Stage to screen

In the background

I was good at most subjects but eventually landed on studying History of Art to combine my interest in history and my artistic nature. So much of what I learnt is invaluable to my work now. I developed my ability to analyse things visually – to understand colour, the use of light, iconography, etc. And I learnt how to properly conduct research, which is a skill you need when you’re unpacking a script or ensuring a prosthetic is accurate. I once worked on a project about Neanderthals, where I was consulting with the Natural History Museum and reading academic papers to understand what they looked like; having a solid academic background was so helpful.

I became very involved with the UCL Drama Society; there was always something going on either at the Bloomsbury Theatre or, at the time, the Garage Theatre, which has since closed. I got stuck in straight away, acting in productions like the annual quad play on the portico. I started directing in my second year and became involved in every aspect of the productions – the set design, the costumes and even the make-up design. And if any special effects make-up was needed, I would just take it upon myself to create it.

 To this day, my friendship group all know each other from meeting through the Drama Society. My husband was also involved with the society. Meeting so many likeminded, similarly ambitious people was a real highlight of my time at UCL. Many of them still work in a creative field – as actors, drama teachers, writers, directors – and I’ve worked on projects with one of my friends who was also very involved with the Film Society. I think UCL brings together people who are really driven and interesting and intelligent, so the connections you make are so valuable.

Critical acclaim

The most rewarding film I’ve worked on probably has to be Golda, for which me and my team were nominated for an Oscar. It was a huge undertaking and so much pressure because we were applying prosthetics to Helen Mirren, the star of the film, who was in almost every scene. We were filming for 30 days to create two hours of footage where the prosthetics had to look brilliant. It was a very big job and daunting to work with someone so famous. I was so nervous to see the film screened for the first time, but then so relieved and proud because it looked great. I think many people in our industry can have imposter syndrome – you question, “do I know what I'm doing?”. So having your peers and your idols recognise the work that you've done is a wow moment.

Golda was brilliant exposure for my company, Red Girl, because we’re still quite small. The award nominations really put us on the map. I set up Red Girl in part because, while there are plenty of women in my industry, none of the other prosthetics studios were solely founded by a woman, so Red Girl was the first to make that happen. I'm a big believer that if you see something in the world that you don't like, you should do something about it. There have been times when I’ve probably missed out on jobs because I’m a woman or because I look too young. In the last ten years, the industry has definitely improved, but we still need better representation of women, people from the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.