"Ask yourself “do I really, really want to be an actor?”"

Hometown
I grew up in Hexham, Northumberland. When I was 20, I moved down to London to attend the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. I now live in Surrey, just outside London. I’m back in London once or twice a week for auditions.

What do you do?
I’m an actor and an acting coach. As an actor I do theatre, TV and film jobs – I tend to take whatever is going! As an acting coach, I help people prepare for drama school auditions or give general acting lessons to those considering entering the profession. I work around London and the south east.

What was your very first role in theatre?
As an amateur actor I played one of the 40 thieves in Ali Baba when I was eight. I wasn’t very good! As a professional I toured with a two-hander called Talk About The Passion.

What else have you done in theatre?
I’ve done a number of plays (most recently played Nicky in Our Friends In The North for Northern Stage) but have never worked in theatre as anything other an actor. Maybe I should.

Have you got any qualifications?
Three-year diploma in Classical Acting from Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

What did you do before you worked in theatre?
Before drama school I worked as a barman, a shoe seller, a fruit picker, a shop assistant and a envelope stuffer. I hated them all with a passion. The jobs I mean not the people!

How did you make the move to working in theatre?
I joined a couple of amateur dramatics groups and found that I really enjoyed it. I took the plunge and auditioned for all the big drama schools and was offered places by a couple of them. Happy days.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A fighter pilot. Part of me still does but I enjoy acting too much. Don’t be fooled into thinking that acting is something you need to have dreamt of since you were three. Some of the best actors and actresses I know came to it later.

What do you do all day?
Some days I spend working as an actor – either auditioning, filming, rehearsing or performing. There are good times, when I’m in work, and harder times when it’s quiet. Rather than call up my agent to whinge, I write a couple of letters to producing theatres, casting directors and directors I know.

Other days I work as a one-to-one acting coach. I sometimes have to cancel my coaching sessions because I get a last minute audition but that’s the life of an actor. When the auditions come everything else stops.

What is the best thing about your job?
Never knowing what’s around the corner. Some people would hate that but I thrive on it. Meeting so many people too.

And the worst?
When I get a mental block on a character. Then I know that something is wrong and I need to go back to basics, start again and say “who is this person and what are they trying to achieve?”. It’s frustrating but it always seems to come in the end -sometimes frighteningly close to opening night.

What’s your dream job in the theatre?
That’s an easy one. To play Mark Antony in Julius Caesar.

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
*Read plays – as many as you can find time for. People will take you more seriously.

*If you’ve not been on the stage before join an amateur dramatics group.

*Ask yourself “do I really, really want to be an actor?”. Then, ask yourself again. If you are doing it to become a Hollywood star then you’ll probably be disappointed. If you’re doing it to work as a professional actor/actress and become expert in the craft of acting then you’ve got a good chance.

*If you’ve decided to go for it, I’d strongly advise you to train at one of the drama schools. I’d also advise you to choose a course that is accredited by the National Council Of Drama Training.

Daniel’s drama coaching website