Irish/Scottish/English | Jamaican
Both parents come from the UK. My Mother is Scottish, Irish & English Caucasian, hailing from South Shields, her people are commonly known as Geordies but they are known as Sand dancers, due to living close to the sea. My Father is Black Jamaican, hailing from South East London. There is also Scottish on his side of the family too.
They met as teens soon after my Mother moved to London with her Mother & siblings. Their relationship grew through their mutual love of music, and having an appreciation for each other's cultures and understanding. One of the ways they connected was due to both of them having a skin condition known as psoriasis. Merging cultures would have us putting jerk seasoning in the traditional English Sunday roast. I connect to my cultures through foods, behaviour, language, mentality, researching ancestors and being strong in my beliefs.
There were definitely times when I thought I wasn’t dark enough and my hair too fair, however it's the environment and lack of self love & confidence that caused that. The way I think now I believe will remain the same, which is that of complete love and appreciation for how I appear and am, as we all should feel this way about ourselves.
As an actor with a racially ambiguous appearance it is tough getting cast in projects as many outside of Caribbean cultures have seen someone like myself before. I’ve had agents tell me ‘We think you’re great but we don’t know what to do with you’. This is the main reason I write and create my own projects, I cannot rely on others to pick you, you’ve gotta pick yourself. It’s not easy but I’m getting somewhere. A movie and TV show I’ve written have been picked up & are in development, with the movie scheduled to go into production shortly.
People understand that we have many differences but we have so much more in common. Being embraced but then also being outcasted. People assuming I’m something I’m not or refusing to believe I am what I say I am at all. I feel education and people opening themselves up to being educated is the key to understanding and progress. Things are changing and it’s delightful to see. I’m proud to be a part of the much needed change with how I carry myself and through my acting & writing.
Crying is something that as an actor I do often but even in a performance there is truth for when I cry, whilst acting I channel a time/moment that genuinely makes me cry. My emotions are always available. I saw a movie a couple of days ago called Wicked Little Letters. There was a moment in it when a wrongly accused character was set free and reunited with her family, that brought tears to my eyes.