In my quest to continually highlight talent with whom I am unfamiliar, I was quite pleased to come across Jamie Lee-Hill this past summer. While he may not be a household name, his ability and passion for the industry are unquestioned. Recently, he agreed to answer a few questions concerning the beginnings of his acting career, his most memorable works, his future endeavors, and a even a bit about his values and passions that have shaped him into the person he is today.
RH: Please tell us about your journey to become an actor. Also, what kind of training have you received?
JLH: It was a journey which took me far too long. I’ve wanted to be an actor for almost as long as I can remember. A lack of opportunity and self-belief meant life took me in a different direction after I left school. It was only after I separated from my wife in 2009, that I pursued the dream career that I’d never stopped thinking about. I trained on a part-time basis with Dorset School of Acting, and they have given me the bedrock of their process and techniques which have helped.
What was your first professional TV/film job? What was that experience like?
My first professional TV/film job was a one off whilst I still had a day job back in 1998. I spent the most sublime week with John Sessions playing the role of poet William Wordsworth in Splendour in the Grass. It was televised by HTV at prime time on a Sunday evening. It just felt so right, doing exactly what I’ve always wanted to do.
As one who has done both stage and film, what do you appreciate about both? What are the challenges of both?
Stage and film are very different animals. The core of acting remains the same, whereas the delivery of performance is at opposite ends of the spectrum. In stage, you have to be clearly audible to the back row; therefore, the requirements to project make the technique of giving a natural performance a real challenge. Ensuring you are completely off book–learning all of your lines in the script–is daunting, as you can’t cut part way through a play if you forget your lines. There is nothing like the frisson of a live audience and that tingling moment as a hush descends just before curtain up.
However, in terms of creating art, I prefer film. A theatrical performance evaporates as soon as the play is over. In film, it is captured and lives on long after the performance, and the camera picks up your every thought; it allows for greater subtlety of truthful performances. The challenge of film is to maintain the thought process and position your character is in, as filming is so stop, start, and often shot out of sequence of the narrative. There can still be the pressure of having to get it absolutely right when you’ve only got one more shot to nail it. It’s happened quite a lot in recent shoots, such as having only one shirt left to ruin when my character was stabbed recently. I thrive on that pressure; it really focuses the mind.
As you have been involved with many indie films, why do you think the indie film is experiencing tremendous growth in recent years?
Equipment has become more accessible and cheaper with the arrival of the digital era. It’s cheaper to shoot on digital than traditional film stock. It’s still a very expensive art, but great quality is now within reach of many more emerging filmmakers. The bar is being raised ever higher in terms of quality, and indie filmmakers often deliver production values to rival those of Hollywood. However, what sets them apart is that they can more easily take risks than the studios who conservatively plough the same furrows. The internet has made content accessible to the world. CGI is no longer novel; audiences are getting bored of it and turning to something more interesting and intelligent. You can’t beat a great narrative delivered by superb actors.
Please tell us about any of your current and upcoming works that you would like to.
I’ve had a very busy summer with eight varied and interesting jobs, including a cheeky little appearance with Joan Collins. My favourite role was playing a social misfit in a twenty-minute short film called Flawless. I have just watched the completed film and am thrilled with how good it is. I can’t wait to support talented director Oliver Efesopoulos on the forthcoming festival circuit. I have also co-produced a similarly named film, Faithless, which is a Nordic-style noir thriller. We shot on Black Magic which is very high quality, and it’s my second time being directed by my friend and fellow actor, Steve McCarten. I think he’s found his vocation in directing. I had a terrific, intense scene with Sean Gilder. It was great doing the pivotal scene of the film with such an experienced actor. The film stands alone as a twenty-minute short, but we are going to take it to Cannes next year and will be looking for investment to make a full feature film version. Next up is the lead role in a World War II drama called Minds at War by Dom Tugby.
Producer is listed in your credits. Any plans to do more producing or possibly directing/writing?
I co-produced Faithless, but my consuming passion is acting. However, a little fire has been kindled. I don’t tend to do things unless I am completely confident in my ability to do them. I have two plots which I would like to develop into scripts and then ultimately get them produced. Although both lead roles suit me, I would be happy to relinquish one to another actor, but the other is perfect for me, so I will hold onto that one and have someone else direct. I think that fire will grow and one day I may find myself the other side of the camera, but acting is what burns brightest for me. So don’t hold your breath on producing and directing just yet.
If you could work with anyone in the industry, whom would you choose and why?
I would like to work with the people whose work I most admire. My favourite actor is Mark Rylance; he has perfected the art of being instead of “acting”. It would be a true privilege to work with him. My favourite directors are Mike Leigh and Ken Loach. The process in spending months creating a character really pays off in Mike Leigh’s films. As for Ken Loach, what else is there to say about his body of work? I was seated just behind him at the premiere of I Daniel Blake, which I think is the most important film of a generation. To be producing such great work and picking up the Palme d’Or in his eighties is truly remarkable. I would also like to work with more women directors; there aren’t enough opportunities for them, but times they are a changing.
As you were growing up, who were the top three most influential people in your life and why?
I am going to have to choose four, my parents and my older brothers. A lot of my values in life–peace, respect for the environment and women–come from my mother. I was proud that she joined tens of thousands of other women in a fourteen-mile chain around Greenham Common protesting at the siting of cruise missiles there. It’s now a beautiful nature reserve, which doubled as the rebel base in the recent Star Wars film. My love of literature comes from my Dad, film and television influences from my Dad and brothers, and a love of music from my brothers, one of whom used to write for NME. I could never get on the record player as a kid, so I just grew up loving the indie music they played all the time. My healthy disrespect for authority, or at least those that abuse their authority, comes from them all.
What is one thing on your “bucket list” that you would like to do at some point in your life?
My bucket list would definitely involve nature, I’ve never done a safari, and I’ve always wanted to lay in the desert on a cloudless moonless night and gaze back in time at the universe.
I truly appreciate Jamie’s candor in responding to the questions I asked him that may not have been traditional interview questions. While Jamie’s works may not be as well-known amongst the masses, it does not diminish who he is an actor and a person. There is almost nothing I like better than probing the psyche of another human being when he or she is willing to be transparent. While many people love to flaunt who they are on social media to the joy and chagrin of the internet world, what Jamie has shared with my readers and me is very special and personal, and I applaud his bravery. While he may not recognize the courage it took for him to share as he did, as a very experienced interviewer now (I feel I can call myself that in light of the well over a hundred interviews I have done this year), I recognize what he did in being as real as he was in this interview. He deserves my deepest respect, and I will certainly make a point to watch out for this talented actor and research his works as I am able to. Consider checking out his links below and following him on social media when applicable, as an actor with his sincerity and passion for this industry is worthy of our highest regard and more.
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