Interview: 5 minutes with...Shelley Davenport, Actor, Lawnmower
And so to the 2nd part of my ‘10 minutes with…Shelley Davenport’, only this time she has cast off her 1st AD hat from Not Waving and has popped her Actor hat on for Lawnmower. I've long admired Shelley's ability with comic material (check out her array of shorts on her website to acquaint yourself with her work yourself) so directing her in Lawnmower is very exciting.
Shelley Davenport, Actress, Lawnmower
Kate Sawyer: So (just in case people haven’t read the first "5 Minutes with...you") tell us a bit about yourself…
Shelley Davenport: I’m Shelley Davenport, I live in Catford. I’m a Writer and Actor. I’m playing the part of Alex in Lawnmower
KS: Where are you right now?
SD: On my couch after getting soaked on the way home.
KS: I hope you’ve got a cup of hot tea to warm you up! It’s not exactly garden weather (hopefully it will be when we film!!) but Lawnmower is predominantly set in a garden. Do you have a garden?
SD: We have two newly planted window boxes, and dream of a future garden with a future dog in it!
Shelley as Sheryl in her own LSFF featured comedy short, Make-up Tutorials with Sheryl
KS: Do you know your neighbours?
SD: We know our downstairs neighbours a bit. We sent them a pre-apologetic note for a Christmas party we were planning, warning them that there could be noise. They texted us back to say 'Don't you silly - just enjoy yourselves and don't worry about us' and from then on I have thought 'Oh what lovely eggs'. Anyone who is happy for us to be loud and boozy is a friendly neighbour of mine!
KS: Have you ever borrowed something from a neighbour?
SD: An iron. Never tried the cup of sugar trick...and I suppose that's probably off the cards now I'm married.
KS: Yes, in general hitting on your neighbours is frowned upon once you are married. No cup of sugar is off the cards…but do you ask other people for help if you need it? Or do you tend to struggle on alone?
SD: Hmm...it depends really. I am definitely guilty of overthinking, but I think I tend to err on the side of asking for help.
KS: Has there ever been an occasion when the outcome of not asking for help wasn’t terribly good?
SD: I tried to cut my own fringe when I was very young and ended up with a fuzzy patch on the front of my head. Like someone had stuck a brown sticklebrick to my forehead.
KS: Okay, you know the routine! Time for a quick fire round! Allotment or Garden?
SD: Garden.
KS: Lawn or Paving?
SD: Lawn
KS: Finally, what are you most looking forward to about your role in making Lawnmower?
SD: It's a really lovely bunch of talented people working in front and behind the camera and so I'm excited to be part of that gang!
Follow Shelley on Twitter @Shelbedere and check out her own comedy shorts on her website: http://www.shelleydavenport.com/
*We are running an crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise money to help us pay all the artists, including Shelley, that are involved in making Not Waving & Lawnmower, two short films from The Curious Room. Please WATCH our video and then DONATE & SHARE our campaign on social media if you are able!*
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