Musical Theatre To THE LOCKDOWN HAUNTINGS: A Conversation With Tiffany Louise Hannam-Daniels

English/Canadian actress and model Tiffany Louise Hannam-Daniels was born in Poole, Dorset to her Canadian father and Bermudian mother.

At aged 7 her parents decided to send her to drama school to overcome her shyness where immediately Tiffany knew she wanted to be an actress. She studied singing, dance and acting appearing in numerous Musical Theatre and Shakespeare productions. Tiffany achieved top marks in all of her LAMDA exams up to Gold Medal, competed in the Speech & Drama section of the Bournemouth Music, Speech & Drama festivals for 11 consecutive years until age 18, winning numerous individual categories in both the Junior and Senior Championships.

In addition she was honoured to receive the most outstanding competitor award in the drama section three times.

Her first professional role was at age 10 playing the young Jamie King in ‘True True Lie’, followed by a Disney Hannah Montana promo and voice over for the ghost of John Cusack’s dead daughter in tthe feature film adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘1408’, also starring Samuel L. Jackson.

In November 2013, she played the part of Gabriele Dillmann, the heroic German stewardess in the hijacking of Lufthansa Flight 181 at Mogadishu in 1977, in a Television docudrama.

Tiffany graduated with a BA Hons degree from the Arts University Bournemouth in 2016 and has since appeared in numerous stage and film productions as well as continuing with photographic modelling.

Tiffany has also passed on her love of performance to her students at the drama school she owns, Direct Theatre.

Her most recent role is in ‘The Lockdown Hauntings’ directed/ filmed/ produced/ written by Howard J. Ford and filmed social distanced throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.

In our interview, Tiffany tells The Fan Carpet‘s Marc Jason Ali about working with Howard J. Ford, how she got started in the industry and her love of performing…

If we go back to the beginning, was there a defining moment for you to get into the Entertainment Industry?

I don’t think it was a defining moment as such, but I always knew I wanted to do something where I was performing (apart from the few years I wanted to be a mermaid). I desperately wanted to be a dancer as a child and watched ‘Dirty Dancing’ on my VHS so much that my parents had to hide it from me!

I danced from the age of two, but I was so shy I could barely talk to anyone. So my parents sent me to a drama class and I came out and thought ‘This. This is what I was to do’ I didn’t realise until then that I could make a career from it.

What was it about ESCAPE that made you want to be a part of it with such a prolific director in the independent space in Howard Ford, and what can you tell us about the story and Chloe without giving away spoilers?

Honestly any chance to work with Howard is one I jump at, and so should anyone! He’s such a brilliant director and I have complete trust in him. He’s so amazing to work with especially in regards to the way in which he works; he just gets it done!

Which is how I like to work too. I’ve had too many directors faff around and waste time, Howard doesn’t do any of that. 

In regards to the story, all I can say is it is girl power to the extreme! And anyone who has ever been treated badly by my man will definitely feel a sense of justice at the end. 

What does it mean for you to be a storyteller and tell stories in this way?

I feel it’s such a privilege, truly. And I’m so grateful that I get to live my dream job and I had the most supportive parents who actually encouraged me to NOT get a ‘normal’ job. 

Being an actress means I get to explore parts of my personality that I otherwise wouldn’t get to, and I love that watching people perform can educate and help others.

I also find it very helpful to me in a lot of cases, where I’ve had to play parts close to home, it’s almost been therapeutic.

It’s also been a life line when I’ve gone through personal hardships. I get to escape and be another character and forget things for a while. You can’t really explain it until you do it. 

What is your preferred genre, and do you have any favourite films?

I’m one of those annoying people who genuinely loves such a variety of genres! If it makes me feel a certain way then I like it. 

In general I do prefer watching more upbeat, happy genres and I love comedy.

I love performing comedy as well and would love to have more comedic roles. But I also love the depth at which you can go to when playing a really hard hitting role and also watching others do that and knowing what they’ve done to get there is amazing. I love a Film or TV show that just ‘gets me in the feels’ whatever that may be! 

Are there any other aspects of the Film Industry that you would like to pursue?

Funnily enough I have actually helped out on sound operating a few times and I really enjoy it! At university we had to be film crew for an assignment and I chose to do sound and thought it was so fascinating. I genuinely really enjoy it! 

I also love to write, especially about things meaningful to myself that could help others understand certain issues. I have started writing a script about a very personal story.

I’m just a very visual person, so I can envision the entire movie in my head, it’s just getting it onto the paper that’s taking some time! But watch this space! 

You have an eclectic range of credits from TV to Short Films to Feature Film, are there any genres that you haven’t done yet that you’d like to?

That’s one way of describing it! I actually don’t know if there’s a type of performance I haven’t done, apart from pantomime!

I grew up on stage and then quickly added film to my credits and realised I preferred and was more suited to film.

But I do still love stage and was the lead in a play ‘The White Bike’ a few years ago. 

I would love to do an action film where I get to do some sort of fighting, or a biopic of someone. I would also love to play a role where I could use my athletic abilities, as a gym freak and long distance runner it would be amazing to get to combine the two. 

You’ve worked with some great talent both in front and behind the camera with Sophie Rankin, Howard Ford, Sean Cronin and Angela Dixon amongst the names, do you have a wish list of who you’d like to work with?

I really have and I’m so grateful to have worked with them and call them my family. 

There are so many people I would love to work with!

Maggie Smith has always been a big one, as has Jennifer Anniston and Tom Hanks. I also love so many comedy actors such as Gina Rodriguez, Lauren Ash, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, and I adore Ted Danson!

I met Jimmy Akingbola in Cannes and would absolutely love to work with him as well. 

Who inspires you within the industry?

The people who don’t make a lot of noise about what they do. Yes you can be the biggest movie star in the world, but if you don’t give back and are simply living a lavish lifestyle and have given up on the actual ‘art’ of performing, then that isn’t what I’m interested in.

People who are always wanting to explore and push the boundaries of characters and stories, who are humble and kind. They inspire me.

Circling back to ESCAPE, I’m looking forward to seeing it after I saw the amazing film THE LEDGE from Howard, do you have any memorable moments from filming that you’ll take with you for the rest of your career?

Haha yes! Quite a few! The first time I shot for it was actually in Cannes last year and it was the first time I met the delightful Sean Cronin in person.

My first conversation with him was in the scene where he is ‘checking me over’. We’ve been firm friends since! 

And also filming in the tunnels back in the UK with all the girls. I’m very close friends with Sophie Rankin and Sarah Marks and I vividly remember Sophie and I shivering violently and bundling together like penguins to keep warm! 

Fandoms are a big part of the industry, who or what are you a fan of?

Oooh that’s a tricky one. I love to find out EVERYTHING about a TV show I watch, all the backstage gossip, the fun facts about the relationships between the actors, the little inside jokes that are written into the script. 

I’m also a secret Star Wars fan… not so secret anymore! 

Is there a book that you are a fan of that hasn’t been adapted to film or TV or Netflix yet that you’d love to be a part of?

There actually is. There’s a series of books written by Pamela Brown called ‘The Blue Door Theatre Company’ which my parents got me first editions of.

They’re about a group of young children/ adults who set up their own theatre company and go touring.

It’s a very lovely set of stories which I think would translate beautifully to Film or TV. 

With the popularity of streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ etc. what do you think the future of Cinema is?

I honestly don’t know. I love a good Netflix binge as much as anyone. But I do love going to the cinema, there’s nothing quite like it. And I hope it continues to bring magic to people for a very long time. 

You’re in TO ENGLAND, WITH LOVE, how has that been to work on and what can you tell us about that exciting films?

‘To England With Love’ was such a joy to work on. It was filmed by a company in my local town of Bournemouth and I was so happy to do all work with Tim Clague and Danny Stack.

I play the part of Hannah, who is a cuppa cake making, vintage clothes wearing ball of energy! It was a great part to play and I cannot wait for the film to be released! 

Where can we find you online to keep up with everything you’re doing?

You can find me on Instagram @tiffanyhd1 and Direct Theatre School on Instagram and Facebook.