Aisling Bea is an actor, stand-up comedian and writer who is currently appearing in the BBC3 sitcom Dead Boss. She tells IdeasMag why she can't work without pens, pals and potatoes...
Full name/age/job title:
Aisling Bea, 28, actor/comedian/writer.
What does your job involve?
My job involves Googling, Facebooking, tweeting, trying to pretend I’m not listening to Cher Lloyd on Spotify, then panicking and doing everything I’m supposed to have done in 24 minutes. On my days off, I like to Google, Facebook, tweet and listen to Cher Lloyd on Spotify. Acting-wise, the job normally involves learning my lines, turning up, delivering a Laurence Oliver quality performance and then trying to get as much free food from the catering truck as possible.
Five things you couldn’t work without.
1. A pen
Old School. The likelihood of having a good idea when you sit down to have one is rare. They tend to come as you are about to doze off or in the middle of a deep and meaningful conversation with a crying loved one. You probably won’t have your special-brand-new-big-ideas-notepad with you so write it down wherever you can: on a receipt, on your hand, on a Post-it, on your face so you can share it with others. YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER IT LATER.
2. My iPhone
Just like Yeats, I love my mobile phone. I use it for everything: to read scripts, to email, to video gigs, to listen to podcasts, to do research on the go, to find out where I am, why I am there and where I am going but mainly to listen to Cher Lloyd on Spotify.
3. My pals
My favourite part of the job is when I get to work with or for friends and there’s time to have a play around. Similarly at a gig, if fellow mates are on the bill, it turns the evening into a bit of a joy party and japes ensue. I’m lucky to be surrounded by lots of very talented friends from all fields (not unlike a scarecrow). It’s nerve-wracking working for yourself or on your own, so having people within the business who have your back and clap when you’re crap is priceless.
4. Tea and potatoes
I know it’s technically two things, but 50% of my personality is caffeine and at least 29% is made up of this tasty starchy root vegetable. Nothing chills out the soul like the comfort of tea and a potato. That’s why everyone was so highly strung during the famine.
5. My little sister
I used to bully her quite a bit as a child so her coldly served revenge has been to tell me the truth about how I did. Her opinion is the one I trust the most as it is laced with a healthy dose of love, hate and knowing that if I get better, she doesn’t get her arm punched.
You can see Aisling in Dead Boss, BBC3, Thursdays at 10.30pm.
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