The start of a new year can be a time of reflection and when I look back on 2020, although it was a tough year for everyone, it did mean that I actually did some of the things I have been procrastinating I would do.
January started off pretty well and I did a few modelling shoots, my favourite was a shoot for Ideal World and the Crystal Clear Skin Care Range https://crystalclear.co.uk/about/. I got to meet Sharon Hilditch, who is just great with skin care and have a lovely facial live on air. I came back home and my skin was so soft for days afterwards.
In January, I was also lucky enough to have a part as a smart concert goer in Episode 3 of the BBC Drama Roadkill https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10846250/. I even had a line, where I had to speak to Hugh Laurie who played crooked politician, Peter Laurence. I had a fantastic day as the shoot was well organised and I got to meet up with some lovely SAs including Felicity Lamb, https://www.starnow.co.uk/felicitylamb/ who I had to act with, she is the one I’m talking to in the picture below.
February was also a good month as I had a modelling shoot with a talented up and coming make-up artist, Vicky Jiggens https://vickyjiggens.com/about/ which was fab.
In March, I started a 6-week acting course with Limitless Adults, https://www.limitlessacademyarts.com/limitless-adults which then had to be put on hold after 3-weeks but I did get to meet some really talented actors and enjoyed working with them to try and improve my on-camera work.
I also went on a one-day screen acting course with the Actors Studio https://actorsstudio.co.uk/product/1-day-screen-acting-workshop/ run by the brilliant Tim Kent. By the end of the day we had even filmed a scene which I have used and it has helped me get cast in music videos. Here it is if you’d like to see it https://vimeo.com/396954009
March to August, I spent writing about COVID-19 and vaccine scale-up and going for walks in the countryside as there was no acting or modelling work as everything was in total lock-down in the UK. The science writing really took priority over these months and I was the busiest I have ever been and I was really flagging by September as I hadn’t taken any holiday apart from bank holidays all year.
In August, I did a photoshoot with a great photographer, John Walsh https://www.instagram.com/johnwalshphotography/?hl=en. It was good because he encouraged me to try some different types of looks, which I would never normally do. He was right to do this, because I was then cast for two music videos based on the looks I wouldn’t normally have had taken, one of me looking very serious and one of me in glasses. It just shows that sometimes it pays to do things that are outside of your comfort zone.
In August, I also took part in a new ITV quiz, Winning Combination https://www.itv.com/hub/winning-combination/2a7790 with Omid Djalili. I didn’t win anything but it was a fun day out and Omid was very funny.
September things started to pick-up on the filming front and I was cast as an angry magistrate in a music video “One More Time” with AJ Tracey and Not3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em8fN8v4qOw
I also started a 12-week screen acting course with the Actors cafe http://www.actorscafe.co.uk/ where I have met some superb actors and learnt some great skills for on-camera work.
October was also a fun month as I was cast as a body double in the comedy Code 404 and also got to play Debbie Harry in Autopsy the last days of Anthony Bourdain which is yet to air on Channel 5/ Reelz. I loved having the hair and make-up done and in the end I think I had a passing resemblance to Debbie Happy as she is now!
November I was cast as a therapist in music video Agony for the rapper LP Ruff. This was fun and I had to write the title sequence so I was glad my nails were looking good! Here’s the video if you want to see it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCyZ4_kwhAg
December saw the end of the screen acting course at the actors cafe. I loved acting every week and now I have some great clips that I can use. Here’s my favourite with the talented Mark Addison https://www.mandy.com/uk/actor/mark-addison-1 where we did a scene from the Good Place https://vimeo.com/493698014. Soon I will have my first show reel which is so important for getting more roles.
All in all 2020 ended pretty well for me as I did manage to get cast in a few things but most importantly I did screen acting training which I would never have done if it had been a normal year. As the year drew to a close I found out that I have been cast in a Netflix drama in January so things are looking good for 2021 already.
Dr Sue Pearson 