Anne-Marie Duff

And so I'd be sent off when I was in infant school up to the junior library to go and get books, which of course made me different.

But then I changed schools and their attitude was very different.

it was more to be celebrated than I don't we don't know how to deal with that so then I made a buddy and we were very good friends and up until we left and went to this is Lisa Lisa yeah and what did you do together you and Lisa did you read books together did you yeah I mean we did all the classic playing then she wanted to try a youth theatre oh and she wanted me to come with her and what age are you now about 11 I'd say and I was like

scared but because I was such a reader and my dream actually was to become a writer a novelist that was my fantasy

And I think my mum and dad, because I was a wee bit shy, were probably like, go, will you go, you know, to try and be in the room.

Because that's the brilliance of arts education.

It teaches us how to be in the room comfortably, you know.

And off I went.

And that was when I went, oh, this is just like a page.

This is just like, this is also somebody else's sentences.

So I loved it.

Yeah, all of it.

Well, it would have all been improvisation to begin with.

Oh, so it was literally a local amateur dramatic society had set up a youth theatre just outside of London.

They were based in Ryslip, of all places.

So it was a little bit of a drive...

But we went.

No, because as far as they were concerned, it was a hobby.

And also, again, they're Irish people and telling a good tale is... There's nothing weird about that or suspicious about that.

It's to be celebrated.