Stacey Edward Harris is an actress, producer and writer who is currently studying at LA’s premier acting school, Baron Brown Studio. She has worked many times with the UK’s National Film and Television School (NFTS) and has shared the screen with big names, including Downton Abbey’s Joanne Froggatt. Stacey is appearing in upcoming films The Descent of Sanity, Morris Men, and Love Without Walls. She tells us about her childhood dreams of acting, how she got her big break, and the sci-fi film that she wrote going before cameras in 2023.
Jason: Can you share your backstory with us?
Stacey Edward Harris: I come from a working-class family in Glasgow, Scotland. No one in my family did anything on the arts side of things, not professionally anyway. We couldn’t afford anything like dance or drama lessons, although luckily my school had a music program and I started playing the cello when I was eight.
Jason: When did your interest in performance begin?
Stacey Edward Harris: Friends would often ask me to sing for them. I was extremely shy, but over the years I realized it was something I was particularly good at and finally auditioned for a band. I got my first job in a nine-piece soul and Motown band, and it grew from there. Similarly, I did a couple of ‘extra’ jobs and ended up with a small acting role, and I was completely hooked!
Jason: What attracts you to a project?
Stacey Edward Harris: If it makes me feel something, then I know it’s something I would like to do. The challenge, for me, is bringing the emotion I feel from reading a script into my performance so that hopefully the audience feel it too.
Jason: Can you tell us about your training?
Stacey Edward Harris: When I realized that acting was something I wanted to pursue, I started training. I have worked with various people, including the fabulous Mel Churcher. Just around the time of Covid, I had the chance to work with the Baron Brown Studio in Los Angeles. An opportunity not normally afforded to me but, because of the zoom classes, I was able to sign up. These classes have changed how I am as an actress.
Jason: How has your experience working in the industry been so far?
Stacey Edward Harris: Mixed! I have had opportunities by being in the right place at the right time, but then I have also lost out on opportunities because the filmmaker has had to opt for the bigger name to make it easier to get funding and interest.
Jason: How important is the role of producing for an actor?
Stacey Edward Harris: It has been important for me, although I am not sure if it is essential for everyone. I think as actors progress and grow, they are more likely to produce and bring to life projects that mean something to them.
Jason: Is there a recent project you feel especially proud of?
Stacey Edward Harris: The Descent of Sanity, directed by Johnny Read and AJ Dodds and produced by Carlett Eagle Productions. It is a fantastic thriller, and I loved my role in it. I’m the mother of a child who has been abducted. I was really blown away by the performances in this, and I am excited to see the finished film.
Jason: Do you have advice for anyone starting out, or even anyone who has been at it for a while?
Stacey Edward Harris: The prospect of failure is scary, but you can fail in any career. I would say it is better to at least try and fail at the career you really want. I mean, what is the worst that can happen? You fail? So what? At least you tried.
My main piece of advice for anyone starting out or even established in the industry is, not all rejection is personal. It really is not. That is something we, as actors, need to absorb and believe. When people write a screenplay or fund a film, they often know exactly what they want and if you don’t fit those parameters, or someone else fits them perfectly, it won’t matter how well you performed in the audition.
Jason: Can you give me an example of where being an actor might be challenging and one where it is completely fulfilling?
Stacey Edward Harris: It is challenging to portray something that doesn’t resonate with you at all. Your job as an actor is to find some element you can relate to and use it to bring your character to life, but yes, sometimes it is difficult.
It is completely fulfilling on those occasions where everything comes together, and your performance almost takes on a life of its own, and you really feel that you have embodied the character. That is a feeling like no other.
Jason: Are there any upcoming projects you would like to mention?
Stacey Edward Harris: We start shooting The Breakaway, a sci-fi short I co-wrote with Steph Read, in January and the pre-production is already underway which is exciting. There is another sci-fi project in the pipeline, but I cannot say much about it now.
Follow Stacey Edward Harris at Instagram @staceyedwardharris and Twitter @StaceyEHarris