Teen Actor Voices Nia in New Thomas & Friends Series
Fourteen-year-old Ellie-Mae Siame expresses excitement and surprise at landing a voice role in the beloved children's franchise.
Stafford teenager Ellie-Mae Siame, 14, has secured a voice role as Nia, the orange and black engine number 18, in the revamped Thomas & Friends: Railway Stories series. The young actor described the experience as "crazy" and expressed her excitement about being part of such a globally recognized franchise.
A full-length YouTube special premiered recently and has already garnered over two million views. The series is set to debut on Netflix on September 30, with a full new series planned for 2027.
Siame was contacted by her agent in January and underwent a filmed audition. To her surprise, she was offered the role of Nia immediately, rather than going through a recall or read-through process. "It's crazy to think they liked my voice that much and gave me the opportunity to be Nia that fast," she told BBC Radio Stoke.
Her involvement with Thomas & Friends marks a significant step in her acting career, which began at age five. She previously appeared as Maudie in the 2020 film Four Kids and It and has since had roles in "Generation Z," "His Dark Materials," "Modern Love," and "My Week with Maisy," where she acted alongside Dame Joanna Lumley.
While Siame enjoys both screen and voice acting, she finds voice acting particularly appealing. "I think voice acting is probably my favourite because I don't have to learn a script," she explained. "You get to change your voice a bit so it doesn't have to be your natural or your normal voice."
Initially, Siame was not fully aware of the immense popularity of Thomas the Tank Engine, admitting she was "more into princesses" than trains. However, the enthusiastic reactions from her parents and others around her highlighted the franchise's enduring appeal since its television debut in the 1980s, following its origins in books 40 years prior.
She found the role particularly rewarding as it allowed her to combine her passion for acting and singing, contributing to the show's theme tune and various episode songs. Siame recalled recording a song for an episode as a cherished memory, alongside seeing Nia appear on screen for the first time. "Seeing how many people like Thomas the Tank Engine is crazy because I get to be a part of that," she said. "It's such an exciting part of my life and definitely something I'll remember forever."
