Katherine MacAlister talks to Emma Williams who, along with Jason Donovan, will take on Annie with all guns blazing

Having harboured a crush on her teen idol for years, Emma Williams had to kiss Jason Donovan within minutes of meeting him. “It was the first scene we rehearsed and as the song swelled I remember thinking ‘I’m kissing Jason Donovan, I’m kissing Jason Donovan’, and then afterwards I just blurted out: ‘I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten all my lines because I was kissing Jason Donovan’.”

She played it cool then? “Yes,” Emma laughs, “but I had a real thing about him back in the day and at least it broke the ice.”

Welcome to the world of musical star Emma Williams, two-time Olivier nominee, whose feet have not touched the ground since playing Truly Scrumptious in the West End’s opening of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Michael Ball aged just 18, and have been swept up in a whirlwind of musicals ever since.

Having seen her first West End show Chicago aged 17, she was on stage there herself the following year. “I sat in the gods with my mum and told her ‘I’m going to be up there one day’, and the following year I was. How mad is that?”

Anyone who has seen Emma sing will understand her fast-track career. That a musical star has been born is no secret, but in the enormously competitive and fickle world of musical theatre, it’s longevity that counts, and Emma has that in buckets. “I take on anything this industry throws at me,” she says.

Her bubbly character, however, conceals a steely determination and work ethic. For example, she refused to let acrophobia get in the way of her current role in Annie Get Your Gun, enrolling on a trapeze course to deal with it head on.

“I have an insane fear of heights but this part just meant too much, and I needed to address that, so I signed up for a trapeze course and it taught me a lot about confronting my fears and about pushing myself.”

All of which make her perfect to play the gun-slinging, no-messing legend Annie Oakley. “Annie is feisty and strong, not the doe-eyed heroine,” she says proudly.

So are they quite similar? “I definitely have a feminist edge although Annie’s a better shot than I am. I wouldn’t trust myself with live ammo,” Emma laughs. “But I’m quite a girlie girl, so I had to tomboy up for this role. “Essentially though Annie is a huge romantic at heart and looking for love while being true to herself. So this is a great role to play and one I always hoped would come up in my career while I was still the right age to play it.”

Delighted at landing the part, Emma was still unaware that Jason Donovan was cast opposite her. “They didn’t tell me until I got the part and I thought ‘Jason Donovan OMG’, but he is as lovely to work with as everyone said, an absolute treasure.”

Strange they hadn’t hooked up before. “Yes, especially as he took over from Michael Ball in Chitty so we’ve been chasing each other round the circuit for years now.”

Emma hasn’t toured before and is delighted to be ticking that box with Annie, and coming to Oxford. “I’m looking forward to the discipline involved in doing eight shows a week in different venues and being on the open road. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to fly by. And I can’t wait to explore Oxford — I’ve got a bit of a thing about architecture.” Which doesn’t surprise me because Emma is multi-talented, and fluent in French, German and Latin, speaks Spanish, Italian, Russian and Welsh and understands six to seven other languages. She has also just completed an English Literature degree in her spare time at the Open University, and was on track to becoming a translator when Steve Coogan picked her for a part in his film when she was still at school.

Now 31, Emma grew up in Halifax in West Yorkshire. Her mum was a teacher, her dad an engineer and they hadn’t even considered a career in acting for their daughter. “It just wasn’t in our experience or sights. I failed auditions for the Royal Ballet School twice and then started going to a local drama school three evenings a week aged 14.”

Spotted as a future talent, signed up by an agent, and then being cast in Steve Coogan’s first feature film The Parole Officer, aged 17, followed by Chitty a year later, meant that life as she knew it changed overnight and she has not looked back since.

“I like a challenge and to push myself, but more than that I want to make people smile and make them forget about their everyday lives for a bit. That’s all I want to do, to bring joy to people. And I’m so proud to be part of this show because Annie Oakley was incredible, an original feminist, and it’s very rare to get to play someone based on reality, so I want to be the best version of myself, and of her, and to be truthful, not to emulate anyone else.”

Maybe she is like Annie Oakley after all? Emma grins: I think I’m getting more like her by the day.”

Annie Get Your Gun
New Theatre, Oxford
June 24-28 with matinées on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday
Box office: 0844 871 3020 or www.atgtickets.com/oxford