Actor spotlight: Q&A with Wallis Day

Photographer: Mark Barnfield. Hair: Pete Burkill. Make-up: Lauren Kay

Let me introduce you to the actor, model, activist, female founder, rulebreaker and all around whirlwind that is Wallis Day.

Starting to model from the tender age of 13 definitely meant Wallis had to grow up quickly, deciding to give up school at 16 to move to London to pursue acting was another big step and moment of growth for her. Luckily for Wallis, her challenging decisions at such a young age have paid off. For example, you may have already seen her on your screen already - whether it’s from her early days of acting on Hollyoaks as Holly Cunningham in 2013, as the evil twin Olalla in the ten-part drama of Jekyll and Hyde starring alongside Richard E. Grant, or more recently in the widely successful superman prequel series called Krypton, as the machiavellian Nyssa Vex. She even has a part in the upcoming Infinite film (as the villain, of course!) on its way to our screens soon starring Mark Wahlberg. It really is from Hollyoaks to Hollywood.

For someone as young as Wallis (aged 25), she certainly knows what she wants. As well as acting and modelling, she is also the founder of her own vegan business, Vegan Punk (coming soon!) and publicly vocalises her opinions on social media to her 240k+ followers on subjects like human sex trafficking, the black lives matter movement and climate change. She is unafraid to subvert ideas, shatter preconceptions and basically be a total badass. Lucky for us, we got to speak to her about her passion for acting, shaking off pressures surrounding women in the acting industry and some of her funnier moments on set.

How did you first know you wanted to go into acting? How old were you?

When I was younger I had so much enthusiasm for life but nowhere to channel it, so this pent up energy would get me into a lot of trouble. When I was 9, my parents took me to an acting class at the local playhouse and I found it to be a creative outlet that I needed in my life. From then, it became the only constant through a journey of huge life changes and I fell more and more in love with it. 

Then at 16, I was at school, in a lesson daydreaming, twiddling my thumbs, and suddenly it like it just clicked.. I was like, “Why am I here? I already know what I want to do so now I’m wasting my life”. In that moment, I got up and walked out. I told my parents I was moving out, packed my bags and went to London. The following months were tough, but I knew I’d made the right decision. I never looked back because it wasn’t an option. 

What has been your career highlight to date?

I’ll never forget booking my first job.. It was only a commercial, but it reinforced the decision of sacrificing my teen years to pursue my passion. Working alongside Antoine Fuqua and Mark Wahlberg was also a highlight. It’s mesmerising watching talented people in their flow and I had one of those “pinch me” moments. 

You’ve acted in several TV shows in the UK, do you learn different things from each experience?

Totally, every job is different. You meet such a variety of eclectic people and I’m like a sponge, in the sense that a little bit of everyone brushes off on me. I find that life experience opens your mind up and encourages you to take more risky decisions in your future jobs. There’s so much I learn from just observing the work of established actors around me. 

Have you had any awkward or embarrassing moments on set?

SO MANY. 

On my first job the director asked me to “take my mark” which means to go and stand on a rubber slab that’s been carefully positioned for you. But instead of standing on it, I walked over, picked it up, brought it back to him and asked him where he wanted me to put it.. 🤦🏼

I also used to forget to turn my mic off when I went to the toilet, you only realise when you step back on set and everyone’s giggling. Haha. 

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced in the acting industry?

I don’t come from an entertainment industry family or a financially privileged background. So working numerous jobs to sustain your livelihood whilst you chase your dream is challenging. Nothing can prepare you for the overwhelming emotional rollercoaster of being an artist. When you’re passionate about something such as acting, any little mistake you make in an audition that you’ve worked hard for, taken the time off work for, or a false hope of someone promising you a role that never comes to fruition, breaks your heart because you love it so much. 

The most important thing is to invest in yourself, first and foremost. Then it’s how you deal with rejection and pick yourself up afterwards.

Even now, if I’ve been working on a role I absolutely adore for a few weeks, get down to the final two, then hear it’s gone to the other girl, I usually give myself up to a week to recover, whether it’s crying it out, being mad, or any kind of rest & recuperation then I get myself back on my feet, put it behind me and focus on the next role. Tunnel vision. 

Photographer: Mark Barnfield. Hair: Pete Burkill. Make-up: Lauren Kay

Photographer: Mark Barnfield. Hair: Pete Burkill. Make-up: Lauren Kay

What other women inspire you?

There are so many incredible women who’ve made an impact in my life. At the moment I’m inspired by AOC and Kamala Harris. But the women I constantly refer back to are Jane Fonda, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Angelina Jolie and Jane Goodall. 

Do you feel like as a model and actress, there are certain pressures that society puts on you to look and act a certain way outside of those jobs?

One hundred percent. For years I felt like I was being moulded into a “Classic” British actress, who was well educated and well spoken. I was told I’d have to go to drama school, take elocution lessons, or told that I was too short to model, too tall to act, or too thin and not thin enough. It was like a constant battle to squeeze myself into an unrealistic, ever-moving stencil. It was only when I said fuck it, broke out of that cycle, shattered those expectations, cut my hair off, pushed against the tide, pissed off a lot of people and owned myself that I began to organically grow and figure out who I was. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? And what advice would you give other young female actors?

Own what makes you different from the crowd, it’s your best attribute. I spent years hiding parts of myself because I was told it would affect my opportunities in life, it’s bullshit. 

Best advice I was given was to be kind, stay humble, work hard and remember your purpose. 

How has coronavirus affected you personally and also how has it affected your work?

Coronavirus has definitely made this a challenging time for everybody, there’s a lot of panic in the air. On a personal level it’s devastated me to see the affects on those across the world. So many people are losing loved ones or being thrust into poverty. It’s seems like a never ending nightmare in so many ways, but I’ve been doing what I can to help out and I’ve met some incredibly inspirational people along the way. On the work side of things, we’ve been campaigning to save our local theatres and protesting for the government to back the arts industry. For me personally, filming stopped for about 6 months and an epic movie I was supposed to shoot was cancelled, so in my downtime I was doing voiceovers, writing, and focussing on my vegan business, but the silver lining for me has been that I’ve had time to spend time at home with loved ones and raise my puppy. 

Photographer: Mark Barnfield. Hair: Pete Burkill. Make-up: Lauren Kay

How do you unwind after a long day?

I immediately discard my phone to switch off. I light candles, play music, cook myself some dinner and have a bath whilst it’s in the oven. Then I eat, and read a book in bed until I fall asleep. 

Boring I know, but I need that contrast. 

I like chucking in a silly one, what’s your party trick?

Making alcohol disappear haha.. No but seriously, I love magic, so if there’s a pack of cards lying around I’ll have fun tricking everyone.  

Is there anything coming out soon we should look out for you in or any new projects on the horizon?

Definitely go to the cinema and watch Infinite when it’s released, it was so much fun to film and I play the villain! I’m currently shooting another movie, which has a really cool concept as well - so watch this space! There’s a campaign coming out soon that I’m excited to share, and a couple more projects I’m working on that we’re going to announce in time. 

But for now, I’m so thankful to be working at all, it’s such an unpredictable time in our lives and above self promotion I think it’s of paramount importance to be patient, help others and spread hope across the world. 

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Follow Wallis’ journey via her Instagram page @wallisday