McMafia's Clifford Samuel to star alongside Douglas Booth at Trafalgar Studios

McMafia star Clifford Samuel has revealed that he turned his back on a career in medicine to pursue his acting dream.

The actor, 32, spoke about the alternative path he could have taken as his latest role was announced — on stage alongside Douglas Booth in the European premiere of A Guide For The Homesick.

Samuel, who played Femi in hit BBC1 drama McMafia, told the Standard: “The moment when everything changed was the day I got my A-level results. I was all set to study medicine with my grades (two As and a B) and had an offer from University College London. I had been going to stage school, and I had this moment of truth and honesty — ‘Am I going to do this as a proper vocation?’

“I took a year out and auditioned for drama schools — I got into Guildhall and that’s when acting became serious for me — a proper craft. But I suppose medicine isn’t a bad fallback option!”

A Guide For The Homesick, by award-winning American writer Ken Urban, focuses on two strangers who meet by chance at a shady hotel outside Amsterdam. He and Booth, 26, will play two characters each.

The pair are about to begin rehearsals for the play at Trafalgar Studios.

Booth said of the play: “It’s very well written and at 75 minutes it has a very quick pace. It packs quite an emotional punch by the end. It’s quite challenging the way we have to switch from one character to another, almost mid-sentence in some instances.”

A Guide For The Homesick is at Trafalgar Studios from October 16 to November 24.