TASIS England was just the right fit for me. It had an amazing program, and I couldn't wait to be in whatever play or musical production the school was staging next. The exposure to American culture gave me a sense that home is wherever you make it. So many students were so far from families and where they had grown up and were so independent making England their new home, that it opened my eyes to the idea that I could up and leave, move to wherever I needed to be and that, no matter how far away from home I was, I could do it. I could have survived the unknown and new cultures of a foreign place and adapt.
When you see students at 14 years old doing this, so young and, yet, so bold to take on the task of being an ex-pat - it made me fearless. So off I moved to New York City, alone after high school, and then to Los Angeles - where I knew no one and had to start creating a life from scratch. But I had seen it done over and over again at TASIS England, and I knew that home is where you make it.
I had only eight days between learning that I got the role, to start filming 16-hour days. Of course, growing up in England you're bombarded with media about the Royals, so I already had a good sense about who she was, where she was from, and I remembered all the iconic pictures from over the years: their first kiss caught on camera skiing, her fashion show pictures, etc. In the meantime, I just watched as much footage of her as I could - although she was extremely private until the engagement and has not given interviews until recently. This gave me more creative license to 'fill in the gaps' about her. How she may have dealt with break-ups behind closed doors, or what she was like when it was just her and William alone.
We don't know these things, so you just have to trust your instinct, break down the script, and make choices that make sense to you. We also had a week-long bootcamp, which included classes in the Alexander technique to experiment with movement, and to explore how she may have walked or held herself differently at 19 years old to 28 years old.
One of the most fun things about playing this role was getting to play dress-up. I had 72 costume changes and I got transformed everyday out of my own skinny jeans and baggy off the shoulder tees to her form-fitting coats, gorgeous dresses and dozens of boots. Sometimes I had up to 12 costume changes a day, and you can't help but feel like a princess in the clothes that I was put into. They had done months of research before filming started and were so exact with so many of her looks that Nico (Prince William) and I would look at these tabloid photos and be astonished at how much we matched. The only clothing item that was changed was the sheer dress she wore at the fashion show.
My favorite scene would have to be the proposal scene. There is something about a guy getting down on one knee that is just simply romantic. Even if it was just for filming, it was a magical moment and, of course, we had a replica of Diana's ring, and it was just gorgeous.
The industry is full of rejection. For every television show I've booked, there are 10 auditions I didn't get. You feel as though you are reaching for the stars and, you hear people tell you all these statistics that make you feel that its an impossible dream that might as well never be attempted. If you have passion and drive anything is possible.
1. Get into acting classes, and stay in them. You are constantly growing as an actor and never stop learning.
2. When you feel that you are ready to audition, find good representation. the team you have behind you is everything. Without my agent and manager I would not get into casting rooms.
3. Most agents want to see a reel, so tape everything you do. Tape your theatre performances and your monologues.
4. Read The Stage newspaper as there are often auditions for independent films and for film school films whose producers are always looking for actors, and often these are open auditions. A reel is only a few minutes long, so just having even one good scene on film can be taken and edited with other work to show what you can do.
5. Most importantly, have faith in yourself. It's a tough industry, but people are always looking for new talent.
This article first appeared in the TASIS England Today magazine, Autumn 2011 issue.