The power of imagination — onstage and off | Suki Hillier

[MUSIC] You're listening to Ted Talk's Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hume. I can only imagine there's a particular kind of magic that happens in theater when someone steps into a role. And for a little while, makes an audience believe they've become someone else. For 11-year-old actress, Suki Hillier, that role was Matilda on London's West End. I'm aware in all those hours, something had changed. I'd stop trying to find Matilda, because I realized she'd been inside me the whole time. I didn't become her. I just finally let her out. Listening to Suki, you can hear that particular joy of hearing a kid who's just let you into their own imaginary world. And not an accusing way. I've always been moved by moments when a child says something that makes you realize just how much they're noticing and feeling about the world around us. It made me wonder, as we grow up, what happens to our childlike sense of wonder? In her talk, Suki takes us backstage into what it's like to play Matilda night after night, stepping into the role of a brave little girl who uses her intelligence, courage, and imagination to take control of her own life. She explores what imagination can do when it's shared between an actor and an audience, which makes us think, what if finding your way into someone else's story isn't just a way to pretend, but a way to listen closely and understand each other more deeply. The stage in life is not so different, because imagination isn't about escaping the real world. It's a way to build a one. After the talk, stick around. We'll hear from Ted Curator Chloe Shoshab Brooks, who shares what led her to Suki and what Suki revealed for her about acting, empathy, and imagination. That's all coming up right after a short break. And now, our Ted Talk of the Day. Hi everyone. Today I want to talk about imagination and theatre. For the past year, I've been playing Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre in London's West End. The theatre has 1249 seats, and it is almost full every single night. Matilda is based on the book by Rolle-Dale, and a lot of you probably already know the story. It is about a braided girl who, even though she is bullied by her parents, uses her intelligence, courage, and magic to take control of her own life. Well, I am Matilda. Alongside three other amazing girls, the four of us share the lead role, which is wonderful. But getting here was not exactly simple. I had to go through six rounds of auditions, twice. The first time was in spring, 2024. I made it all the way to the final round. But then got a really bad cold. I couldn't sing. I couldn't perform. So I had to stop. Six months later, I had to go through the whole process all over again. And then came the hardest part. The waiting. Four whole weeks of not knowing. It felt like four years. But then finally one day, the cool came. I'd been off for the wrong. I didn't know it's laugh or cry. I avoided both at the same time. Here's something I should tell you though. Matilda and I go way back, long before auditions, long before any of this. I started watching a 1996 Matilda film when I was just three-as-old. I wish to over and over again. I would sit very still, staring at objects around the house and trying to make them wobble. So when I finally got to step onto the real stage of the Cambridge theatre, I could think of things with my eyes. Well, after seven years of staring at cups. Three months of intense rehearsals followed. Every step, every line, every move. Again and again, until I didn't have to think about it anymore. The casting coaches were also patient with me. Honestly, they dissolved medals. But somewhere in all those hours, something had changed. I'd stopped trying to find Matilda because I realised she'd been inside me the whole time. She was the girl I'd been dreaming about since I was three. I didn't become her. The theatre itself is a world of its own. It has lights, painted walls, window frames, desks and swings. And there is a library where I can dive into my books and find the wonderful Mrs. Felt's waiting for me. There is my very kind of honey. And over there, sitting in front of the telly with my brother, my rather obnoxious parents. And somewhere lurking into the shadows is the terrifying Mrs. Trunchbull. Every night before the show starts, I stand backstage getting ready. In my mind, I think about Tilda's life, her love of books, her hatred of bullies, her courage, to find her own way to fight back. I breathe in, I breathe out, and then I step onto the stage. And when I'm in the light, I am her. I'm brave enough to stand up to Mrs. Trunchbull when she grabs boy by her ears. I shout her with everything I have. My heart beats so fast I can feel it. When my dad writes my books, I know I'm resilient, and that I will get my own back. Glue is hacked to his head, dies hair green. Every time I have a hidden smile right here. Hey y'all, jumping in really quick to share that Suki put her hand on her heart here, where her hidden smiles live. I love standing on elevating books stand during quiet. Everything's so still, so quiet. My heart is pounding, as I feel all my tildest anger bursting out through my eyes. But things in life do not always go as planned, and the same as true on stage. One night during a scene where I hug her Miss Honey, because she'd offered me something no-one else ever has. Kindness. Her co-very tightly. At that exact moment, Mrs. Trunchbull ran in. We were supposed to spring apart. Except we couldn't, because my hair was completely tangled into an necklace. One second, two seconds, five seconds of stage time feels rather long, let me tell you. But nobody panicked. We stayed calm, we stayed in the scene. Quietly, very quietly, we untangle ourselves. I lost some hair, Miss Honey lost a necklace. But we carried on. The audience never noticed a thing, and most luckily, Mrs. Trunchbull didn't capture either. You see, the stage in life are not so different, because imagination isn't about escaping the real world. It is a weird building one. And when our imagination is worked together, every character on that stage comes alive. The cost, the crew, and every single person in the audience all join in. That is when the real magic happens. I look out and see your shining faces back at me. I can see smiles, I can see tears. I hate you clapping so hard as if you never want to leave me tilled as well. And honestly, neither do I. But at that moment, I want to give every single one of you the biggest hug and tell you the till the loves you all. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] [MUSIC PLAYING] That was Suki Hillier at Play at Ted, 2026. And now here's Ted Curator Chloe Shasha Brooks. Speaking about why in an event about play, she wanted to hear from a kid. And what working with Suki revealed about imagination, empathy, and growing up without losing that sense of wonder. Hi. Thanks for listening to Suki Hillier's talk. I'm Chloe Shasha Brooks speaking to you from New York City. In my work, I get the immense privilege of bringing people of all ages to the Ted stage. But it's a rare treat to work with children. And so while I was thinking about who to bring together to share their ideas around play, it seemed kind of absurd to hear only from adults. Adults have a lot to learn from young people about how to play, since so many of us forget how to be playful as life gets more serious. So as I was thinking about topics and themes, one particular idea kept floating to the top of my list based on an experience I had many years ago. I saw Matilda on Broadway in New York City when I was freshly graduated from college and found myself completely floored by the child actors. Children with professional public-facing careers have always been fascinating to me for many reasons, but these Matilda actors particularly impressed me, not only because of the actual show, which, to be clear, was fantastic. What moved me in particular was that these very small children, in classic Broadway fashion, truly knew how to sing harmonies, dance and climb the set in Unison, and convey complex emotions in their roles at very young ages. Most of the cast seemed to be around ten years older or so, so I imagine that they must be emotionally intelligent and thoughtful beyond their years in some way to do the acting they were doing. In the case of the girl playing Matilda on Broadway when I went to see the show, she was able to so believably and palpably display the experience of being simultaneously baffled, hurt, and in a state of longing for care from her very chaotic parents. So as I thought about the different meanings of play, I thought it could be really interesting to hear from a professional child actor about how they are able to become a character who has had experiences in life that they themselves haven't actually had. So all of that is what led me to Suki. She had just finished her stint as Matilda in London's West End Theater. I reached out to her talent management and a couple of days later I was on a video call with her and her parents for an exploratory conversation. She was ten years older at the time of our call, and the first thing that struck me about her within a minute of meeting her was her genuine, well thought out, responses to each of the questions. We typically set up a handful of exploratory calls with speakers who were interested in bringing to the TED stage, and Suki, even though she's ten years old, was no different. Because I was trying to get a sense of it. of her, and also to figure out what specifics she could touch on if she gave this TED Talk. So I asked her my most earnest questions that I've kind of been wondering about my whole life when it comes to professional child actors. What helps you feel at ease performing in front of hundreds or thousands of people? When I asked her that, she told me she's always loved being on the stage, that it's where she feels most comfortable, so maybe there is an innate element. I asked her, "How did you learn to act out experiences you've never had before?" She told me that in the case of Matilda, she'd watched that movie so many times as a kid that she imagined being her already for years, and that knowledge of the movie really helped her feel her emotions as Matilda on stage. I also asked her, "What do you do to feel like Matilda before you step out on stage each night to go from being suki to Matilda?" And as she said in her talk, she almost meditates on Matilda's life while she's still backstage before she steps out. I then asked her, "What kinds of bonds did you form with your co-stars when you were offstage?" This question is what led to her story about her hair getting tied up in Ms. Honey's necklace during one of the live shows, which she told me while laughing and describing her real-life bond with her fellow actor, the adult woman who played Ms. Honey. I was really moved by each one of her answers, so we invited her to speak at play at TED before our call even ended. Obviously suki is just one person, and she doesn't represent every professional child actor, but this experience of working with her did confirm that at least this particular child actor is wise beyond her years, both emotionally and intellectually. I'm grateful to her for bringing me into her world and showing me how she uses her imagination to do the amazing work that she does. If you're curious about TED's curation, visit TED.com/CurationGuideLines. And that's it for today. TED Talks Daily is a podcast from TED. This episode was fact-checked by the TED research team and produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefonos, Oliver Friedman, Lucy Little, Emma Tobner, and Tonsica Sungler-Nevon. Additional support from Daniella Ballerizo, Christopher Faisy-Bogan, Valentina Bohanini, Ban Ban Chang, Brian Green, and Lainey Lot. Learn more at podcast.ted.com. I am Elise Hugh. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening.