Multi-talented Amber Doig-Thorne on her social media break, interviewing acting greats and why York is just perfect
Were you always looking to entertain even as a child?
I’ve always had a passion for entertaining people, and in particular – making people laugh! I remember putting on shows for my parents as a young child, singing, dancing, telling jokes, acting scenes from my favourite movie – I loved every second of it!
When did acting become something serious for you to consider?
I’ve always known that I wanted to be an actor – it was just a case of figuring out how to get onto the path that I wanted to be on. I knew it was a realistic career choice when I booked my first lead role in an independent feature film within less than a year of starting my acting career professionally.
When you graduated, did you have a career plan?
From the age of 18 years old I had a master plan. I wanted to have a “Plan B” just in case acting didn’t work out, so I went to university and graduated with a BSc Degree in theoretical physics. My back up plan was to become a FX trader if the acting didn’t take off. When I graduated, I started working on student films and short films, as well as enrolling on short courses at as many institutions as I could – including a 3-month programme at RADA, and also a wonderful course at the Beverly Hills Playhouse in Los Angeles.
The social media side took off for you – why do you think you touched a nerve?
I think that for me it was really a case of being in the right place at the right time. I started out producing original comedy sketches – based on relatable day to day situations we’d all face in life. At the time that I started, I can probably name on two hands the amount of other female comedy creators that were making waves, so there was certainly a gap in the market. I still don’t think there’s enough women in comedy, but our representation is improving by the day.
What is it about digital you like so much?
I love how you can film a video in your bedroom and then you can reach people from all over the world. My audience is from the UK and USA, but I also have followers in Australia, Mexico, Africa, Asia – digital gives you the opportunity to reach a global audience, which I think is incredibly powerful and is something I will always be grateful for.
How did the presenting side take off for you?
I’ve always had an interest in presenting, but it wasn’t until I started creating videos on social media that my presenting career really took off. Within a couple of months of my Facebook page hitting one million followers, Warner bros reached out to me and asked if I’d like to interview Nina Dobrev for one of her new films. I’d grown up watching The Vampire Diaries, so this was a huge deal for me, and of course I said yes! The whole experience was just wonderful, and people seemed to really enjoy the video I posted – so I was very lucky that more movie junkets followed, which then led onto presenting work for a host of brands, including Cineworld, real3d, Funko, Lionsgate, 4Music, national lottery, VidCon and Azar.
What have been some of your celebrity interview highlights?
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing around 60 actors, filmmakers and leaders in various industries. Some of my favourite interviews that I’ve conducted include Keanu Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Helen Mirren, Henry Cavill, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Simon Pegg, John Cena, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Jessica Chastain, Josh Brolin, Robert Rodriguez, and Al Gore.
Were you nervous talking to any?
My first two interviews (with Nina Dobrev and Will Arnett) were definitely the most nerve-wracking – they were both within the space of a couple of weeks and I didn’t know what to expect! However, I quickly realised that there was nothing to be nervous about – I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every interview I’ve conducted, the actors and filmmakers are always such a pleasure to speak to, and it’s so lovely having the opportunity to speak to such incredibly talented individuals – some of whom have been childhood heroes of mine
Despite your success in social media, was acting always going to be a key element of your career?
Acting has, and always will be, my main passion. What I love about my social media content (filming comedy sketches) is that it also involved acting – so both parts of my life merge seamlessly together!
You have a lot of acting credits to your name already. What roles for you have stood out so far and why?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work on a plethora of films, I’ve played lead roles in 23 independent features and have worked on around 100 productions in total over the last four years. I had a wonderful time filming Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey (directed by Rhys Waterfeld, and produced by Scott Jeffrey), which has been trending worldwide over the last couple of months! The first feature length film I worked on, The Seven, will always hold a special place in my heart – not only because it was my first lead role, but because it was my first experience of working with such an amazing cast and crew, which became like a big family!
You also seem to have a lot in the works. Are you filming now?
I’m currently in pre-production for another five independent feature length films, which will start production over the next couple of months. Later this year I’m also starting production on a new series of comedy sketches, which I’m incredibly excited to share across my social media channels – so keep an eye out for those!
What can we expect to see you in soon?
I have several feature films coming out before the end of this year, and some short films too. I can’t wait for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey to be released this fall (it’s been trending worldwide since the film was announced a couple of months ago, which is really exciting), Alien Abduction, Minacious and Return of Krampus are all slated to be released by the end of 2022, Intervention is available to watch now on iTunes, and Heropanti 2 was recently released on Amazon Prime Video.
Where do you currently live in Yorkshire and how long have you been there for?
I was born and raised in York, and it’s my favourite city in the world! I spend my time between London and York, it’s always a pleasure to meet you returning to York after some time in the Big Smoke – it’s so peaceful up here.
What do you love best about it?
I love how relaxed everyone is – the energy feels quite different in Yorkshire. People seem calmer, it’s certainly a slower pace of life. I love that people have more time to talk to each other and make conversation, and there’s so many beautiful cities and hidden gems in Yorkshire that a lot of people don’t know about which I love exploring!
We always ask for 3 places you love visiting in the county, so what would you pick out?
There are so many places in Yorkshire I recommend to people if they’re visiting. In York specifically, my favourite places to visit are the Museum Gardens (our famous gardens in the middle of the city which include original ruins from Roman buildings), The Shambles (an alleyway of shops so close together you can shake hands with someone on the opposite side of the street from the first storey windows), and The Minster (our famous cathedral).
It’s early in your career, but how do you see things evolving from here?
I’m so grateful to have worked on so many incredible projects already, and if I didn’t work on another film again I would be perfectly content with what I’ve achieved so far! However, I’m an ambitious women – so I do have a 1 year, 5 year and 10 year plan! I’d love to break through to Hollywood level productions – whether that be on a TV show or feature films. There are always so many fantastic productions shooting in Yorkshire, so fingers crossed you’ll see me on the big screen or on Netflix sometime soon!
