Please introduce yourself. What do you do? Why? What do you want people to know about you?
I’m an actress based in London. Recently I’ve been seen on Amazon, Sky, iTunes and the likes, and also the highly loved family British soap Emmerdale. It’s been a brilliant ride living in London, after moving here from Australia to pursue acting full time.
And when I’m not acting, I run a film festival that’s been going for 7 years now (yes 7!) and we just held it again in November. And I run a networking night. It’s an amazing way to give back to the industry. I find I enjoy that part of being in the acting world, as much as the actual acting. Acting is so insanely narcissistic (even if we never want to admit that) and you have to be so careful not to take yourself too seriously. And the way that I find joy in the challenges around dealing with not getting cast, not signing with your dream agent, missing out on that movie/tv show, and all the other rejections around this industry, is to mentor actors, and to run the networking groups. Then it’s not all about me. It’s about everyone else. Because honestly, if you have ever heard me sing in the shower, you’ll never want it to be all about me 🙂
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
I’ve been championing other actors and filmmakers for over a decade now, running the UK Actors Tweetups and hosting live events for them to meet some of the best casting directors, agents, directors producers and actors here in the UK.
And it’s been an absolute dream. I’ve helped people meet casting directors they otherwise couldn’t get in front of, mentored actors who’ve gone on to work on telly and get agents. But also, I just love the idea of supporting others. When we share and give, great things come back to us.
Over the last 6 months, during lockdown especially, another actress friend of mine Rayanna Dibs and I started The Actors Takeover on Clubhouse. Our group has culminated in over 2.5k members and has been an epic ride.
As a result we have both made incredible contacts internationally and it’s been an amazing opportunity to run rooms that are dedicated to giving actors a safe space to talk openly…hence, The Actors Takeover. I feel like this is one way I’m different from a lot of other industry folk.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you’re doing what you were born to do.
I was sitting in a cinema watching Naomi Watts in 21 Grams (or maybe it was a DVD I got out…who knows, it was so long ago). Suddenly she had this incredible moment in the film where it was all falling apart and I could see every bit of it in her eyes and body. I knew that I wanted to affect people the way she affected me. That was literally the moment I decided I would be my own Naomi. And after that, I really went for it.
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve had to go through and how did you grow through it?
My biggest hurdle has been being Australian and moving to a country where no one knew me. Actors area always running off to LA thinking, “OMG I’m going to be discovered overnight. This is my chance to get a series regular on an up and coming show that will make me a star.” And while I didn’t actually think it would be like that for me moving to the UK, and more specifically London, I did have this rather over-simplistic and somewhat gullible idea that I would just get hired as an Aussie and the rest would be history. I wasn’t like that at all. Every job I’ve earned though working hard, doing the work for the audition, meeting people in the right way, not being a weird stalker type, keeping in touch, maintaining a professional outlook, helping others, and being kind.
People don’t make it by being a jerk. And if they do, it’s often (but not always) short lived. I have had to work at every stage from getting rid of my Aussie accent for auditions, to getting to know the important industry folk who will get me in the room. I have made so many mistakes along the way, but I keep on going.
My single biggest lesson is don’t stop. It’s the moment you give up that you were just about to get what you’ve been working towards.
If you had to pick the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could take your career (or business) to the next level…who would those 3 people be?
Nina Gold 😉 – I mean, do I even need to say why. Nina is the Gold. She is the most epic casting director, and continues to cast incredible shows and movies.
Clint Eastwood – He sounds like the nicest man in showbiz and he never says ‘cut’. I just want to say hi and thank him for every acting lesson he’s ever given me on screen.
Giuseppe Tornatore – iconic. Maybe we could have a cup of tea and chat movies.
Follow Angela on her social media platforms:
https://twitter.com/angiepang
https://www.instagram.com/angiepet