It came at a time when I wasn’t shying away from anything (laughs) I just wanted to work and I was ready to give anything a go - if I’m crap I’m crap but at least I gave it a shot. I had no problem with it.
I love it and I really enjoy going to work. You start laughing the night before when you get the script and you are reading it aloud but the next day at the table read when everyone is reading it you are laughing your socks off because everyone injects their twist on the dialogue.
Everytime I go into work there is a real and legitimate excitement in the room and also a level of intelligence as well as a desire to keep on polishing and tweaking to make it as funny and entertaining as possible - it’s a great education in a way.
- You are based for a lot of the year now in the States so how have you found the move to America?
I had to learn the language so that was tough (laughs). No. I had lived in Germany, France and Japan before so in comparison I found moving to the States really easy because of the cultural and linguistic similarities to the UK.
It’s very intimidating when you get to go to one of the big studios such as Warner Bros for the first time your hands are shaking because you can’t believe that you are there. So you have to overcome the nerves and not being intimidating and saying ‘I am valid too. I am just one little person Hollywood but I am valid too’ if you believe in that then that will stand you in good stead.
They are very sort of welcoming in general over there, especially to Brits; although I don’t often audition as a Brit.
- But you were originally a teacher so what made you leave that profession behind for acting? Is it something that you always wanted to do?
Yeah I wanted to be an actress from childhood and I remember when I was young people use to say that I looked like Sophia Loren, I had no idea who that was so I made a point of finding out and when I did my draw dropped.
I was very good academically and growing up in industrially declining Birmingham you weren’t encouraged… it’s not like now where everyone wants to get involved in acting. I was good a foreign languages and I was encouraged to go to uni and all of that.
So I ended up in Japan teaching English with a great salary, two holidays a year - it was a fabulous life. I only sent one application for a job and got hired, I was the envy of the whole school who had been applying left and right and going down to London for interviews.
I felt creatively stifled in Japan. I did all of the Addams Family movie promotions in Japan, they dressed me up as Morticia Addams. Basically I just asked myself what kind of life I wanted and that childhood dream was still there so I decided to go for it.
- Throughout your career we have seen you move between TV and movies so how do you find the two mediums compare/contrast do you have a favourite?
They are different, they are very very different. For a while I did focus on film and I would like to return to film but it is just a question of finding the right project and role and who is involved - in the beginning you will do anything to gain experience but now I am more picky.
What I like about television is the immediacy and you know that you are going to be on screen - what you have shoot will be seen pretty soon after you have done it.
With film I have got projects that I shot back in 2006/7 that are still in post production - films can get shelved and funding can fall out of film; even if you make a piece of work that you think is good. I am talking about independent films and there are a lot of independent filmmakers - especially in LA.
I would love to work with the studios because I love studio projects (laughs) but a good indie with real hear to it would be of interest.
I would also be interested in doing some work here in the UK and Europe to see how everything is over here - I think there is a lot more serious drama going on here that I would like to get my teeth into.
- We see a lot of actors move behind the camera so is that of any interest to you?
Well actually you caught me off guard when you phoned as I am doing some research… my life story, without sounding really vain, is sort of cinema worthy I am realising.
I am currently in Birmingham, where I was born and raised, I am revisiting parts of my childhood and it’s very interesting and I am thinking that it would make a great reality TV show, documentary or feature film.
Definitely down the line I see myself writing and producing, directing I’m not too sure. Writing and producing is like cooking really it’s about getting a bunch of ingredients together and seeing if it’s worth of an audience.
- Finally what's next for you over the next 12 months or so?
Really just branching out I suppose in terms of being not just in the United States but also over here (UK) and in Europe.
But I also want to branch out in other areas of entertainment. I am very aware that everything takes time but I just think that you will be seeing more of me (laughs).
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in The Big Bang Theory