A star in the making: Amy Doyle's take on balancing personal life with a rising career
If you've been following Netflix's 'The Crown,' you will definitely know actor Amy Doyle, who plays the swanky secretary to cabinet minister Jock Colville.
Though still in the nascent stage of her career, Amy has shown enough promise in the roles she has essayed till date that we are hoping it will blossom into bigger things in the future.
The British actress, who started off as a voice-over artist, made her feature film debut in 'Ghost Stories' last year directed by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson.
Doyle plays Esther Goodman in the movie which was critically acclaimed be "the best British horror movie for years." She stars alongside Martin Freeman, Alex Lawther and Paul Whitehouse in the movie.
The Yorkshire native's most crucial role, however, was in UK-based producer Will Nash's 'Lady' that came out earlier this year.
Nash describes it on IMDb as, "Lady lives in South East London and isn't afraid to do her own thing. A fan of the 'ladette culture' from the 90's, Lady tells us why it was so great, why it's still acceptable for it to carry on and still have a balanced playing field between men and women."
Amy gets candid with Meaww about her life as an actress, her inspiration and what she thinks about negative comments.
1. Can you briefly tell us who/what was your inspiration
Amy: I’m a firm believer that fiction can be truer than real life. When you connect with a story, whether it’s Toy Story or One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, it stays with you and you learn something from it. It forces us to come face to face with emotions and parts of life that we may usually suppress or avoid. Being an actor gives you the opportunities to bring that life into a variety of characters and tell a variety of stories from a variety of genres, that’s what I find so exciting about the industry.
2.How do you balance your work and personal life?
Amy: Staying creative is really important. You never know when the next audition or job is coming which is equally as daunting as it is exciting. I love to paint, craft and write too so that helps me stay in a creative state of mind.
3. Is there a place and time you think you are at your creative best?
Amy: I’m originally from a small village called Upper Poppleton (I know it sounds fictional but it’s a real place, I promise) in North Yorkshire so I’m used to being around the countryside. I love living in London but I’ve got to get my fix of fresh air and greenery. Getting out of the hustle and bustle and finding new places I haven’t been to before always puts me in a creative place and gives me time to reflect.
4. Does every artiste need an inspiration?
Amy: Everything comes from something.5. How important do you think social media is these days?
Amy: Social media can be a great tool to stay connected with people you’ve worked with and keep up to date with what’s going on in the industry, it’s also a great tool for scrolling through funny dog videos.
6. How do you deal with negative comments?
Amy: It’s only to be expected that people have likes and dislikes so it’s important not to take comments personally. Of course there’s a huge difference between constructive criticism and pure negativity. Constructive feedback means there is something to be learnt and allows me to grow and improve, whereas negativity for the sake of it just kills creativity.
7. What significance does competition have for you?
Amy: I’ve always naturally been quite a competitive person, whether it’s sports or a game of Monopoly. The industry is obviously incredibly competitive and it can be really hard not to compare yourself to others, but I try to view it that the only person I’m in competition with is myself. I just want to keep bettering myself as an actor and as a person.What is that one thing you hold above anything else?
Amy: Family. I feel incredibly lucky to have such a supportive and close family. Sitting in the cinema with my parents, brother, grandparents, great aunty, uncle and family friends waiting for ‘Ghost Stories’ to start was an incredibly exciting moment, not just because I couldn’t wait to see them all jump out of their seats and have the living daylights scared out of them, but it was really special to share my film debut with the people who have always supported and believed in me!
9. What is one thing that you have done and regretted and wish you could get a chance or go back and change it?
Amy: Allowing my mum to document on film some of my more cringeworthy sketches and performances from childhood! I really need to get rid of the evidence of a ten-year-old Amy on roller skates in the dining room doing my best Rusty from Starlight Express.
10. At what stage does it stop being about art and start becoming about money and fame?
Amy: I don’t know to be honest, but I don’t think I could continue past the day I stopped loving what I’m doing. As long as I’ve got fire in my belly, that will always come before money in my pockets.11. Tell us something you discovered about yourself -- both negative and positive-- after becoming a celebrity
Amy: I’ll let you know when I get there!
12. How do you judge character? Do you suspect every person wanting to befriend you?
Amy: I think all good relationships have equal give and take and are built on mutual trust.
13. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Amy: I hope to continue learning and continue working with fantastic artists and creatives to tell brilliant stories.
14. What is the best advise you ever received?
Amy: My Dad has always said to us "Winners never quit, quitters never win" and that’s sort of become our family motto. It’s definitely a quote that resonates with me, you’ve got to have a lot of resilience in this industry and that drive to keep on going.
15. What is an ideal day for you?
Amy: If I’m not acting then nothing beats spending time with my family up north.