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Shy Acacia lands spot at top acting school

Acacia Daken. Picture: Ben Crabtree/The West Australian

As a child, Acacia Daken was so shy it was difficult to hear her speak.

But now, the WA actor has been offered one of just 14 places at one of the most selective theatre schools in the world.

Daken will study a master's degree in professional acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which has produced the likes of Tony Award-winner Jeremy Irons, three-time best actor Oscar-winner Daniel Day Lewis, Gene Wilder and Divergent star Theo James.

"When I saw the offer come in, I almost didn't answer it," the 21-year-old told The Weekend West.

"I was up really late, sick, trying to get an assignment done and thought 'Ugh, I can't deal with the rejection right now', but I clicked and saw 'offer' and screamed to Mum 'I got in!'

"We didn't know what to do and just started jumping.

"Some of my favourite actors went to different schools, so I looked where they went, but it was something about the way they structure things (at Bristol) that I liked," she said. The Inglewood resident was a dancer in the Youth Ballet WA until the voice and drama classes she joined as a six-year-old moved her attention elsewhere.

"Because I'm a pale redhead people always said 'Oh you look like Nicole Kidman', so she was that person growing up that I thought I wanted to be like," she said.