April and May were my last two months in Los Angeles. The work in Hollywood has dropped off dramatically and, as that was my reason for coming over to the States, I decided last year that I would prepare to return to the UK. Various things aligned that led to my taking this decision. My father is 97, the Renters Rights Act has stopped all short term lets, I miss singing and theatre, I’m at that age where I am losing friends to cancer. Plus the political situation here is appalling and I choose to live in a democracy.
I’ve never found my clan in LA and the lack of respect for actors has worn me down including the advent of self-taping. The industry won’t be vastly different back in London but I feel I might be able to do something with the union in the UK which I know I have zero chance of doing with SAG-AFTRA in the US – a union that I have witnessed firsthand actively negotiate against its members!
Before I left, I continued to work on the immersive chemistry voice over project and I squeezed in a road trip to Monument Valley for my birthday. It was absolutely stunning and an amazing way to end my time in America. If there is one thing I do love about the States, it’s the landscapes and Monument Valley, Sedona and Antelope Canyon on my trip were all spectacular.
After my holiday, I was booked for a short film but when I hadn’t received the address for the rehearsal, I sent an email only to receive a frantic phone call from the director to tell me that the film had been postponed and concerned that I hadn’t been notified. She asked if I’d received the email they sent out a few weeks ago. Clearly, I had not! I spoke to the other actor on the film later that day and he confirmed that I was not on the email that was sent. There were only two cast members so quite how they’d left one of us off is beyond me and because I am returning to the UK, the postponement meant the job was effectively cancelled for me which was a shame as I’d like to have fitted in one last project before I left.
I had a lot to do in preparation for my return – selling, packing, cleaning – and I finally flew out on 1 June. I barely had time to attend any screenings or discover a new series on Netflix to recommend so I’ll leave that for this blog.
Going forward, my career will continue in the UK with the occasional trip back to the US for larger projects.
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