SXSW 2025: Florence Hunt and Rory Walton-Smith on ‘Mix Tape,’ First Love, and Their Artistic Process

First love is unforgettable. It leaves an imprint, shaping the way we see the world, the way we love, and the way we remember. That’s the emotional core of Mix Tape, the highly anticipated series that premiered at SXSW 2025. Set across two timelines, the story follows Daniel and Alison, whose fleeting but deeply felt romance in 1989 Sheffield continues to echo into their adult lives decades later. Exploring love, memory, and the music that binds us, Mix Tape is a poignant look at the moments that shape us—and the ones we can’t let go of.

Bringing this emotionally charged story to life are Rory Walton-Smith and Florence Hunt, who portray the younger versions of Daniel and Alison with nuance, vulnerability, and authenticity. Their performances ground the series in raw emotion, capturing both the rush of first love and the nervous excitement—the butterflies, the awkwardness, and the unspoken weight of every moment between them.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to catch up with Rory and Florence at SXSW 2025 to discuss their artistic processes, the challenges of stepping into these roles, and the creative choices that brought Mix Tape to life. They reflect on working with director Lucy Gaffy, the influence of the novel on their interpretations, and the natural chemistry that allowed them to elevate each other’s performances.

PC: Florence, despite Alison being vastly different across the two timelines, there’s still a strong connective thread between them. How much did you lean on director Lucy [Gaffy] to guide that continuity? And how did the creative freedom of exploring how differently her life unfolds shape your interpretation of this character?
Florence: I leaned on Lucy massively—she was my guide through it all. She knows this character inside and out, having worked with Teresa [Palmer] for months before I joined the project. But a lot of my understanding of Alison also came from the scripts and the book—that’s where I really found her.

Teresa is incredible, and I wanted to do her portrayal justice. At the same time, because the older version of Alison evolves so much, it was important to maintain some separation—you wouldn’t know what’s ahead. Lucy was instrumental in helping me navigate that balance.

PC: Rory, when we chatted last week, we discussed how this is your first project and that it’s based on a popular book. I’d love to know whether you referenced that during your character development process or relied more heavily on the script—and how you found the balance between preparation and reacting in the moment, especially with Florence, since it feels like you’re both constantly elevating each other’s performances.
Rory: That’s what I love about the writing—Jo Spain is incredible. She did such a good job of showing what moments matter. By the time we got to rehearsals, Flo and I had already become good friends and had this connection, so it was about bringing Lucy’s vision to life because we were forming this relationship that would ultimately be the endgame.

I did read the book beforehand, so I had something to refer to, and I liked the Easter eggs they included. But the script was my main focus. I was always looking at the past and never thinking ahead to the future—like Flo said, you can’t do that. It doesn’t matter to our interpretations. For me, it was about building that connection and making sure they were genuinely in love. The script did that for us—we just had to be there to honor it.

PC: Florence, because of Alison’s home life, there’s an understandable guardedness—she carries so much pain and trauma deep down—but there’s also a resilience that keeps her moving forward. As an actor, how did you prepare to tackle that contrast and juxtaposition in a way that feels so lived-in and authentic?
Florence: We had some rehearsals with Lucy beforehand, and she really coached me in digging deeper into Alison. I felt well supported, especially in some of the more difficult scenes later in the series. But at the end of the day, she’s just a normal teenage girl who falls in love.

There are walls she puts up—you can see how hard it is for her to trust people because of the absence of a maternal figure. It’s difficult for her to form deep connections when the one person who’s supposed to be your rock… isn’t. I also think the story is beautifully told through Alison’s relationship with her brother, Peter, and how they confide in each other. It was really rewarding to explore those emotional depths.

PC: In a lot of ways, Alison and Peter have taken on that parental role and been forced to grow up too quickly.
Florence: Yes! Exactly.

PC: Rory, you didn’t have a lot of overlap with Jim [Sturgess], but there was a scene you got to see him film. I’d love to know how that opportunity influenced or reinforced the creative decisions you made in your interpretation. Was there anything you took away from Jim’s performance??
Rory: It was great to see how he moved as the character, but it also gave me the confidence to approach it in my own way. He was involved in casting young Daniel, which was amazing. He actually sent me a card that said, “Dan is all yours now.” That meant a lot.

One thing that really stood out in Jim’s interpretation was a moment in the third or fourth episode when Daniel is breaking down and feeling anxious. He does this lovely thing where he holds his chest. I really connected with that because I’ve felt anxious in the past, and it felt like such a natural way to show that emotion. That’s something I took from him that has really stuck with me.

Make sure to keep up with Florence (Instagram) and Rory (Instagram).