An Interview with… Anto Sharp

He’s known more so for his catchphrase, “that’s going straight in my basket.” However, I had the chance to interview social media phenomenon, Anto Sharp to find out more about how he’s become big on social media, his other characters, and his future acting aspirations.

What inspired you to start filming vines?

It all started when my step-brother showed me the app, Vine, he showed me some of the American viners and comedians who had videos on there, so I decided to download it myself. Whilst using the app, I realised there was a record button so decided filming my own impressions and it went from there.

How did the catchphrase: ‘straight in my basket’ come about?

It was never intended to be a catchphrase, it was just something I happened to say in one of the videos I filmed as a specific character. People started to comment saying “that basket comment was so funny”, and I hadn’t even realised what I’d said. I decided to say it again in other videos and people seemed to really like it.

Who has been your favourite person to collaborate with?

Brad White! We just walked together around the supermarket and filmed. I probably had the most fun with him as it was very spontaneous. We didn’t really plan on filming until we got there.

If you could collaborate with anyone in particular, who would it be and why?

For a comedy video, I’d definitely love to do one with Kevin Hart. For a more serious video, it would be great to do a scene with Tom Hardy.

Do you think social media has changed your life in anyway? And, how?

Yes, definitely! I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now if I hadn’t have had the social media success I have. It’s even helped me fund my way through full-time acting school, which I’d have never been able to do before.

Do you have any aspirations to take this further, i.e. TV career/show? If so, what, and why?

I still want to post stuff on my social media as it’s where it all began for me. As I’m at acting school I do want to become a successful screen actor, working in TV and films.

What has been your favourite video to film so far?

I’d have to say the one I did with Brad White again! I think we had over 19 million views on it which was amazing!

Have you got anything in the pipelines you can tell me about? Any videos you think might be big?

I’ve recently started filming more on my Snapchat account (Anto_sharp). I use the filters to create different characters, one that I really like playing with at the moment is a ‘hardman’. It seems to be a character that fans react well too, with nearly 3 million views once I’d shared a video of him on Facebook. I plan to continue creating lots of different content that resonates with the fans to keep them watching.

Do you get recognised a lot when out and about? How do you deal with that?

Yes, more so around my area. I live in in Essex so plenty of people tend to know me from the videos. However, when I head to places like Birmingham and Liverpool, I tend to get more confused looks from people before they realise it’s the ‘basket guy’.

Have you ever received much hate?

I’ve never had any public hate, all reactions I have had, have always been really positive. However, online responses can be more mixed, you always get one saying, “this is boring!” In comparison to others on social media, I generally get a lower percentage of hate, which is nice.

What’s the funniest comment you’ve ever received on one of your videos?

It wasn’t really a comment on social media. However, I was on Scott Mills’ Radio 1 Show and we were chatting about the idea of having, “straight in my basket” on my gravestone and somebody text in, it should say “straight in my casket” instead, which was hilarious.

To see more hilarious content from Anto Sharp, follow him on social media:

Snapchat: Anto_sharp

Instagram: @Anto_sharp

Twitter: @Antosharp

Facebook: @antosharps