Essex actress' film stopped due to Hollywood strikes

Actress and model Rachel Atkinson, from Great Bromley, previously performed as a Bond Girl alongside Piers Brosnan in Golden Eye and was working on a major Formula 1 movie filmed at Silverstone when she was forced to head home suddenly.

Unfortunately, they have not been able to return to work ever since.

She said the strikes have been a complete upheaval to so many talented technicians who work in Colchester, Tendring and the rest of Essex.

She said: “I was working as an extra on this big Hollywood production when at least 180 crew members had to down tools out of the blue, within an hour’s notice.

"Some people hadn’t even arrived on the set yet. Many of these people work locally and they were devastated because they were expecting to be employed for many more weeks.

"They rely on this kind of income from these big budget movies, but now the whole industry has grounded to a halt.

“These crew members work behind the scenes as make-up artists, caterers, security personnel, drivers, as well as actors and camera technicians.

Actress Rachel Atkinson is supporting the strikes (Image: Rachel Atkinson)

"It’s probably a surprise to many people, but so many talented people from this part of the country support every aspect of the movie business to keep these big international productions going.

“Now those people need to rely on independent filmmaking work instead to keep the money coming and take care of their families. Although it doesn’t pay as well, it shows you how important all areas of the filmmaking world are to people in Colchester, Tendring and the rest of Essex. Thank goodness that part of the industry is growing too.”

However, despite the set-backs, she, and her colleagues, are right behind the strikes because so much is at risk in their careers long-term if the conditions do not improve soon.

She said: “Some of the reasons why the actors and crews are striking is because of the plans to use AI with their image to recreate digital versions of their acting scenes, instead of paying actors for performing.

“It’s the same situation in the music industry – people are taken advantage of as soon as they sign up to a deal, which completely devalues their profession.

"So, these young actors who are about to go into the industry are now being asked to sign contracts to allow their identity to be used for AI purposes.

Actress Rachel Atkinson is supporting the strikes (Image: Rachel Atkinson)

“The studios could also use their voices for future voice-overs, without the artists being involved or paid. We love our big stars – they make us go weak at the knees. We’ve all been starstruck at some point and I think it’s really important to keep that going with real actors doing the roles. We need that fantasy to believe these people are beyond normal life.”

Although so many people, such as herself, are losing out on being employed by going on strike, she believes that if the cast and crew pull together collectively and hold their nerve, the studios will eventually back down.

She hopes this action will lead to the actors receiving the rights they deserve in the end.

Rachel cannot wait to get back on set and start acting again, after being involved in so many exciting productions in the past.

The crowd during a protest by members of the British actors union Equity in Leicester Square, London, in solidarity with striking Hollywood members (Image: PA)

As well as performing as a Bond Girl, when she was described in The Sun as ‘The new Julia Roberts’, she also performed in a number of LoveJoy episodes and in a music video with Take That.

She said it was an honour to sit next to Gary Barlow while he played the piano.

“They were lovely boys and very good fun to hang out with," she said.  

"It was a nice experience and I was involved in the shoot over a couple of days. I don’t think I’ve ever done another job like that before where it was all such a good laugh.

“I was also involved in a number of US TV commercials and lots of modelling.”

After all these experiences, Rachel had a break from filming and modelling more than 10 years ago to look after her three daughters with her husband Neil.

However, the girls are grown up now, so she is ready to get involved in some bigger roles again.

Despite the strikes, she thinks more people locally should get involved in the industry because of all the new opportunities available to them.

She said: “Once we get what we want with these strikes, which I am confident we will, there will plenty of roles to take up.

"For example, even being an extra, which is quite easy to get involved with, can pay up to £280 a day. We’ll keep fighting collectively to get what’s fair first, but once it picks up again, I would love more people from this area to look into what they can do.”

If you want to find out more about breaking into the industry, contact Rachel on: rachelhfparsons4@hotmail.com.