Musical Theatre To Shakespeare To THE LOCKDOWN HAUNTINGS: A Conversation With ESCAPE’s 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!
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.
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