Feb 16, 20182 min read

Filmmaker Feature with Actor Evelyn Lockley

Filmmaker Feature by Chris Olson

Tell us a bit about the new short film, Blackout, and who you play in it?

I play Grace, a young Irish girl growing up in London. The film centres around Grace, and her struggle to care for her mother. It’s a film about family, mental health, and how difficult it can be to face decisions alone.

What attracted you to a film like this?

It’s incredible to be part of a film about a young woman who faces her world alone. Grace has so many responsibilities and is forced to become an adult far too soon.

I was also incredibly excited to be a part of a film about women created by women, written by a woman, produced by a woman.

Having been in director Serena Chloe Gardner's films before, how was the experience this time?

Serena is a dream to work with. As a director she invites you into the world she’s created, invests in your own journey through it, and allows you the time and space to play there.

Who are your acting influences and why?

I love actors who deal in the weights and measures of truth and storytelling, with beautiful gentle performances as well as the brave, bold, ugly, and funny. Also triple threats who create their own work, actor/writers, actor/directors, actor/producers e.g. Reese Witherspoon, Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in their acting career?

To try, and to train, in whatever way they can. Personally I feel like I learn most from watching others work, either on stage, on screen, or on set so my advice would be to watch/see/observe as much as you can as possible.

If you could work with any other director, who would it be and why?

The list is endless and is definitely too long. But right this minute for theatre it would be John Tiffany, for television Lucy Tcherniak, and Martin McDonagh for film.

What's next for you?

I just performed with new writing night SLAM at The Acrola Theatre, and Little Pieces of Gold at The Southwark Playhouse. Right now I’m working on a few small projects, some shorts, and have my first feature Vita and Virginia (directed by Chanya Button) coming out later this year.

I’d love to just keep working on more and more projects like Blackout, with interesting scripts, and fantastic teams behind them.

Till then I’m in the process of moving house so all of the life admin is in full swing, with packing and unpacking and boxing and unboxing my life.

What would you say if you were a dolphin?

I think I’d enjoy being a quiet trained killer dolphin like the radicalised land grabbing ones from the Simpsons.