| Interview with Rebecca Dunne from forthcoming BBC drama, 'The Silence' I was bracing myself for one of the most humiliating things a girl my age can do in public while sober - a sexy dance. And not just any old sexy dance, but a sexy dance in front of 60 extras and 40 film crew I barely knew. I was craving a gin and tonic to When will The Silence be hitting our screens? We are hoping that The Silence will be launched in May. If not, then in June on BBC. Which character do you play? I play one of the main girl's deaf best friends called Izzy. What can we expect from the programme? You will be able to learn some things about what it's like to be a deaf person and how we are exactly the same as hearing people, except that we have a hearing problem! You will also learn what it's like to go from deaf to hearing to deaf again. Apart from the deafness element, there are quite a few twists in this drama, and a murder! How did you hear about the role in the first place? Beaumont Hospital in Dublin was sent an email asking if they had a deaf teenage girl who would be interested in acting a main part in Dublin and to email them if anyone was interested. I replied, but was told that they had decided on a girl for the main part, (Genevieve Barr) so I didn't expect anything after that. A few days later I got a phone call from the hospital saying that the director (Dearbhla Walsh) and a few other people wanted to meet three deaf teenagers to talk about what it's like to be deaf and would I go? Naturally, I said yes! Just before we finished talking, they asked us what we'd like to be when we are older. I said, "I would love to be an actress". I didn't expect anything to come of it, but a few days later I received an email asking if I would like the part of Izzy, and here I am now! Is this your first major role? This is only a small part. This is my first time acting in front of the camera, but I hope to be in more productions in the future. Hopefully this is just the start of it all! What was it like filming The Silence? It was an amazing experience, I loved every minute of it. Everyone there was really nice and I learned so much in so little time. I made great friends there and I know that it is what I want to do in the future. I hope to work with these people again. I will always treasure these memories! What advice would you give to young deaf/HoH people who are trying to pursue a career in acting? Don't let the deafness pull you down. Anything is possible in this world and that is what acting on The Silence showed me. Just put yourself out there and you never know, the world might surprise you. It certainly surprised me! Have you faced any obstacles as a deaf actor? No, not really. Maybe the hardest thing is hearing sometimes with the background noise which is normal anywhere really so, it's not that different! If your role in The Silence could change one misconception about deaf people, what would it be? That friends are important whether you are deaf or hearing. With your friends, you are not "different"! What does the future hold for you? Well, I am still in school so, I hope to finish my education and then go to University and pursue my acting career - but who knows?! Which model of cochlear implant do you have? I have an ESPrit 3G cochlear implant. Do you have a bilateral cochlear implant? No, I don't. I wish I did as it seems to be really great. Were you born profoundly deaf? Yes, I was. I had the operation just before my 4th birthday and I was "switched on" after my 4th birthday! Has your cochlear implant changed your life? Yes, I wouldn't be able to do as many things in my life if I didn't have the cochlear implant, like listening to music which I cannot live without! Do you think there should be more deaf characters on our screens? Oh yeah, definitely. Why shouldn't there be? I mean, deaf characters are just as good as hearing characters if not better! If there were more deaf people on t.v, people would be more aware about what it's like to be a deaf person and the challenges deaf people face in a hearing world. Is there a particular actor who has inspired you? Well for years there was only one actor who inspired me - Julia Roberts. But now I also really admire Genevieve Barr who is the main actor in The Silence. She is also deaf! What do you get up to when you’re not working? Well, I do my school work and I hang out with my family and friends. I also spend my time reading books, playing the piano, listening to music and I go to drama lessons as well! Rebecca Dunne is 17 and lives in Raheny, Dublin. The Deaf Blog February 19th 2010 |
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