed that she had to learn Thai and hire an acting coach to help her perfect her German accent for her role in The Serpent
Speaking about the show further, Ellie joked that her mother didn't believe it was based on a true crime.
The screen star said: 'I remember my mum researching it and going, "This can't be true!" and I said, "Mum, I promise you, it's true!"'
Ellie added: 'The story is unbelievable I remember Wikipedia searching everything when I first read the scripts and I couldn't believe it.'
As well as learning Thai and perfecting her German accent for her role, Ellie revealed that she also spoke to Angela Knippenberg in real life.
She said: 'Yes, we spoke over Zoom a few times and she's such an intelligent lady she works with the UN in disarmament and I was quite blown away by speaking to her.'
Roles: The actress plays Angela Knippenberg (pictured) in the true crime drama, which follows the horrific story of Charles Sobhraj, who preyed on Western tourists in Asia during the 1970s
Ellie also revealed that Angela kindly supplied pictures for the team so they could replicate her outfits as costumes for the true crime drama.
She added: 'The fashion was amazing and we had some amazing pictures that Angela supplied, Angela shared pictures of what she wore at the time and we had an exact remake.'
Ellie also made a nod at the global pandemic which has seen several filming projects shut down or postponed, and how the industry is adapting.
She said: 'Yeah totally I think he film industry is finding a way to kick-start and get back up and running.'
Star: Ellie's co-star Jenna Coleman, who plays Marie-Andrée Leclerc, also had to learn French-Canadian language, Quebecois, for the starring role (pictured with co-star Tahar Rahim)
The Serpent tells the story of con man and killer Charles Sobhraj, played by Tahar Rahim, with Jenna Coleman playing his partner Marie-Andrée Leclerc.
Ellie plays Angela Knippenberg who is the wife of junior diplomat Herman, played by Billy Howle.
Jenna's character Marie-Andrée was Sobhraj's partner during the time he committed the crimes in 1970s.
Sobhraj was the chief suspect in the unsolved murders of young Western travellers across India, Thailand and Nepal's 'Hippie Trail' in 1975 and 1976.
True story: The Serpent tells the story of con man and killer Charles Sobhraj, played by Tahar Rahim, with Jenna Coleman, pictured, playing his partner Marie-Andrée Leclerc
Psychopath and master of disguise, by 1976 serial killer Sobhraj was Interpol's most wanted man and had arrest warrants on three different continents.
However it wasn't until Herman (Howle), a junior diplomat at the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok, walked into Sobhraj's intricate web of crime that an extraordinary chain of events was set off which saw Sobhraj brought to justice for his terrible crimes.
Ellie said after she was announced for the role: 'I'm so honoured to join forces with Billy, Jenna, Tahar and The Serpent's incredibly accomplished cast and production team.
'Discovering the Knippenbergs' story has been every bit as inspiring as it is fascinating.'
Jailed: Charles Sobhraj (pictured in 2014 with Nepalese police) preyed on Western tourists visiting Asia and was known as The Serpent and The Bikini Killer in the 1970s
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