The Creative Journey: Actors On The Rise

The acting world can sometimes feel impenetrable. Perhaps, you have dreams of going from humble beginnings to the big screen but, like so many others, you may have been deterred by the constant battles and setbacks (often unseen from the outside). SCTR and Mount Gay brought together three of the industries rising stars to share their personal stories – each one giving us a unique take on the twists and turns that are an inevitable part of a career in acting. The Motown was flowing, as was the Mount Gay Black Barrel and the vibe was set. So grab yourself a glass as we hear from James Nelson-Joyce, Harriet Slater and Bluey Robinson on what being an actor is really like!

Bluey’s Story

Bluey Robinson is an all round entertainer from London. His soulful Motown covers have taken Youtube by storm, and as we all sipped on our smooth glasses of Mount Gay, we were treated to touches of his dulcet tones which complimented the vibe perfectly. Bluey has recently decided to dip his toe back into acting after a bit of a hiatus and here, he discusses the balance between his two creative loves and what led him to where he is today…

Pathway Into Acting…

I’ve always had a passion for performing and as far back as I can remember, the only thing I wanted to do was sing. When I was in Primary School in Hackney, I got involved in these traditional Indian dance classes that were going on at lunchtime and I was only doing it for a few weeks when they told us we would be performing for Prince Charles in Peckham. That’s when my teacher said that there were apparently auditions going for The Lion King musical and that I’d make a great Simba. So I went down there and actually got through a few rounds of auditions and from there, I joined a drama agency which helped open up a lot more opportunities. I was actually in another musical called Whistle Down The Wind with the likes of Jessie J, Anne Marie, Rochelle Wiseman; all these people who went on and had really interesting careers.

After that, I went back and auditioned for The Lion King again, did a few commercials, popped up in Eastenders for a bit but at that stage, I wanted to decide between acting and singing. Ultimately, I wanted to give singing absolutely everything so I stopped acting for a good few years and just focused on music.

Transition Back Into Acting…

To be honest, it’s been relatively smooth. I got a little bit frustrated with music and the industry; I guess doing it for so long and not knowing where life would take me, I wanted to be open to things. I travelled for a bit and then a few more opportunities started coming my way. I had an audition for a Bob Marley musical and also a pilot for a TV show but I felt like I needed some advice. I didn’t have an agent at the time and the only person I knew was my ex-girlfriend’s agent so she put me in touch with him and he’s great. He really believes in me and puts me up for a lot of stuff so in terms of getting opportunities, it’s all been pretty smooth.

Most difficult scene…

It was probably the first time I had to be intimate on set. It was an independent film called Dirty God about a girl who’d suffered an acid attack so it was very real and raw. It was also my first acting job after I’d reopened that door so it was quite daunting. I’m naturally quite a private person so doing something so intimate in front of all these people; in front of a camera knowing that it’ll be recorded forever – mentally I had to get over it and just convince myself that it was ok. There was something about being directed though, and someone saying ‘do this, do that’ – it was difficult. It’s all about being around good people that you trust, though. They showed me the footage they were shooting and it looked beautiful – very tasteful.

Cats was really difficult as well but obviously for different reasons. For that one, we were waking up at 4:45am and doing an hour of circuit training everyday. It was mad! We were doing capoeira classes, all kinds of different dances and movements. It was very interesting and insightful but exhausting! You do one scene and it’s a seven minute long dance piece and you’re singing live and you’re trying to be a cat. Just so many crazy things in one movie! It was hard work but it was fun.

“Pinch yourself” moments…

So, I did an iPhone commercial for Apple and I was the lead ‘hero’, they call it. They flew me to Mexico to shoot it and it was such a sick advert! – a lot of special FX, very slick, a little bit like Michael Jackson in Smooth Criminal. There was a moment when we came back from lunch and I was just sitting in the middle of the set thinking ‘Oh, I’m the main person in this thing! Like, I’m the main guy!’ They’re all filming me and working around how to make me look the best for the company and I was like ‘Wow, that’s pressure man! Don’t fuck this up!’ I do have moments like that all the time though. I’m always stepping out of my body and going ‘Wow, this is cool, this is different’.

Role models/ Inspirations…

It’s a weird one but I really like Adam Sandler! He makes a lot of films and they’re not always great (sorry Adam) but they’re always entertaining! Happy Gilmore is one of my favourite films; he’s great in the Wedding Singer. He’s just funny! – I like Adam Sandler, I can’t help it!

Of course, I’ve got a lot of love for what the UK is doing right now, too – going overseas and killing it with the likes of Daniel Kaluuya, Elarica Johnson, (who’s currently doing a big show out there called P-Valley) so there’s a lot of people doing really well. It makes you realise the glass ceiling is now super high and we can still surpass it. The opportunities are endless! We can create our own stuff and be part of big productions. Either way, audiences want to watch it and that’s so inspiring!

Lessons Learned?…

Just be easy and don’t overthink! We have a tendency to doubt ourselves a lot so I’m still working on that sometimes now. It’s so easy to go on set with imposter syndrome, thinking ‘maybe I’m not supposed to be here’. Learning to just relax, be easy and just enjoy the journey is the most important thing. Ultimately, I think the work will be better for it.

On stage, I do feel very free. It’s like my domain. I know my parameters, I know how far I can push it but when you’re on set and you’re working with other people in more of a controlled environment, you can tend to second guess a lot and it creates a bit of stress. My agent tells me to just relax so that’s something that I’m still learning.

Harriet’s Story

Hailing from Leicester, Harriet Slater has a long history in musical theatre but in recent years she’s swapped the stage for the screen appearing as Sandra Onslow in the Epix Crime Drama, Pennyworth; the origin story of Batman’s faithful butler, Alfred Pennyworth.

It’s the day of the shoot and, having mingled with the crew, a glass of Black Barrel in hand (with a splash of ginger ale providing the perfect mix), we learned how Harriet is keen to balance her love of theatre with her love of screen acting. Here, she discusses the unique skill sets required for each and what exactly lies ahead in the future…

Pathway Into Acting…

So, I was only six when I started doing am-dram! It was at a place called The Little Theatre in Leicester. My uncle was directing this production of Annie Get Your Gun and they needed someone to play Annie’s little brother! I was a bit miffed that he wanted me to be a boy but I was also really excited and I just loved the whole thing. After that, I did at least one show there every year throughout my whole childhood until I got really busy with exams at school. By that point, I already knew that I didn’t want to do anything else. I don’t remember ever wanting to be anything else after I found musical theatre and performing.

Pennyworth…

That was my first ever experience of TV. I’d done one indie film before that but it was a very short job – I’d only been involved for two days and it was out in Sweden which was fun but other than that I hadn’t really had any screen acting experience so this was an incredible first job. We shoot at Leavesden Studios in Watford which is right next door to the Harry Potter Studios – honestly, it’s just enormous! I’d never been to a big studio like that before so that was incredible. I still find it really exciting everyday driving into work and getting to the studio!

Sandra Onlsow: Performer/Singer Extraordinaire…

It’s an incredible role! I love to sing and I grew up on musical theatre and I still love going to watch musicals so yeah, it’s so much fun! The part that I enjoy the most is probably the recording process. It’s one of my favourite things about the whole job actually – I love it so much! At the start of Season 2 we recorded the first song at Air Studios in Hampstead which was an incredible experience but then COVID happened and after that, everything was recorded at this little pop-up booth that they built at Leavesden Studios. That’s really nice because it’s on set so I could go from shooting and then nip over the road to record a song. It’s just such a nice vibe and it’s so different – I’ve never done anything like that before.

Uncertainty Between Jobs…

You never escape that. We still don’t know whether we’ll get a Season 4 of Pennyworth. Hopefully we are, but we don’t know until we see the reception for Season 3.

Before that though, I was only really doing theatre which, if anything, has more uncertainty – you really don’t know when the next job will come. There was a time in 2017 where I worked quite a lot but the year before that I’d only had one theatre job and the year after, I’d barely worked at all. Then the year after that was Pennyworth so it was really up and down which is terrifying! There’s always that feeling of ‘hopefully if it’s a good job, I’ll get another job off the back of it’ but it just doesn’t always work like that. You just have to get used to it, I guess because it’s like that for most actors unless you’re lucky enough to be working consistently which I imagine only a tiny percentage of actors are – it’s just part of the job. It keeps it exciting as well.

Long Periods Away From Home…

I just shot a horror film earlier this year which we did out in Serbia so I was over there for about two months which was amazing! That’s another one of my favourite things about the job – that you can go all over the world. I don’t know if I would’ve ever gone to Serbia if it hadn’t been for that job but I’m so glad that I did because I loved it! You’re almost in a little bubble in that situation because we’re all staying in the same hotel, spending loads of time together, going to set, seeing each other at the weekends – so it’s kind of weird when you come home and it’s like a completely different world. Filming Pennyworth, where it’s so close to me, I can come home at the end of every day of shooting and be with my boyfriend and my housemates which is so nice.

Best Piece Of Advice You’ve Received…

Firstly, it’s to practice your lines with no intonation; completely flat. That way, when it comes to the scene you can be more responsive to what is actually going on rather than sounding like a robot! You might have practised in a certain way, but the scene demands something slightly different and the camera will pick it up!

Also, something a bit less glamorous but make sure you’re putting enough money aside for taxes. It’s something we’re just not taught about and if I hadn’t been given that piece of advice I’d be in a right mess now!

Future Goals…

I just want to have acted in as many genres as possible. This year I’ve done Pennyworth which is like a Crime Drama I guess, and then horror and I’ve also got a line in a big Action/Adventure movie! It’s amazing! I’ve loved working on things that are all so different. That’s one thing I really admire about someone like Anne Hathaway – she’s done so many different jobs, different genres, and she’s so good at all of them. She’s so versatile and I think that I’d love a career like that where you just go from one thing to something completely different.

Obviously I love musicals so that’s definitely on the list but also a huge Period Drama because I’m a bit of a history nerd! – I’d love to be in something mediaeval or Tudor or anything with an incredible dress and amazing hair and make up! I just love it. It feels like time travel to me, which I guess is why a lot of people like acting and enjoy watching things as well because it’s like escapism isn’t it?

James’ Story

Proud Scouser, James Nelson- Joyce is best known for his villainous roles, appearing alongside Stephen Graham in both BBC’s Time and ITV’s Little Boy Blue – the tragic true story of a young boy caught in the crossfire between gangs in Liverpool. After being snapped in some stunning shots with Mount Gay’s famous Black Barrel, we sat down to discuss the difficulties of playing roles such as this as well as his wider repertoire that he’s keen to show the world…

Pathway Into Acting…

To be honest, it was completely through luck! Basically, when I was about 15 or 16, I really fancied my English teacher and I used to put on accents in class to try to get her attention. Anyway, for me school was just a social thing and one day she pulled me aside because I hadn’t done any of my coursework. She told me that there was this thing called a Speaking and Listening exam that could count towards my grades and that it might be suited to me because I was always acting up in class. All I had to do was learn a monologue and go and perform it.

So she gave me this monologue about a boy whose dog had died and he was really struggling to cope. About two weeks later, I went for the exam and it turns out, the woman who was assessing me had also just lost her dog and was going through the same stuff as this boy – she was literally in tears! Anyway, long story short, I ended up getting the best mark that had ever been given in the North West for the Speaking and Listening exam.

This is where it all changed really. There was a bit of madness going on in my life at that time and the school wouldn’t have me back, so my English teacher sat me down and basically convinced me that I had to give acting a shot. It was either that or go and be a labourer on the building sites with my dad.

On Being Typecast…

You meet me now and I’m nothing like the parts that I play. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up with people like that and I’ve done things I shouldn’t have but I’m not that person, so I do enjoy playing those roles.

My career is still in its early stages. I know I’ve been doing it for ten years but I’m now starting to get a bit of recognition and hopefully one day I get to play the parts that are softer and more gentle and I get to show that side of me. Realistically though, I know that just to be working, I’m very lucky.

Self-Doubt?…

Yeah! All the time! Even now if I get an audition coming through, if it’s a big lead role I’ll think ‘Oh I’m never gonna get this because I’m not a certain name’. You’re crippled with self doubt and that’s the vulnerability you need to have to keep going. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m good, but there’s other factors that come into it – and in that sense vulnerability is a good thing because it makes you work harder. It can be so easy to get complacent.

High Pressure Jobs…

The job where I felt the most pressure was Little Boy Blue, just because it’s a true story and it’s so close to home. We filmed the courtroom scene in the same courtroom where the trial actually took place and Rhys’ dad and brother came and sat in so they were reliving everything! The same courtroom, the same words, everything.

The director actually said to me ‘Just because his brother and his dad are here, please do not water your performance down because what you’re doing by playing these lads how you’ve been playing them; you’re showing the reality’. I remember, there was a line I had when I get sentenced and it was like ‘all this over some fucking kid’. I was just really hoping his family weren’t there when I had to say that. They had actually left by that point but there was so much pressure on that scene.

Biggest Role Models/Inspirations…

Easy. Stephen Graham. When I was young, I was watching stuff like The Street and This Is England and I was just like ‘Wow, he’s a proper actor!’ I would watch him like I used to watch Stevie Gerrard at Anfield. Then I got to meet him and now he’s phoning me all the time. I honestly can’t describe what he’s done for my career.

When we did Little Boy Blue, we shot this scene and the director said ‘it’s not on you, it’s on Stevie, but at the end of the scene I’m not gonna call “cut”. I want you to get a reaction out of him’. So I did a bit of improv and ended up saying some things that weren’t very nice. Later on, I get called into his dressing room. I was ready for a bollocking to be honest but I couldn’t have been more wrong! He sat me down, we had a chat about my career and he wanted me to have a meeting with his agent. The fact that he has so much care and respect for the people he’s working with is massive and he’s become like a big brother to me; he’s now someone that I can rely on. Not many people can say that about their role models, can they?

Best Piece Of Advice You’ve Received…

It’s not really advice but watching Stevie on set; he wears the captain’s armband, he leads by example. No ego at all! He’s just so approachable and he always makes it a comfortable environment. He says hello to everyone, sees how everyone is and that’s better than advice because you’re watching, you’re learning and you’re seeing how someone of that stature conducts themselves on set. That’s better than any advice you’ll ever get.

Future Goals…

I’d love to do a biopic of Georgie Best one day. Even though I’m a Liverpool fan, fucking hell, Georgie Best – that’s the dream role! Hannah (Walters) and Stephen have actually set up their own production company and I wouldn’t mind having a go at that one day too. I’d love to be able to produce my own stuff that gives an opportunity for up-and-coming actors to get on screen because it’s the same faces at the minute and it’s pretty boring isn’t it? I’ve actually got something in the pipeline but I’m staying tight lipped on that one!

Be sure to keep an eye out for James, Harriet and Bluey in the future as they are all set to take the acting world by storm!