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Q: What are you doing in Bermuda?

A: Painting, working with a trust company. I'm going back to London in February to go on tour for six months with a musical theatre company. It's called Image Musical Theatre. We're doing an Oscar Wilde play that they've put to music, . I did a joint university degree ? in drama, film, theatre and English ? at Bristol University in England. And then I went on to do a diploma-type course in classical theatre at the Old Vic. I went there for a year, got an agent and then went straight into theatre. Yeah, it was. One of the most important things about drama school is that you have an exhibition where all the agents come to see your work. It's really crucial and that's why people go to drama school, so they can get 'spotted' as such. That's how I got my agent, Helen Stafford, she came and saw me in performance and said she wanted to take me on. July. It just all happened really quickly. I graduated in July and then got my agent in September / October. Since then I've been auditioning, living in London, doing every job you can possibly imagine. I've started doing a bit of modelling, which was quite exciting in London, but that was mainly through friends. I've done everything from waitressing to blowing up balloons, everything in the world just to try and pay the rent. (Only recently), my paintings started selling really well. I put some in the Trimingham's display windows and they went really fast and then I got permission to do more. I was concentrating on my artwork to try and kind of make ends meet until I get an acting job, which I have done. I'll be touring the whole of England, all the way up to Scotland, with the Image Musical Theatre. There's three of us in the cast and we go around to different schools, giving public performances and just doing our thing really. There's two performances a day for six months ? the same play! So it's going to be a challenge toward the end. Actually, it's one couple. They've been doing these performances (with Image Musical Theatre) for years. I've spoken with people who have done it with them for years and apparently they're lovely. But I'm so lucky to get this job. It's a fantastic opportunity. It's definitely going to be exciting. I'll just have to jump in and see if I like it or not. If I don't, it's only six months. Yeah (although) I just finished shooting a film in Bermuda, , with Vicky and Christian Zabriskie which went really well and I've done a couple other films ? only amateur things through my university, but I've really enjoyed them.

I've also just joined the Actors' Centre in London. They have a programme where noted actors ? Ewan McGregor and Sean Connery among them ? come in and they give you theatre lessons and film lessons so I'm trying to kind of go in that way as well, getting lessons on how to work on camera as I've only really ever done theatre.

Q: So you haven't actually started the classes yet?

A: No. I have about a week when I get back to England before I start touring. So that's when I'm going to do that ? then.

I've been painting forever ? I have an A-level in art. I came home this summer and my parents insisted I get rid of some of the paintings I had stored all around the house. I was wondering what to do with them and then I saw the Trimingham's window exhibition.

I contacted them, put all my stuff in and everything just sold. I got commissions and I've been shipping my work to America and all kinds of places. It's been really exciting. I now have an exhibition at Rock Island Coffee. I had my opening on Saturday which went really well and was sponsored by Bacardi. It was a fantastic party.

Q: So 2006 so far is a good year for you?

A: Yeah, it is. Definitely. Everything's suddenly, in every possible way, it's totally taken off.

I'm kind of going through different things at the moment. I'm doing some landscapes in oils and then I'm doing some, kind of, modern pieces and I'm also kind of exploring the anarchist, the non-conformist, the odd person out in society.

So at the moment I've got very regimented, colourful pictures of Bermudians / Londoners ? depending on where I painted them ? and then there's a bomb or a time bomb. One of (the figures) has a time bomb as a head with the idea that . . . well, I want to leave it open to people's individual interpretations but my thought behind it was it's the odd person who you stand next to. The (paintings) also have a kind of comic aspect as well.

Q: Where do you live while on tour?

A: They provide accommodation for us which is great because it means I don't have to pay rent for a while and I get to travel the country, all kinds of stuff.

Well, they kind of feed into each other so when I'm not acting, I'm going to paint. And then, while I'm on tour I'm going to try and generate ideas and then come back to Bermuda and paint. And try and keep that going.

Trimingham's was the first time I'd ever shown my work. It was really exciting but I've looked into so many different careers. Acting's always been the forefront but obviously it's not stable. So I've tried to keep my options open with a lot of different things.

Q: And you travel back to Bermuda regularly?

A: My family are all here so this is home. Yeah, my mom is. My mom does so much. She's a piano player. She just started playing the flute. She plays the organ. Everything. My dad likes to think he can sing . . . but I don't know. But they're both very supportive and quite artsy. Yes, and that's why it's so nice coming back here because everyone's just so supportive. I've just started getting involved with BMDS. I served as assistant director on (its recent production), .

The director that they flew down from London, Marc Mollica, was very helpful and now I'm in contact with him (in the UK). So through Bermuda I've managed to get contacts in London. And then with artwork ? Rhonda Emmerson who works at Saatchi & Saatchi has been absolutely brilliant.

She helped me with the Trimingham's windows and she's been giving me advice about my artwork, who I should contact in London, and a list of other things.

So there's a lot of people willing to help you here whereas when you're in London, no one wants to help you. You're totally on your own.

I had a big shock when I first moved there. It was really tough for a while because I had no job and no one wanted to give me one. They were all like, who are you? It's very much about who you know with the acting.

Q: How difficult was it to be accepted at the Old Vic?

A: It was tough. Thousands of people apply (for the programme). The (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School) is one of the top schools in Europe, if not the world, for theatre. So I'm really lucky to have gotten in there. I did the one-year course.

There's another Bermudian who did it as well, Bobby Godfrey, and he's acting full-time in London now. Jason Eddy's been away, Rebecca Faulkenberry ? there's quite a few people who are pursuing a career.

It surprises me how many people from Bermuda are actually working in the industry. You don't actually hear about them here, because they go off the island and do it. I often think it'd be nice to bring everyone together and do a performance or something.

Aside from that, it'd be nice to kind of join forces ? I've gone to so many auditions and (been asked) who do you know within this production?

(Very often) I've had to say 'no one' which is unfortunate because they're always going to choose the person that they know of, or that they've heard of, over someone else.

Q: Has it helped you to develop a very thick skin?

A: Yeah. In drama school they destroy you. I think that's why (schools offer) three-year courses because a lot of people drop out. It's very much, 'I don't believe you. You're terrible. Why are you doing this career?' But they're doing it to prepare you for the outside world. Because it is very cut-throat. I want to maybe possibly change my representation in England. I want to try and go more into film and so I might look at getting an agent for that side of things.

So after the next six months, at the end of the tour ? I'm going to hopefully get people to come and see me in that time, different casting directors and people like that ? I'm going to maybe try to branch a bit more into television series (work) and commercials and things like that and then eventually, hopefully go to the States ? but I haven't got a green card.

I'm hoping the British accent will help. If nothing else, it shows I'm different from everyone else.