From Ballet To Writing To Guerrilla Style Stunts: A Conversation With NEVER LET GO’s Angela Dixon Ahead Of LEGEND Premiere
Angela Dixon is an award-winning actor best known for her leading role in Howard Ford's action thriller 'Never Let Go' where she wowed audiences and critics alike with her "Oscar-worthy" "Powerhouse" performance of a single mother battling against the odds to rescue her kidnapped child.
She won Best Actress for Never Let Go and her role as the victim of domestic violence in Marc Zammit's "Homeless Ashes". Other recent leading roles include the head of a deportation unit in Tom Paton's Sci-fi thriller "Black Site", the speedway mom in Howard Ford's "Adventure Boyz" and a teacher in "Missing A Note" a deeply moving film about dementia with Ian McElhinny and Elaine Paige and 'Eve Groves' another important film about lobular breast cancer both with Fact Not Fiction Films.
In the past year she has played Ms. Summers, the head teacher in 'Our Kid' with Ricky Tomlinson, Leanne Best, Connor McIntyre, John McArdle, and Louis Emerick: the medical examiner Dr. Mills involved in a multiple murder investigation in ‘Bogieville’ both directed by Sean Cronin and a six part TV series with Casper Van Diem and Jennifer Wenger directed by Tom Paton playing a quantum scientist who’s experiments cause universal disruption.
Angela is a visceral, intelligent, truthful actress who invests everything she has into her work. In 'Never Let Go' she did all her own stunts and fight scenes in Guerrilla filming conditions. Her belief is that kindness is a strength and thrives when collaborating creatively.
In our EXCLUSIVE interview, Angela tells The Fan Carpet's Marc Jason Ali about her start in the industry, working with Howard J. Ford, her love of writing and doing her own stunts for NEVER LET GO...
If we go back to the beginning, was there a defining moment for you to get into the Entertainment Industry?
As a child, I spent a lot of time alone in the countryside and in my own head. I used to love singing, writing poems and thinking about the world - I was a young philosopher.
Probably the defining moment was when I was about 11 years old. I was performing ballet for the first time in a theatre and it felt very much like coming home. The combination of excitement and fear made me feel alive. I loved the camaraderie, the smell of the of the space and the world of make believe. In that moment I guess my love of storytelling, philosophy and danger converged.
What was it that made you want to be part of Never Let Go?
How could one refuse such a role as Lisa Brennan. A strong complex female character in an action thriller where you’re leading the film? Sadly parts like that are few and far between so you have to grab them when they are there.
What was it about NEVER LET GO 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 Lisa without giving away spoilers?
I met Howard on a yacht in Cannes when I gatecrashed the pinewood studio party. We instantly connected and realised that we had a similar sense of heart and soul as people and in our work. We share a love of adventure and we discovered we had both taken some risks with our lives, and had lived to tell the tale.
I think that’s what prompted Howard to think of me when he was writing Never Let Go. He knew that not only was I physically strong and fit, I was also mentally robust which was essential for the actor playing Lisa. Not just to play the role but also to be able to handle the guerrilla style filming.
We were actually being chased by the police in real time at one point and there were a number of issues and challenges during the shoot that many people would have struggled with. Fortunately, I seem to thrive in those kind of circumstances.
At its core Never Let Go is about a woman who is lost. Through the trauma of her daughter’s abduction and the fight to get her back, she finds herself. I’ll leave the rest to the audience to discover.
What does it mean for me to be a storyteller?
We are hardwired as human beings to tell stories. Storytelling is a great way to connect with each other, to make sense of this complex, wonderful and sometimes extremely painful world that we live in. It’s an opportunity to draw attention to topics and areas of concern in a way that truly engages. Storytelling can be life changing. It’s the lifeblood of being human. So for me, it’s a huge privilege to be involved in that.
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NEVER LET GO PREMIERES AT 9PM ON LEGEND TONIGHT!
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