Introducing the multi talented Isabella Charlton, who is working on quite a few exciting projects!
Please introduce yourself to the readers and how and when did you first get into performing?
My name is Isabella Charlton and I started performing in theatre at Oxford University. I performed in numerous productions there and was in the Oxford University showcase, where twelve students are chosen to perform in West End theatre for an audience of acting agents. I took the Shakespeare course and the contemporaries at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and the Actor’s Summer Conservatory at Yale Drama School.
I started acting in film, TV and adverts when I moved to China. I grew up in Hong Kong and that is where my family is based and I learned Mandarin Chinese at primary school. I work mainly in Beijing. I started doing Stand up comedy in English in Beijing, and then switched to doing ‘Cross talk’ (a similar equivalent in Chinese but with two people on stage). From there, I got to know a lot acting and industry people, and began working in TV and film. I did numerous smaller and medium sized roles in TV and film before I got my big role for in a 30 episode comedic series called ‘Dragon Train’ set in the China dynasty directed by Yingda, a well known director in China. I act in Chinese and English. Below is a recent link to an article published about me:
http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2015-04/30/content_20584553.htm
Who were some of your biggest inspirations?
I love comedy writers and performers like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Back in Asia, I love the comedic work of Stephen Chow 7
It was amazing when I got to audition for one of his films, even though I didn’t get the part, I love the use of physcial comedy and unexpected twists within that. I loved the film “Flirting Scholar”, particularly the cockroach scene, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoVyEZTU3W8 where he’s trying to outdo a love rival in bad things happening to him to get sympathy and love from a girl by pretending a cockroach that was accidentally stepped on is his beloved pet.
I love films like ‘House of Flying Daggers’ directed by Zhang Yimou, because it is visually stunning and your eyes are always stimulated color pallets that remind me of paintings.
What kind of training have you had, if any?
I took the course Shakespeare and his contemporaries at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and the Actor’s Summer Conservatory at Yale Drama School. At Oxford University, I also got to work with voice expert Margo Annett while I was preparing for the showcase. She gave me mentoring and training sessions.
Last summer, I spent at Ecole Philippe Gaulier, studying courese in ‘Clown’ and ‘Le Jeu’. (It’s not circus clown, it’s French theatre Clown, derived from Lecoq school of theatre. It’s all about finding your inner idiot. It’s where Sacha Baron Cohen trained).
I recently took Solo Improv and Improv 1 at Second City in LA and Chicago, respectively. I love Improv, and will take more classes whenever I am in the US.
What has been your favorite role to play so far?
I really enjoyed playing the part of Miaoli in the TV series ‘Dragon Train’, because I got to work with a well known comedian in China, called Cao Yin Jin. He’s very funny and fun to work with. The TV series was set in the Ching dynasty and our characters are both working together trying to bring the first railway to china in this physical slap stick comedy. There are a lot of funny scenes where my character kisses him or hugs him, and his character is very conservative so he reacts like I’ve done something terrible in a very physical way. I also got to work with the director, Ying da, who’s also very well known in China, and he’s a veteran of directing sitcoms in China so I learned a lot from him.
What has been one of your biggest achievements in your career so far?
It was landing the part of Miaoli on the TV series ‘Dragon Train’. I got to work with some great people (mentioned above), and to really establish myself on Chinese TV as I play a major role in the TV series.
What projects do you have coming up?
I am currently doing a Chinese theatre adaptation of Macbeth, directed by quite a cutting edge theatre director in China called Huang Ying. Produced by Tadashi Suzuki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadashi_Suzuki
We are taking the show on tour in Taiwan next week, and will perform at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park Theatre in Taiwan to an audience of 800 at our first stop.
Who would be your ideal co-star and why?
Someone is who is respectful and fun. You can be on set for a long time, so it’s always great to work with someone you get on with or who shares the same sense of humor. But, also respectful of the work because you’ve got to take it seriously.
What are your plans for the future?
I hope to continue to grow as a performer and spend more time in the US, but I’d always come back to China for projects as well. I hope to write more and hopefully perform what I what write on stage or on screen. I also love directing and editing. I filmed a short documentary about stand up comedy and I’m currently in the process of editing it.
What is your advice to aspiring performers?
Keep doing what you love and don’t try to make sensible choices if they stop you from doing that.
YardHype Features... Multi Talented Actress "Isabella Charlton"
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