Playing Archie in the new film, Croft stars opposite Bridgerton's Charithra Chandran as Amelia, and while the major film role itself is enough to leave anyone jittery with nerves, Croft admits that it was actually a specific format of filming that was most "terrifying".
Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the new movie, Croft admitted: "I was very nervous about that [doing Fleabag style asides to camera].
"I think that was probably the most exciting, but also most terrifying, bit of the film, because it's something I've never done before.
"And it's something that, if it's done right, it's great. But if it's done badly, it really feels jarring."
How to Date Billy Walsh. Prime Video
He continued: "So, me and Alex [Pillai], the director, spent a lot of time talking about who is the character of the camera, who am I actually talking to, and I have my version of who it is in my head.
"Then also, just with the shots – like, on the first few days, we tried a few different things and figured out that actually, like, being quite tight felt intimate.
"And it felt much better than having [...] like, we did a few that were wide, and it just, it felt weird. Then I started to get comfortable, and now probably when I'm on set, I'll end up looking at the camera!"
The Fleabag style of the film is just one notable feature of the romcom, which sees Croft's Archie living secretly in love with childhood friend Amelia.
But when new American student Billy Walsh (Cobra Kai’s Tanner Buchanan) comes along, Amelia is immediately smitten, thwarting Archie's attempts to reveal his true feelings to her.
As the official synopsis reads: "Archie has always been there to fight Amelia’s battles, laugh at her jokes, whilst constantly striving for her love and affection. Archie has been in love with his best friend for as long as he can remember.
"Just when he builds up the courage to declare his feelings, Amelia falls head over heels for Billy Walsh, the new American transfer student.
"Heartbroken Archie goes to great lengths to try and keep Amelia and Billy away from each other, but ends up pushing them closer together - and risks losing his best friend at the same time."
Additional reporting done by Patrick Cremona.
How to Date Billy Walsh will premiere on Prime Video on Friday 5th April 2024.
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
