2D or not 2D?

Hey, y'all. Just a quickie today, I'm afraid, as work's keeping me insanely busy these days. First off, check out the awesome picture of me I was sent by the comic book artist Brian Maze! What a lovely surprise it was when this little beauty appeared in my inbox!

Brian's the man behind the 'Freak Central' comics and we first met at Comic-Con in San Diego this summer where he interviewed me for the now infamous Monkeygoatboy armwrestling video. He's immortalised many celebs in 2D form, including the casts of Dollhouse, Firefly and Buffy and I adore his work so it was a huge honour to be drawn by him. Thanks, Brian! He's also said he wants to do another version, this time steampunk stylee based on my halloween costume this year so I'll let you know when that happens - I don't know about you but steampunk totally rocks my world! FOR SCIENCE! *leaps from zeppelin*

While the 2D me looks rather serene and relaxed, in reality I'm the total opposite these days - life's been an utter whirlwind! I'll blog more about individual projects as and when but for now personal highlights include a readthrough at the famous Elstree Studios for an upcoming feature film I've just been cast in (keep an eye on my IMDB page for more news), a couple of awesome gigs thanks to the bands 'Clutch' and 'Budgie', and special effects tests for a spooky short with Huw Bowen, who not only rocked the handheld camera/special effects combo but also messed my face up so well that friends who've seen the tests now get a bit freaked out when I make eye contact.

Oh, and I discovered that the studio I do all my JML work from is the place where Jeff Wayne's concept album 'War of the Worlds' (narrated by Richard Burton) was recorded. How fecking cool is that?! I may have geeked out a teeny bit when I found that out. I don't think anyone noticed, though. Dribbling and giggling to yourself is normal, right?

I hope you're all well and cheers for all the messages and follows on Twitter. See, I told you I was on there a lot!

Milly x


As a steampunk monster huntress for Halloween this year. Goggly goodness.

See Amelia (twice!) at the Falstaff International Film Festival

Nope, sadly I haven't discovered an evil twin or been conducting cloning experiments - next week sees the first annual Falstaff International Film Festival hit the beautiful town of Stratford-upon-Avon, showing the finest short films and independent features from around the world.

The really exciting news is that I'm the only actor to appear in the main cast of not one but two of the features selected by the committee! You can see me as scheming bad girl Sarah Smith in the award-winning drama comedy 'Wasters' and then in numerous guises in sci-fi adventure 'Triple Hit'.

'Wasters' was only recently completed but hit the festival circuit running and immediately won the TIFF Best British Film award. I've also got some rather complimentary reviews, with DSD Magazine describing my performance as 'outstanding' - awww... I'm blushing! So, if you fancy seeing me as an evil, buxom baddie with revenge on her mind (and laughing your ass off) then head down to Stratford Civic Hall on Wednesday the 18th of November where the movie will be screening from 9:55pm.

And as if the festival wasn't already multiple personality-y enough for me, in 'Triple Hit' I took on not one role but five, more than any other actor in the film! I play one of the main characters, Q (as a voiceover - oooh, the mystery!), as well as four smaller onscreen ones so keep your eyes peeled - you never know where I'm going to pop up! The movie has been soundly praised by critics for its fantastic special effects and has so far screened at several international festivals, including Fargo Fantastic Film Festival as part of Minnesota's Valleycon and Swansea Bay here in Blighty, as well as the world-famous San Diego Comic-Con where I took to the stage after the screening, alongside director Huw Bowen et al., to chat to the fans. It also recently won 3rd place in the Best Film category at the IOV awards. Check out the parallel universe fun at the Civic Hall on Tuesday the 17th of November at 8:10pm.

Stratford is pretty much home turf for me (I did my 'A' levels there and had the honour of appearing on stage at the RSC's 'The Other Place' theatre) so I'll definitely be around. Please do pop along - it'd be great to see you all!

For details, directions and tickets, clickee these bits:

'Wasters' - 9:55pm - Wednesday 18th Nov 2009 - Civic Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon

'Triple Hit' - 8:10pm - Tuesday 17th Nov 2009 - Civic Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon




As Sarah Smith, along with some of the rest of the cast of 'Wasters'.



Overseeing the universe(s) in one of my many parallel roles in 'Triple Hit'.

See you there!

Milly x

Fancy seeing you here!

Hey, lovely peoples, long time no see! Goodness, haven't you grown, have you lost weight, etc, etc.

So sorry it's been a while since my last blog - life's gone a tad topsy turvy since I got back from the States and I've barely had time to breathe in and out let alone actually DO anything, as you can probably tell from the flurry of blogs that have suddenly been added to this site. Is that the correct term, a 'flurry'? Perhaps a 'ramble'. No, a 'waffle' of blogs. Yes, that's much better.

Anyhow, it's been all go and I'm LOVING it. Aside from the usual everyday voiceover work I do there have been some other exciting bits and bobs happening so here's some of the goss:


SITCOM-ING TO A TV NEAR YOU!
The really exciting news is that I've been cast as the female lead in an upcoming sitcom and just had my first pre-production meeting in preparation for the full cast readthrough later this month. I'll be playing Sandi, a bass-playing rock chick with major attitude, and I can't tell you how excited I am about the shoot, especially smashing up a pyro-laden bass guitar for the opening titles. Breaking things + pyrotechnics = awesome. I can't say much more about it at the moment except that it's along the lines of 'Spaced' but I'll be sure to let you know more as and when. It's going to be all kinds of cool.


'UNCONVENTIONAL'
Last weekend I was playing slinky convention announcer Natasha in new darkly comedic short film 'Unconventional'. I first met the director, Jim, when we both worked on feature film 'Wasters' last year and it was great to be directed by him for the first time, plus it was shooting on RED so the scenes look amazing. Have I mentioned how much I want a RED camera? A LOT. More than tadpoles want to be frogs, more than Imelda wanted shoes, more than it's rained here since I got back from the States. THAT much.

Despite spending the majority of the day wiggling around in a ludicrously short skirt/low top combo and having my bottom repeatedly slapped by a brash American (it was in the script - honest!) it was a brilliant day and a real blast of 'Wasters' déjà vu - many of the same cast and crew were involved, plus both films required me to strut around in a skintight outfit and be letched at by the same male actor! I can't wait to see the finished film and once it's out I'll definitely let you know where and when it'll be screening - you're guaranteed a treat for the both the brain and the peepers (no, I'm not talking about my cleavage. Filth).


FROM DISNEY TO DOLLHOUSE TO DUSTERS
Over the past few weeks I've spent a lot of time in London, flitting between studios to lend my vocal skills to a great variety of companies. As some of you may know I'm the female voice of the Sci Fi Channel so I'm often at the Universal building chatting to viewers about what delights are coming up, and I was thrilled to hear that I'll soon be introducing the new season of Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse'! Yes, season 2 premiers exclusively on Sci Fi on Tuesday the 20th of October - that's NEXT MONTH, people! Having heard a few little tidbits about what we can look forward to from Whedon himself while I was at Comic-Con I can't express how madly cool this season is going to be and I'm hugely proud to be involved in some small way. If you haven't seen season 1 yet then do it. NOW.

I'm also the new voice for both Disney Channel and JML. Yes, if you hear an overly perky girl advocating the benefits of frothing up your milk or buffing away your unwanted body hair then chances are it'll be me. Hi ho, the glamourous life! The JML sessions mean I get to spend time in one of my favourite recording studios in the capital, The Sound Company, where there are always lots of interesting or famous (or both!) people mooching around the coffee area. Hurrah! The other day I finally discovered their not-so-secret biscuit barrel which is stuffed full of the most amazing nibbles I've ever seen. Apparently it's always been there so how I missed it is a mystery to me (I'm usually like some kind of biccie-detecting dousing rod) but trust me when I say that I fully made up for lost time. Om nom nom nom!


'SATNAV LIFESTYLE' IS NEARLY FINISHED!
Yup, the series we shot earlier this week is so near to completion I can almost taste it. The editing and sound is done and we've just got the final bit of grading to do this Thursday and that's it! For those of you who haven't already heard about 'SatNav Lifestyle' it's an 8-part webseries about a world where SatNavs control not only how people get from A to B but every other aspect of their lives, from dating to going to the loo. We were lucky enough to get the lovely Peter Dickson (he of E4 fame) and Emma Clarke (she of the London Underground) on board to provide the voices of our various satnavs and I played the lead character who decides to try and go it alone without the aid of satnavvy instruction.

I loved taking on the physical comedy crucial to my role and now with the addition of some truly hilarious satnav screens, lots of pretty colours and a kickass title sequence (all of which are thanks to Mr. Damian Hayes and Mr. Huw Bowen) this is shaping up to be something very special indeed. I've learned from past experience never to say exactly when something's going to be released as that's always guaranteed to release the fiery gremlins of doom onto any project, but fingers crossed episode 1 will be gracing the internets very soon.


ALSO IN THE PIPELINE...
In the next month or so I'll be shooting my scenes for a DVD about how to make horror films and as the presenter I'll be running through everything from makeup and FX work to lighting and props. I'll also be appearing in two more short films, plus working on my current screenplay, a comedy/horror feature film, and I'll be looking at old WW2 bunkers in preparation for shooting a short I penned last year which should be shooting very soon. Exciting!

That's all for now, kids. I'll do my best to keep a bit more up-to-date in future but... well, you know what I'm like! If you start to get withdrawal pains check out my page on Twitter, which I usually flutter about on a few times a day. And when I say 'flutter about on' I mean 'spend hours on' - it's my guilty pleasure so write to me on there and you're pretty much guaranteed a reply.

Take care, my lovelies!

Milly

'Schrödinger's Girl' reloaded

Yes, folks, it's true *sniffle* Our beloved SG is no more and is now called 'Triple Hit'. It's probably for the best, though - the new title will be more likely to appeal to viewers, plus it appears that bizarrely some people can't pronounce the word 'Schrödinger' - shame, SHAME on you! *points the crooked finger of shame*. Anyhow, SG, TH... what's a one-letter bump up the alphabet between friends, eh?

With the new name will also come a spanky new website which should be up online soon and full of juicy flash goodness.

After the film's success at San Diego Comic-Con I joined the rest of the team (Huw Bowen, Chris Pinches and Damian Hayes) for a catch-up podcast and general natter about extreme violence, sparkly vampire campers and wheeled attackers. We've also been chatting about Entanglement Productions' next project which promises to be a LOT of fun. More on that when I'm allowed to spill the beans but for now check out the podcast, edited by yours truly, here

TFN,

Milly

SDCC Day 4 - (Legal) Alien Invasion!

Originally published on official Sci Fi Channel websites in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Russia.

This was the day we'd all been waiting for - the final day of Comic-Con. A day like any other, you might think... But as the citizens of America went about their everyday business in the not-very-sleepy-at-all town of San Diego little did they suspect that there was an alien presence already amongst them. Yes, a plot was afoot - a devious and devilish plot for the invasion and ultimate domination of the entire country! This... was B-Day.

That's Brit Day, not birthday. Or something you'd find in the bathroom.

El-e-vay-shaAAGHn
Ok, so maybe my part in this plan didn't begin quite as well as I'd hoped. It'd been a late night and, keen to be on the ball for the Q&A session later that day, I'd snuck downstairs early to grab a coffee and... well, let's just say I wasn't looking my best. But looks are a secondary consideration when you're working for the greater good, right? Yes... until you get into the lift and are greeted by the all-too-chirpy words "Hey, you're that British actress!" Believe me when I say that was THE longest lift ride ever - the guy in question was very sweet but it's rather hard to be charming when you're desperately trying to mask signs of sleep deprivation while simultaneously beating your bird's nest hair into submission! This 'getting recognised when I'm looking like poop' thing is getting all too frequent for my liking...

The British are Coming!
Luckily the caffeine soon kicked in and I was ready to crack on with the invasion plans. And blow me down, the yanks not only succumbed to this invasion but positively welcomed it! America's always been regarded as a tough market to crack if you're from the UK and before I came out here I was under the impression that our sense of humour often falls flat on this side of the pond but today certainly put my mind at rest on that front. Not only do sci-fi fans in the US love British sci-fi but they love our humour too. Well hurrah!

While the crowd from Dr. Who and Torchwood were stirring up excitement (some more so than others. *ahem*John Barrowman*ahem*) in Ballroom 20 we in the 'Schrödinger's Girl' team were assembling to go over our battle plans and prove to the masses that England can produce some bally fine films as well as TV.

I spent the morning doing interviews, happily stunned by the amount of support 'Blood Actually' has over here, and then headed off to meet up with the rest of the SG crew: Huw (who swiftly earned the nickname 'the whitest man at Comic-Con' by rocking a rather spectacular suit), Damian, Abbi and Huw's dad Keith (who was SG's scientific advisor and enjoyed chaining me to a wall for the brain slaves scenes FAR too much for my liking!).

Jolly good show!
We had a tough timeslot to fill - at 3.40pm Comic-Con is getting ready to shut up shop and most hardened geeks will want to spend their time sniffing out last minute bargains so we weren't holding out much hope attendance-wise... But we were wrong. The audience was amazing and I actually got chills when the movie started and the music kicked in. As a film-maker it's always great to get a good reaction to your work but it's always a million times better to get it from someone who doesn't know you from Adam. These people didn't know us - they probably hadn't even heard about the film until they got to the 'Con - so they were there, and stayed, purely because they liked what they saw. They even got the humour! Happy happy joy joy.

Watch us wreck the mic...
As the end credits rolled Huw, Dee, Abbi and I took to the stage to chat to the audience and my cockles were well and truly warmed by answering intelligent, unusual questions from genuine fans of the genre. There was a brief tussle when someone asked what our favourite sci-fi films were (Damian, Huw and I fought over 'Blade Runner' while Abbi chose the first three episodes of Star Wars), but matters were soon resolved and we moved on to other questions.

Dee's favourite role in SG was apparently Matthew because he "didn't have to have a Hitler comb-over" for that one, Huw talked about his influences and the pre-production process, Abbi said how she enjoyed wielding a gun and I recounted one of my favourite behind the scenes stories from filming (which involves gaffer tape, a 6 inch height difference and Damian having a lot of conversations with my chest). Clips from the Q&A session, along with the interviews I did earlier in the week with stars of BSG and Farscape, will soon be up online here, plus on my website and YouTube channel so keep an eye out for those.

The End *sniffle*
And so it was over and we Brits headed off for a well-deserved post-invasion knees-up. It's been a fantastic trip and my only regret is that I was so busy working that I didn't get a chance to see more of the juicy treats the 'Con had to offer but don't worry, America, this was just part 1 of our invasion. I play the lead in sci-fi webseries 'SatNav Lifestyle' (from the director of 'Blood Actually' which hits the interwebs very soon and there are countless other projects already in the pipeline so... no, I can't say it can I? Oh, what the hell... We'll be back.

Thanks for all your questions and messages of support during this trip - I've really loved blogging for you guys and will definitely be popping up on the SCI FI forum from time to time so if you have any more queries then do feel free to drop me a line. I'll also be continuing the bloggery on my official site so you can keep up to date with what I'm doing there.

Milly x

SDCC Day 3 - Questions, questions, questions!

Originally published on official Sci Fi Channel websites in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Russia.

The thing I really loved about Comic-Con is that no two people attending it would have had the same experience - the sheer size of it makes that totally impossible and there are a million random events that could change the course of your day. It's like some kind of geektastic butterfly effect - a stormtrooper coughs in the line for Ballroom 20 and suddenly a bunch of pirates are attacking a Pokemon stall. Even if you can't get into one of the big panels there are still a tonne of other fantastic things out there for your geeky delectation, and trust me when I say fantastic (hmm... do I check out what the io9 crowd have to say, see Sigourney Weaver or brave the queue for the BSG/Caprica panel? Decisions, decisions!).

Sometimes, however, a girl has such complex decisions made for her and this was definitely one of those times. Yup, today was 'Interview Day' and while others were emptying their savings in the exhibition hall and woo-ing at the panels I spent most of it with various reporters and documentary-makers, answering questions about my life, my work, the colour of my socks and countless other bizarre subjects. Luckily I more often than not welcome tricky decisions being made for me (in fact I've often said I was born to be an actress simply because I've no idea how to sort out my own hair, makeup or wardrobe and will happily obey when told where to stand and what to do) and lounging in the glorious San Diego sunshine talking about all things sci-fi definitely wasn't the most unpleasant way to pass a day.

Still, though, the siren song of the exhibition hall was calling to me. Damian and I did manage to find a spare few minutes in which to chat with some starstruck Dr. Who stallholders (Dee's stepmum is Wendy Padbury, who played Patrick Troughton's assistant Zoe, so they went a wee bit crazy) but aside from that we didn't get much of a chance to browse the goodies. Fear not, I'll definitely try to punish my wallet a little tomorrow before the 'Schrödinger's Girl' panel.

I'll be posting clips from my various interviews as soon as I get them through but for now check out the monkeygoatboy interview I told you about in the day 1 blog. I was totally shattered that day, having only got 3 hours sleep the previous night, and the interview was only supposed to take 2 seconds but ended up being almost a minute of director-pwning fun. Enjoy! I've got to do some serious buffing up for the next movie I'm going to be in so perhaps I'll start arm wrestling people more often... Any suggestions for potential victims?

Finally, as this blog seems to be seriously lacking in colour, here are some of my favourite pics from the 'Con. I've been particularly impressed by how all-out people have gone with the costumes here and, being a bit of a fancy dress addict, I've been taking notes for future use. Hmm... cheetara or steampunk Lara Croft? - yet MORE decisions!

Milly x

SDCC Day 2 - Dollhouse season 2, BSG, Farscape and a mysterious bearded man...

Originally published on official Sci Fi Channel websites in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Russia.

John Lennon once said that life is what happens while you're busy making other plans and today was undeniable proof of that - a mindblowingly cool day that I could never have predicted. The madness started while I was waiting in (yet another) queue and overheard a guy behind me talking about 'Human Target':

ME: Human Target? I saw that at preview night.
BEARDIE MAN: Oh yeah? What did you think of it?
ME: Really liked it. The sense of humour was really refreshing - can't wait to see how it develops.
BEARDIE MAN: I'm really glad! (reads my name badge and extends a hand) Hi, Amelia, I'm Lenn Wein.

Un. Be. LIEVABLE. For those who don't know, Lenn was the mighty brain behind not only 'Human Target' but also 'Swamp Thing' and a bunch of the new X-men characters to name but a few. Such a lovely bloke and he was more than happy to give me an interview while we waited. That man totally rocks the baseball cap/beard combo.

Oh look, more famous people!
While the Caprica/BSG panel was going on in the geek-infested Ballroom 20, Damian and I bumped into Battlestar Galactica's Richard Hatch (Apollo in the original and Tom Zarek in the new series) who seemed to enjoy talking to me so much he couldn't stop! This guy has multiple fingers in about a billion pies and chatted to us about his upcoming projects, the 'dating site for geeks' he's just launched, soulgeek.com, and his own personal quest for love (yes he's single, ladies!).

Gorgeous BSG actress Luciana Carro (Kat) told us about the difficulties of making the show, her favourite on-screen moment (which included a MASSIVE spoiler so I wont tell you!) and her Japanese fighting fish named Damian (which made the non-aquatic Damian very happy indeed).

And if all that wasn't enough (and trust me, by that stage I was well and truly buzzing) I met up with the star of 'Farscape' Virginia Hey (Zhann), who is so much more beautiful and down-to-earth in real life than you could imagine. She nattered with me for ages about life in England (she lived in the UK for years and misses it terribly), her favourite behind the scenes moment on the show (clue: it involves meat pies!) and how women over 40 are finally making their mark in Hollywood. We also swapped horror stories about having facial prosthetics casts done and she gave me a BIG exclusive about a new show that's currently being written for her where she'll play a mix between her characters on 'Farscape' and 'Mad Max'. I'm not allowed to tell you what it's called because Virginia said "the writers would kill me" but it sounds completely awesome so keep your mince pies peeled! See what I did there? Pies, meat... Ahem. Sorry.

The eternally glamorous Nichelle Nichols (Uhura in the original Star Trek) was even there, signing autographs for the fans, and I have to say if I 'grow up' to be even half as classy as her I'll be a very happy girl. Heheh, as IF I'm ever going to grow up. All the interviews will be up online very soon. Promise!


Joss Whedon plays with dolls - FACT.
Meanwhile the Dollhouse panel, headed by Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku was joined midway through by two surprise guests: Dichen Lachmann (Sierra) and Fran Kranz (Topher). Dichen apparently loved the episodes where she played Topher's friend, and the one where she got to play with guns - a girl after my own heart! - and Fran, who I adore, seemed totally stunned by the turnout - aww, bless.

Before the panel Joss, who's clearly still gutted about the cancellation of 'Firefly' after only one season, showed 'Epitaph One', the 13th episode of Dollhouse made during production of the first series (for half the budget of a normal episode) just in case the show was axed. He also talked about his plans for the show's scope to become broader and more political in season 2, plus gave us some exciting teasers about what else we can expect, namely a recurring role for Buffy and Angel actor Alex Denisoff (Wesley Wyndham-Pryce), the return of Felicia Day, Zack Ward and Adair Tishler (who all starred in Epitaph One) and possibly a role for Summer Glau if they can manage it. My GOD this is going to be cool.

Joss described his shows as "marathon runners, not sprinters" and thanked the viewers for their campaigns to save the show, saying "it really took the hardcore fan base, the people who are here, to tip the scale." Power to the people.

Run, don't walk from... the scooter people!
Before heading home Damian and I were randomly grabbed by a reporter from Fox 5 News to be part of their report on new methods of journalism (part of which required me to use Damian's iphone, which I have NO idea how to operate and nearly deleted the entire inbox after a person on a scooter ran over my foot during a take!). Then we met up with Huw and his dad Keith Bowen. As well as siring Huw, Keith was also the 'Schrodinger's Girl' science advisor and is actually a real life scientist who works with lasers and stuff. My favourite bit of scientific advice he gave Huw in the lead-up to filming was "scientists don't wear labcoats! And they're messy". Also, I HAVE to mention the coolest costume I saw today - a sort of weird inflatable anti-grav rabbit/cat... thing. Which did headstands! What will they think of next?

But the biggest news for today? I didn't spend any money! Don't worry, I'll make up for it tomorrow... Oh yeah, and Huw met 'Torchwood' star John Barrowman and gave him a 'Schrödinger's Girl' flyer. Cheeky beggar!

Yes, I am totally jealous.

Milly

SDCC Day 1 - Avatar, Alice and Spooky Americans

Originally published on official Sci Fi Channel websites in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Russia.

I started the day by grabbing some brain food in Café Diem. Nope, I haven't overloaded my brain with 'Eureka' and slipped into a delusional trance, there's actually a Café Diem here in San Diego (or at least there is for the duration of the 'Con thanks to the Sci Fi Channel's American cousin/sibling/alternate self Syfy). It's a Eureka themed restaurant complete with appropriately named dishes and I was served by two very lovely chaps, one of whom had the most fabulous facial hair I've ever seen.

Camp-i-con
There was a 'Twilight' panel in Hall H (the biggest room where all the most famous panels are held) today and didn't we know it! The queue for the place was immense - people had literally been camping out overnight to save their spots in line - and I reckon my only chance of getting into that room would have been if I'd found a Robert Pattinson lookalike and thrown him to the baying crowds. Damn you, sparkly vampire people, and damn all your silly tents as well (though I respect your dedication)!

Luckily, however, Comic-Con isn't really about the massive events - anything shown in those panels will inevitably be aired at some point soon so you'll see it anyway. No, what Comic-Con is great for is the stuff you wouldn't be able to see anywhere else - the independent stores full of weird stuff, the fans in incredible costumes and the smaller panels where the people involved really speak their minds (and are up for grabbing a drink with you afterwards). I know you lot, though - you want the big goss, right? Ok, here it be:

Silly glasses: the next generation
We've all heard the rumours but today a room full of lucky fans got to test out the fledgling 3D technology for themselves as specs were donned and all manner of awesome was seen. Apparently the technology's not quite there yet but from the audience's reactions it's definitely a step in the right direction. The biggest buzz obviously surrounded the screening of 25 minutes of footage from 'Avatar' which, until now, had been kept fairly tightly under wraps. Fox apparently invested over $200million in the movie and that, coupled with James Cameron's heavy involvement with this next generation of 3D technology meant that expectations were very high with some predicting that this revolutionary development will one day be likened to the introduction of the talkies. A tad over the top perhaps but everyone seems to agree that it was superb, unusual and definitely an experience not to be missed.

Depp in 3D (but just one D in Depp)
Among the other 3D delights were a teaser trailer for Tim Burton's upcoming 'Alice in Wonderland' featuring Burton favourites Johnny Depp (as the Mad Hatter) and Helena Bonham Carter (as the Red Queen) and Burton confessed that Stephen Fry's performance as the Cheshire Cat was so creepy that it "confirmed [his] hatred of cats." The big surprise, however, came when Johnny Depp made a surprise (though silent) appearance on stage - unsurprisingly, however, the oestrogen and noise levels in the room instantly went through the roof.

Keeping on the Depp theme I talked to a Capt. Sparrow lookalike today who resolutely stayed in character throughout the interview (I LOVE it when the dresser-uppers do that). Apparently his job is "pirate by day, rum drinker by night" and if he could have any superpower he'd want "the ability to make more rum." I'm sensing a theme here...

The best things in life are free (but my new Hulk t-shirt rocks too)
I spent a lot of today wandering around the Exhibition Hall interviewing my fellow fans, gawping at the incredible costumes and checking out the booths. I picked up a couple of very cool tops and jeans patches but stopped before I got too carried away which I thought was remarkably restrained of me! I could spend SO much money in this place. Everywhere you turn there's a new pretty shiny thing that would instantly double your geek points. Luckily enough the one thing Comic-Con definitely has in abundance (apart from queues) is free stuff and by the end of the day my bag was so stuffed with free t-shirts, flyers and postcards that my back was in danger of giving out!

I also dropped by the x-sanguine booth where I met the organiser Kevin for the first time after weeks of zombie-related email communication. He particularly liked the behind the scenes clip on my website where I'm zombied up with live maggots on my face (ok, maybe 'liked' is the wrong word but I definitely got respect) and he was kind enough to give me three VIP tickets to Saturday night's big zombie party in exchange for recording his outgoing phone message. I should get paid for all of my voiceover work like this!

Horror and arm-wrestling
In other news, we were treated to a preview of the new Star Wars game 'The Old Republic' which looked very interesting indeed (Matrix-style fight scenes + lightsabres = win!) and during a filmed interview I somehow managed to provoke an arm-wrestling match between myself and 'Schrödinger's Girl' director Huw who, bizarrely, claims that I let him win. I do not refute this, partly because I wouldn't dare defy him but mostly because lying is naughty and wrong.

Once we'd got the feeling back in our biceps we finished the day by checking out a fantastic documentary called 'Every Day is Halloween' which stars American horror hosts Count Gore De Vol and Karlos Borloff, who I'd met earlier in the day. Despite their fearsome appearances these guys are the nicest people you'll probably ever meet and have a passion for what they do that instantly made me want to run out and make more movies.

The documentary charts the rise and fall of the Count as a local TV station horror host, and how he rose again in typically vampyric fashion thanks to the wonders of the internets. Not having a tradition of horror movie hosts in the UK this was something of an eye-opener for me, but it managed to somehow make me nostalgic for an era I was barely alive during and the very natural style of irreverent humour is something very special indeed. I really wish that more studios would man up and commission 'risky' stuff like this but until that day comes it's indie all the way, baby!

Karlos seemed quite adamant that I'd make the perfect English Elvira-style horror host, sparking a little project which I'll tell you more about at a later date, but until then the Count is keen to show both 'Blood Actually' and Huw's vampire-themed 'Ministry of Secrets' short as part of his short film show.

After that there was just enough time to pop into the local Irish bar that's become our regular evening haunt, where the sound of another English accent led to us chatting to a lovely chap named James from Forbidden Planet in Southampton. Hearing another Brit did make me pine for home a little but it's difficult to be too sad when tomorrow I'm back at the 'Con sampling a million new flavours of wow. Look at all the loot I've gathered so far, and it's only day 1!

Until I get back home next week you guys are 8 hours ahead of me. Don't tell me what happens (I hate spoilers).

Milly

Comic-Con San Diego - Preview Night

Originally published on official Sci Fi Channel websites in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Russia.

Huw, Damian and I grabbed a (two-storey) train from L.A. and a scenic three hour journey later we emerged, wide-eyed and blinking, in San Diego. There was absolutely no mistaking that this was the right town - banners advertising the 'Con line pretty much every street here as if a giant eye were running for election and the fans were out in force, some already proudly sporting their badges. After dumping our bags at the hotel we headed straight to the convention centre to register and pick up all the bumph we'd need to get us through the next few days. The lines to get in simply to register were ridiculously massive, even for press and professionals, and snaked out of the building and right down the street but luckily the Gods of Geek were smiling upon us and just as we were resigning ourselves to first day queue-related sunstroke we found a very nice lady who fast-tracked us straight into the building. Thanks, nice lady!

The weird thing about Comic-Con (ok, ONE of the weird things) is that you never know who you're going to bump into and this was immediately illustrated to us when we found ourselves standing in line behind Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders from io9. The site wrote a brief article about 'Schrödinger's Girl' (www.schrodingersgirl.com) when the first teaser trailer was released (just a couple of weeks after shooting finished) so it was great to chat to them and put faces to the names.

After a quick food stop I headed back to the Convention Centre to check out the three pilots that were screening. None of these had even been aired in the U.S. so the audience was understandably excited and, for the most part, they weren't disappointed. I won't say that all three were exactly to my taste but there was definitely something in there for everyone.

'HUMAN TARGET'
Based on the DC Comics title, this pilot episode follows a mysterious private detective who will stop at nothing to protect his client, despite being stuck on a 220mph train ride to splattery oblivion. That's dedication, huh? But why is he doing it?

The 'tortured soul' overtones to the brooding male character initially gave me the fear that this was going to be all doom and gloom, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that as well as some bone-crunchingly good fight scenes there was also a lot of comedy in there, the lion's share provided by the super tech-savvy Guerrero played by the fantastic Jackie Earle Haley (whose appearance on screen was greeted by deafening whoops and cheers from the audience). It'll definitely be interesting to see how this series matures when it starts airing in the US in January 2010 (and it made me thankful that my own train journey from L.A. had been so uneventful!).

Lesson learned: If someone dares to challenge your knowledge of foreign languages the best comeback is to hijack their next important business conversation. In Japanese. For about a minute. Point proven!

'V'

Well, it's just an average day in an average town in a... oh blimey, look - a massive alien spaceship! What are the chances?

This was the one I was absolutely dying to see and I'm hooked already. Cleverly drawing the audience in with multiple storylines and characters (including Dale, played by my flavour of the month, Alan Tudyk) we're immediately chucked into the classic 'this could totally happen to me' alien invasion storyline. The difference with these aliens? They're all, like, really, really hot.

Luckily not everyone is fooled by their 'we come in peace' purring and so the PR war begins. I'd like to think I wouldn't be fooled if super-sexy aliens landed, declared their peaceful intentions, then started recruiting humans to be their own personal PR officers so I guess I'd be joining the rebels (but that doesn't mean I can't like the aliens, now does it?). It's got a style to it vaguely reminiscent of BSG, and that's a winner in my book. Who knew recycling could be so much fun? Definitely, definitely one to watch

Lesson learned: If you're looking for a peaceful life and accidentally utter the words "I'm not that guy any more" this means that a) you probably still are that guy, and b) you will immediately be flung so far into a complex, life-changing storyline that you'll be seeing stars.

'VAMPIRE DIARIES'
Isn't being a teenager a drag? First your parents bite it (not in a blood-sucky way), then the cute boy at school you like turns out to be a vampire and can't even come into your room. Bummer.

Described in the blurb as 'an edgy and romantic new drama in which two vampire brothers - one good, one evil - are at war over one girl' this was clearly one for the younger members of the crowd. Granted, it wasn't exactly Twilight but the comparisons were clear. Seriously, lads, fighting over a girl at your age? Tsk tsk.

Far too teeny-bopperish and heavy on the schmaltz/angst combo to be my drop of red but then again I'm not exactly their target market. If you're still in your teens or are prone to developing unnatural crushes on sparkly vampires then you might like it.

Lesson learned: Hormones = vampiric powers.

After the pilot screenings I had all of about fifteen minutes to join up with Huw and Damian again to sneak a look at some of the stuff in the main exhibit hall and let me tell you, that place is HUGE. More than huge. I'm fairly sure even SPACE isn't that big. I'll attempt to post a photo soon which fully captures the brain-melting enormity but I'm not quite sure if a still image could contain such concentrated levels of awesome so you may just have to wait for my video diaries. While wandering around suffering from major sensory overload we met a few people in costumes and discovered the work of a Mr. J. S. Lewis - a terribly talented author and artist specializing in a sort of steampunk style - and I bought a 1940s style poster of a rocketman for my wall. It rocks so hard that I'm already having mild panic attacks about how to get it home safely.

I'm also not entirely sure how I'M going to make it home if the temptations I sampled today are anything to go by. There are literally thousands of booths in there stocking everything from antique comics to Lego to t-shirts and all of them want to give me their cool stuff in exchange for all of my monies.

I'm in serious trouble.

Milly x

Geeking in L.A.

Originally published on official Sci Fi Channel websites in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Russia.

Before heading to Comic-Con in San Diego I spent a few days in L.A. with director of Schrödinger's Girl Huw Bowen and fellow actor in the film Damian Hayes (www.damianhayes.com). Between the meetings, the huge amounts of food and attempting to adapt our pasty English selves to the heat we managed to squeeze in a bit of sightseeing and I spotted a few things along the way that I thought you might like.

First off, advertising is totally different in L.A. to how it is in England. If there's a film coming out soon you'll not only see posters and TV ads for it but also a mass of other innovative and unusual marketing strategies and I particularly liked the 'go back where you came from, alien scum' themed advertising that's been done for upcoming feature 'District 9' (which, from the looks of the trailer, is going to kick a serious amount of rear end). A lot of L.A.'s public benches are now officially for humans only and there are similar signs all over the place - busses, toilets... It's very cool. Humans rule. Whoo!

Of course there was the obligatory trip up to the Hollywood hills to see the famous sign and while we were up there we popped into the observatory for a good healthy dose of science (and some tesla coil-fuelled 'Tomb Raider: Legend' flashbacks). I also had to check out the legendary walk of fame which, despite sounding quite grand, is really just a normal street which just happens to have a bunch of stars embedded along it. To the side of this street, however, I found the footprints and signatures of R2D2, Anthony Daniels and Darth Vader, immortalized forever in concrete during the 1977 promotion for Star Wars. Nice.

Yoda appears to have relocated here from Dagobah and I must admit I'm sorely tempted to do the same. What a fantastic town. This is just the warm-up for this trip, though - next stop San Diego for Comic-Con!

Eeep, squeee and other sounds of barely restrained excitement,

Milly x

Amelia to report from Comic-Con International for the Sci Fi Channel

Originally published on official Sci Fi Channel websites in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Russia.

Well hello, sci-fi-ers!

Er... hi. Who are you?
I'm Amelia. Hullo. Although this is my first blog for this site chances are you already know me (or my voice, anyway) as I'm a continuity announcer on the Sci Fi Channel.

So why have you escaped the glowing confinement of my screen to talk to me on here?
Well, when I'm not on the tellybox informing you all about the delights of Dollhouse, Heroes et al. I'm also an actress and one of the feature films I appeared in last year is screening at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego. Because of this I've been asked to go along to speak on the panel and will be wandering around open-mouthed and gaping at the geeky wonderousness for the full event, including the exclusive preview night (where I'll get to see sneaky screenings of new shows which haven't even aired in the US yet).

I'm sure tonnes of people would love to to go but can't so I'm going to be letting you fine chaps and chapesses in on the action by doing a daily blog for scifi.co.uk, taking pictures AND filming a video diary.

I'm Comic-Con-fused. What on earth are you drivelling about?
Comic-Con is like Lourdes for the terminally geeky, where fans of all things genre turn up in their droves every year to worship at the altar of awesome. It's the biggest such convention in the world (celebrating its 40th anniversary this year) and many companies use it to break all kinds of exciting news to the masses, show never-before-seen, brand spanking new episodes and films, and release limited run collector editions of all kinds of cool stuff that can only be obtained at the 'Con.

Speakers for this year include Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku (for Dollhouse), David Tennant, John Barrowman and Russell T Davies (for Dr. Who/Torchwood) and Tim Kring plus assorted cast members (for Heroes) to name but a few! For full details of what's going to be shown take a look at the official Comic-Con website (kudos to anyone who reads the entire list without getting a joy-induced migraine).

So... if there's anything you'd like me to check out while I'm there, from comics to TV shows and anything in between, then just give me a shout and I'll do my best to cover it. Just post a comment under this blog or hit me up on Twitter. Easy peasy.

What's this film malarkey all about, then?
The film I'll be on the panel for is an independent British sci-fi feature called 'Schrödinger's Girl' which was shot early last year. Read that again: British. Science fiction. Feature. Yes, it IS possible. It's also deeply awesome.

I'm intrigued. Entice me.
Alright then, I will! Do you like inter-dimensional travel? Evil parallel selves? Worlds colliding? Geeky in-jokes? How about zombie brain slaves and lashings of blood? This film has it all.

It's a parallel universe flick exploring alternate histories via three different versions of the UK: the first is much as ours is, the second's a technologically advanced utopia of slick, apple-esque gorgeousness, and the third, the People's Republic of Great Britain, is a dark and grimy Commie dictatorship. Chuck in an illegal supercomputer, a vial of neural accelerant and some ill-advised quantum tunnelling experiments and you have a chase through realities as one hapless scientist attempts to undo the damage she's caused and return the world to normal before her alternate selves can interfere.

I ended up playing more roles than any other actor in the film - a total of five characters - as well as providing the voice of the mysterious Q computer (a sort of Brit-chick version of GLaDos), and some of my parts were rather bizarre to say the least (being baldcapped and chained to a wall for a day of filming was a particularly memorable experience!).

'Schrödinger's Girl' will be closing the film festival portion of Comic-Con at 3:40pm on Sunday the 26th of July and I'll post more details about where you can next see it in the UK when the new trailer goes up online.

Sounds like fun. Who's GLaDOS?
Seriously? Oh my god... Play 'Portal'. NOW.

So yeah, apart from battling jetlag and spending a couple of days in LA that's what I'll be doing. All very, very cool and more than a little exciting. Bulb changed. Brown alert engaged. Be cool, Tyler, just be cool. And remember to breathe.

Looking forward to hearing all your thoughts and suggestions for what you'd like me to cover. Take care and play nice,

Milly

Dazed and Comic-Con Fused.

There's been a veritably flurry of good news for the soon-to-be-renamed 'Schrödinger's Girl' of late - first it signed to US sales agent Multivisionnaire, and now I can proudly announce that it will be screening at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego! Plus, I've been asked to go along and speak at the convention after the film! I'll also be in Los Angeles for a few days prior to the Con, exploring and meeting people along with director Huw Bowen and fellow star of SG Damian Hayes. This is literally the most excited I've been since I got a Bumblebee action figure for my 6th birthday. Squeee!

For those who don't share my nerd-esque tendencies and have no idea what Comic-Con is, think of it as Lourdes for the terminally geeky, where fans of all things genre turn up in their droves every year to worship at the altar of awesome. It's the biggest such convention in the world (celebrating its 40th anniversary this year) and I've been wanting to attend for as long as I can remember so the mere idea that a film I appear in will be there to entertain fellow fans is enough to make my head spin. Very cool news indeed! Aside from wandering around the convention for five days soaking up the atmosphere like some kind of wide-eyed sponge before taking to the podium/desk/darkened corner with Bowen et al. to chat to fans about the film, I've also got a few interviews lined up which I'm very much looking forward to - well, it just wouldn't do for me to have an actual HOLIDAY, now would it? Heheh, as IF talking about comics and sci-fi is work. God, I love my job.

As you might have gathered I'm proudly out of the closet as a sci-fi lover so obviously I adored being part of 'Schrödinger's Girl', but for me the best thing was that the parallel worlds aspect allowed every character to appear in a different guise in each world. In fact I ended up playing more roles than any other actor in the film - a total of five characters - as well as providing the voice of the mysterious Q computer, and some of my parts were rather bizarre to say the least (being baldcapped and chained to a wall for a day of filming was a particularly memorable experience!).

For those of you who haven't heard about the film yet, let me tell you a little summat about it to whet your appetites: It's a parallel universe sci-fi feature film exploring alternate histories via three different versions of the UK: the first is much as ours is, the second is a technologically advanced utopia of slick, apple-esque gorgeousness, and the third, the People's Republic of Great Britain, is a dark and grimy Commie dictatorship. Chuck in an illegal supercomputer, a vial of neural accelerant and some ill-advised quantum tunnelling experiments and you have a chase through realities as one hapless scientist attempts to undo the damage she's caused and return the world to normal before her alternate selves can interfere.

So far SG has had screenings in locations as diverse as Cannes and Swansea (where the SG team, pictured above, turned up at the International Film Festival) and I think this diversity is a nice little geographical echo of just how broad the appeal of this film is. Yes, it's a sci-fi film (and I fully understand how that label alone can be enough to put some people off) but rest assured it's not just one for the geek patrol. I was very pleasantly surprised by how accessible the technological side of the script was to the average 'normie' viewer, allowing the audience to make as much or as little of that side of things as they chose to by letting the action carry the main weight of the plot, while simultaneously refusing to dumb down and including some great geeky in-jokes - no mean feat! There's also some fantastic subtle comedy in there, mainly in the form of wry observations from 'space cops' doubleact Slip and Hand, and the special effects have already been soundly praised by critics.

The guys at Quiet Earth liked it (and they're people who know a thing or two about genre films! Read the review here) and I reckon you will too so I'll keep you updated about where and when you can next see it. If you're lucky enough to have Comic-Con tickets then do check it out - it's closing the festival on Sunday 26th at 3.40pm - and if you see me wandering about with my mouth hanging open feel free to say hi, or offer me a paper bag to breathe into.

See you in SD!

Milly x

Amelia is "outstanding" in feature film 'Wasters' says DSD magazine.

"They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and if that applies, writer/director Luke Rufo is sure trying to flatter Kevin Smith (Clerks).

On paper that sentence reads far more negative than I’d like to imply, expanding on the statement or rather putting it another way would be to say that Clerks is worn proudly on ’Wasters’ English sleeve, the premise is familiar but it’s sensibilities are truly rooted in the Midlands which give a fresh approach, not to mention this is a good 15 years after Clerks, fresh for a whole new batch of “wasters” and enough to feel like a hearty salute (as opposed to a carbon copy) to the original “clerk”.

At it’s bare essentials ’Wasters’ delivers a heart felt lover story intertwined with a buddy comedy, the character list is short but strongly developed, you know these characters, you’re likely to be one of these characters, or at worst know somebody who resembles their traits. Sometimes they can be slightly stereotypical and caricatured but it’s more a flaw attached to the side characters.

Sticking to pretty much one location is a brave move, you need the script to deliver, fortunately ’Wasters’ delivers albeit in an over the top brash and blatantly disgusting manner, you get what it said on the tin and trust me, I’m reflecting this as a positive. I wouldn’t be surprised if Luke Rufo had experienced many of these conversations in real life because they felt extremely natural for a mid twenties midlander and considering I fit that demographic, I have a right to validate it.

The films not perfect by any means, maybe a tad long for it’s style and some of the ADR needs fine tuning but considering the likely minimal budget (this is an independent film after all) they achieved great success, an extra note must be made to the four main characters who were beautifully cast and had extremely legitimate chemistry. Amelia Tyler was particular outstanding and at times, truly hate-able.

Recycled premise, limited budget and lacking a big studio polish but you know what? Wasters shines through that with all the heart and genuine passion that any big Hollywood blockbuster could provide.

9/10"

Originally written by Dale Driver for DSD Magazine.

'Wasters' bags Best British Film at international film festival!

Last week saw the much-anticipated premier of 'Wasters', one of the five feature films I appeared in last year, and... well, saying it was a hit would be a massive understatement.

Sex, lies, laughs and betrayal are the order of the day in this drama/comedy following the lives and loves of four twenty-somethings working in a Birmingham bar. Kyle dreams of escaping his dead-end job and winning the love of pretty co-worker Cam, despite his dimwit best mate B.J.'s insistance that they're already living the dream, while Kyle's saucy sister Sarah (that's-a me!) contents herself with making trouble while planning to run away to Ibiza with her slimy boyfriend. But what's Cam hiding from Sarah, why does B.J. go mental whenever anyone mentions porn and exactly what IS a platypus? As secrets are spilled and strings pulled the four friends come to realise they don't know each other quite as well as they thought they did...

Playing bitchy villainess Sarah was a huge amount of fun, as was working with amazing up-and-coming writer/director Luke Rufo, and after such an intense shoot it was fantastic to see everyone again at the premier nearly a year later. The production team had kept very hush hush about the whole thing - none of the cast had even seen the dailies - so I was understandably a little nervous before the screening but the rapturous applause and lashings of praise afterwards more than made up for the wait.

The premier was part of the six day Heart of England International Film Festival and 'Wasters' itself got the largest audience the festival had ever seen (despite other films on show this year starring the likes of Kate Winslett and John Schneider!). Even with several rows of seats added last minute it was still standing room only so a huge thanks to everyone who came to see it, and to the many audience members who grabbed me after the screening to offer their congratulations and blush-worthy compliments. I was gutted I couldn't attend the awards ceremony at the end of the week, partly because actor Jeremy Bulloch (who played Boba Fett) was there, but mainly because 'Wasters' received the coveted award for Best British Film - DEEPLY awesome news! Massive congratulations to all the cast and crew.

Since then the film's also been accepted into several other prestigious international film festivals, including Los Angeles, Italy and Ireland, so the festival fun looks set to continue for many months to come. Hurrah! I'll attend as many as I can and keep yl up to date with details of where you can next see the film. It's definitely worth a watch - the story kicks ass, it looks gorgeous, the soundtrack rocks like a drunken one-legged sailor in a storm, there are men in leiderhosen and... well, let's just say my costume is a little on the 'low-cut' side. Ahem. What more could you want?!

I can also now proudly announce that this month you can see 'Wasters' on the big screen as there's going to be a special cinema screening at the Tamworth Odeon on Monday the 29th of June at 7pm. Tickets are free but obviously there are only as many as there are cinema seats so book now for the chance to see the film in all its glory, plus meet some of the cast. Email me at info@ameliatyler.com with 'Wasters tickets' as the subject title and I'll do my best to sort you out.

See you there, squidlings!

Milly x

Dear Daedra...

Ok, folks, I need your advice. Luckily this isn't the boring kind of advice that falls into the 'cup of tea and a chat' category. You will not require your serious thinking hat. You will not require kleenex (unless you happen to REALLY like hurting inanimate objects). What you will require, however, is a wicked imagination, a hatred of machines that don't work properly and a soul full of untapped rage. If you have none of the above please stop reading now.

Still with me? Thought so. Ok, here's the deal: after months of suffering at the non-existant hands of my utterly inept router I decided to bite the bullet and get a newer, better one. This new thing looks spookily similar in style to Eeeevaaa from 'WALL-E' and puts the old one to shame, practically glowing with monochrome efficiency while the old one looks on from its dust-covered lair of jealousy under the stairs.

Now, I'd consider myself a fair person. I happily accept people's flaws and often forgive to the point of stupidity, but in this case old router (or 'merde') has pushed his luck twenty too many times and is definitely in need of a damned good punishing.

So I need you, citizens of the interwebs, to decide just how I destroy this greedy electricity gobbling waste of space once and for all. I was originally thinking of an 'Office Spaced'-esque hands-on disembowling but feel free to let your imaginations run free. Post your suggestions to me on Twitter, facebook or myspace and the winner will see their brutal will be carried out and the resulting video posted on my youtube channel for all to see.

Can't wait to hear what you come up with, you sick, sick puppies.

Milly x

PS - extra bonus points for those who get the reference in the title (though I can't give you back all those wasted hours of your life. Sorry).

Excuse me, did somebody order a LARGE HAMMER?

Two blogs in a week - what IS the world coming to? Life's been a ridiculous whirlwind of madness recently - production meetings, shoots and trips to London coming out of my ears, plus an ill-advised prop-buying mission has left me with a fridge full of low fat cheese spread that's stressing me out somewhat (don't ask. Seriously) - so I've taken a couple of days off to get some much-needed R&R. FYI, for me a 'day off' means only working for 6 hours, as opposed to the usual dawn 'til well past dusk and then some but, before you ask, no, I haven't done the washing up yet. Perhaps if I leave it long enough it'll achieve sentience, develop a sense of shame and clean itself up without my help. I can but dream...

Part of my 'milly fun-time' has been spent playing the newest Tomb Raider chronicle: 'Underwhelmed' (I know the box for the game says 'Underworld' but just trust me on this one). Now, I'm a huge fan of the Tomb Raider games - puzzles + killing mythical creatures really mashes my buttons - but not quite enough to warrant shelling out for a PS3 just yet, so I patiently waited until the title was released on PS2 instead. My patience was definitely NOT rewarded. Let's just say that either Eidos are delierately trying to force gamers to buy the new kit by releasing utterly unplayable games, or the programmers got a load of work experience kids in, said "make her boobies REALLY big this time" and then buggered off down the pub. The graphics are horrendous and worse than that, a bug in the game means you can't save your progress. Ever. Stop it, Eidos - you're just being greedy now. I'll get a PS3 when I've got the cash, ok? C'mon, you know I'm good for it.

The voiceovering is a bit much in this one, too. The cut sequence stuff is nice enough, despite all the villains apparently being made entirely of cheese, but the truly unncessary moaning noises Lara makes during the actual gameplay occasionally makes me think I've accidentally sat on the TV controller and my arse has selected a porn channel. All I'm asking you to do is just from one ledge to another, you tight-buttocked cow - there's no need to cry about it! Also, I HATE motorbike levels. Time after time I successfully navigated a maze of hair-raising icy mountain passes only to bump into a pebble on the side of the road, flinging Lara over the edge of a cliff to her untimely, ragdollish death. And what's with all the millions of giant swinging Thor hammers?! Is copying a pasting an existing room now an acceptable alternative to getting off your arse and actually designing a new one? And then just as I was gearing up, hammer of a god in hand, ready for the big boss fight... oh look, the game's over! I swear, the neighbours must think my poor fella's a victim of domestic abuse, the amount of swearing I did while completing that game. No wonder they're so nice to him.

Aside from getting PS2-related RSI, one of the things I've been busy with is the first ever shoot for Barely Human Productions, the film production company I run with Paul Hardy. We decided to go in all guns blazing, rather than start small, and the result is an 8-part comedy web series entitled 'SatNav Lifestyle', in which human beings rely on super-intelligent satnavs to guide them through all aspects of everyday life, from urination to dating. Needless to say it all goes horribly wrong when one woman decides to go it alone and I spent the first two days of the shoot last weekend blissfully making a total idiot of myself. There's nothing like squeezing a whole tube of Colgate into your mouth at once or standing by a lake in your pyjamas to make you realise that this acting malarkey's not quite as glamorous as people make out!

We had some fantastic people on the cast and crew for this shoot, all of whom either Paul or I had worked with before on other projects. Thanks to everyone on the team, but special shouts out to DRL and Joe Geraghty for being such top camera guys and bringing along the mahoosive crane for the street scene (quite the most ambitious shot I've ever seen attempted on a low budget film), fantastic 'Uncle' Nino for the much-praised catering, Dee for the amazing graphics work (CatNav was particularly popular), and to our two students from Coventry Uni, Luke and Alam who came along to help out, taking on continuity and boom-swinging respectively. I first met these two lads when I appeared in their student film a few months back and they displayed such a passion for film and a drive to push their production beyond the usual student level that I knew I had to invite them along to the Barely Human shoot. Paul and I intend to offer crew places to students on all our films as we believe that actually MAKING films with industry pros really is the best way to learn. Incidentally, I've been meaning to blog about student shorts for a long time. Maybe next month I'll actually pull my finger out. Finally, a HUGE thankyou to Huw and Chris of our sister company, Entanglement Productions, without whom 'SatNav Lifestyle' would not have been possible, and to next door's cat for not having her kittens in the house prior to filming.

Speaking of the Pinches and Bowen, exciting things are afoot with Entanglement Productions. Their first feature film, sci-fi blockbuster 'Schrodinger's Girl' (on which many of the SatNav Lifestyle crew first met) now has a US sales agent! I'll keep you posted with further details as and when but for now, congratulations, lads! You can find out more about the film at www.schrodingersgirl.com. Entanglement will also be joining Barely Human as part of 'Anomalab' - a collaborative group that specialises in weird and wonderful films and will be setting new content free on the mighty interwebs on a weekly basis. Anomalab's currently in its testing period but is already releasing some great stuff on iTunes via the Anomalab podcast and has a youtube channel where all the films can be viewed until the main website goes live. Which is going to be VERY cool, by the way. Next week's offering will be 'Homo-sapiens Sanguisugens' - a practical guide to dealing with vampires from the mysterious Ministry of Secrets. If you haven't seen it yet then go. Find. Now. Or subscribe to the podcast. Or both!

One final thing that's amused me recently: last Tuesday I spent the day in London working at the new Universal Pictures building, doing some voiceovery bits and bobs for Sci-Fi and new channel 'Diva' and amongst other things voiced a promo for a new series called 'Millionnaire Matchmaker'. Yes, apparently these days the mind-blowingly rich and famous aren't content with swimming in champagne and setting peasants on fire, now they want lurve too and they're willing to pay an understandably smug lady with perfect teeth hundreds of thousands of pounds to find it. What's wrong with match.com, eh? (Other dating websites are available). Personally, I recommend they ditch the dating agencies and just head for the nearest film set - that's where I found mine ;)

Right, I'm off to sharpen up the hacksaw and sell a couple of vital organs in order to buy a PS3. God of War 3'll be out in a month or so and there's nowt like swinging two glowing poi of death and murdering half the characters in the Oddessy to relax a girl. If anyone knows any good receipes involving cheese spread then I'm all ears.

Tatty bye,

Milly x

If the hat fits...

A recent, slightly off-the-wall, photo shoot has made me think a lot about the public perception of beauty so I'd like to talk to you (or, more accurately, type AT you) today about looking perfect, femininity and why I think they're not all they're cracked up to be.

I've never been a girly girl. My dad was a car-building design/technology teacher who had no sons so, in an oh-so-predictable first child's display of daddy's girl-ness, I spent my childhood shunning pretty dresses and dolls (which I actually find a bit creepy) in favour of hour upon hour in my dad's grimy workshop. As a result I emerged into adulthood with some terribly useful skills - not only do I actually enjoy drinking cold coffee (a trait that particularly endears an actress to over-worked runners!) but I can weld, bricklay, do woodwork... I LOVE doing DIY or, more accurately, love STARTING DIY. But more than anything I love being able to fend for myself. Don't get me wrong, this is in no way a display of feminism, taking pride in not needing a man to do the tough stuff for me; it's simply independence. I've always been crap at delegating anyhow!

Yup, I was a proper tomboy, never happier than when I was up a tree in my pyjamas. However, there's always been a part of me that's watched with envious eyes as all the girly girls played with their dollies/makeup, clearly relishing in their femininity. I've never been conventional looking and was made accutely aware of this at the age of 7 when I observed my mother brushing my little sister's hair and telling her how pretty she was. I examined my reflection in the mirror, my feline green eyes and messy raven hair a stark contrast to my sibling's tumbling blonde locks and wide, long-lashed peepers. "Am I pretty, mummy?" I asked. Mum just chuckled and dubbed me "unusual". I peered at my reflection again. What the hell did 'unusual' mean?! I instinctively sensed it was not a good word. Obviously my mum didn't mean anything by what she had said but nevertheless I spent a great many years feeling at odds with my looks and slowly realised that, no matter how hard I tried, I was never going to be one of those unattainable visions of feminine perfection the boys all drooled over and treated like they were made of cut glass.

School plays were a particular sore point - I was almost always the villainess, the harlot or the worldly-wise old lady. I didn't like that one bit, in fact after being cast as Madame Armfeldt in a production of 'A Little Night Music' I made my parents swear not to come and see the show, so sure was I that I'd been horribly mis-cast. However, in a bizarre twist of fate it was my mother who once again changed how I viewed myself. "Who do you remember most vividly after you go to a panto", she asked me, "the princess or the wicked witch?" I was stunned. The answer was clear, plus the witch definitely looked like she was having more fun.

And so it was that I realised 'pretty' is definitely not the same thing as 'good' and began embracing character roles, and to my surprise have also been offered a great many female leads along the way. I've found it very heartening that over the past few years the public view of beauty, and what makes a real heroine, has changed somewhat. These days nobody wants to see a beautiful, brainless girl looking stunning all the time and relying on a man to sort out all her problems. Thanks mainly to Mr Media we're all made so aware of our own flaws that nobody can relate to a character who is utterly perfect, and the success of Bridget Jones et al. only serves to prove that nowadays a female heroine is all about the struggle - overcoming odds and ultimately being rewarded. Flouncy, giggling airhead romantic lead I may not be, but ass-kicking heroine who, for some odd reason, can't tie her own shoes? Now that I definitely CAN do.

The message to the female population is a strong one - it's our flaws that make us interesting and watch-able and 'unusual' is often better than 'pretty'. After all, if there are a hundred other actresses out there who look just like your lead then chances are nobody is going to remember the girl you just cast! I definitely think it's an attitude we should encourage in the younger generation - discover your so-called flaws and revel in them - they're what make you unique.

And so back to that photo shoot I was talking about. Despite being very happy to accept my flaws on film I've always had a bit of a fear of stills shoots. Moving images have a way of distracting me from the physical and concentrating on the acting and story but with photographs I have no such hidey-hole - I must face myself head on. Headshot sessions fill me with dread and I almost always hate 99% of the photos I walk away with. Luckily my dear friend Bo Davies is an excellent photographer and shares my taste for the unusual and slightly out there, so we arranged to do a preliminary character shoot so he could work out my angles before moving on to headshots at a later date.

I was horribly nervous beforehand but it turns out that if I approach a photo shoot in the same way as I would a film (that is to say, 'become' a character) all my nerves fly out of the window. Yes, all I needed was the right hat! I absolutely adore the shots we got that night and Bo seemed very happy with the results so we've several more, increasingly imaginative, shoots planned for the near future - hurrah!

Funnily enough the session with Bo not only totally cured my phobia of stills shoots but also did a huge amount to prepare me for the filming of Barely Human Productions' first ever web series, for which I spent a whole weekend making an absolute tit of myself. More news on that very soon but for now I'll simply add a behind the scenes photo to the end of this blog so you can see me making myself 'pretty'. Heheh...

Right, enough ranting and rambling from me. I hope you're all well and I'll definitely be blogging again soon, now that life's calmed down a wee bit. In the meantime, when you have a chance take a good ol' look in the mirror and find the bits of yourself that you don't like. Are they really flaws, or are you just 'unusual'? ;)

Take care. I'm going to fling on my PJs and head for the nearest tree!

Milly x

PS - you can feast your eyes on more of Bo's gorgeous work at www.myladylieswaiting.deviantart.com

PPS - thanks, Mum, for seeing me through those difficult years, for finally making me realise the truth and for sneaking into that production of 'A Little Night Music' without telling me. And also for whichever part of my scattered eastern european heritage gave me my eyes and rubbery face - they've come in rather useful recently! Love you x



"Maybe she's born with it... maybe she's just a total idiot."
Making myself pretty on the set of 'SatNav'.



My favourite from the shoot with Bo, mainly because I look so damned crazy!



Another favourite from the Bo shoot, but looking a bit less mental.

Art vs. Fart (Warning: art may include dead parrot)

In this industry it's far too easy to start taking yourself seriously. I suppose it makes sense - if you're working on exciting projects, surrounded by people telling you how great you are (whether they mean it or not!), then it's inevitable that at some point you'll begin to feel pretty good about yourself - but to my mind believing your own hype is one of the greatest sins an actor can commit.

Even the hype itself bothers me. Perhaps in the old days when stars were unattainable models of perfection that others worshipped from afar then it was best to keep Joe Public from realising who they really were but this is the era of the magazine, where people watch the famous like kids watch animals at the zoo. People don't want to see someone being perfect and aloof - they want to see the monkey pick its nose and eat it. They want to disect their heroes' lovelives, rifle through their bins, spot the nasty sweat patches under their armpits... Ultimately it isn't as nasty as it seems - it's not about destroying the people in question, it's about finding out that beneath the airbrushed sheen of celebrity they're real human beings.

Well, I'd like to take this opportunity to say... I'm a total, total twat. You know that person you see trip over in the street, then burst out into terribly unfeminine snorts of laughter? That's me. I'm the girl who accidentally posts her car keys through the letterbox, who drops her new phone in the loo. I once tipped an entire carton of grated parmesan cheese into my latop and the last time I locked myself out of my house while taking out the bins (I sincerely wish I could say it was the first time that'd happened) and was sitting on the lawn waiting for my mum to rescue me the little girl from next door whizzed past on her scooter, stopped, rolled her eyes and said "you really do do some stupid things sometimes, don't you?", then whizzed off again. She was, of course, right - very perceptive for a 9 year old.

So there you have it - I'm not just a real human being, I'm literally covered with flaws, but that doesn't mean I'm particularly bothered by them. Who wants to see another mass-produced, could-be-anyone actress anyway? As I've got older I've come to understand that all the little weird habits I have that others might find odd are just different aspects of my personality and, after all, variety is the spice of life (paprika is also good). Yes, I'm a woman, but I'm also a tomboy - I like pretty shoes and taking time out to paint my nails but I also know the joy of smashing down a brick wall with a sledgehammer and hitting my target with an air rifle. I read classical novels and discuss philosophy but I also watch anime, laugh at farts and, on occasion, read Heat magazine. One thing I refuse to ever do however, is become snobby about the industry that I work in.

In my opinion to be a really exceptional actor you must to add as many strings to your bow as possible and be totally unbiased when it comes to learning. You have to absorb new accents, new styles, new physical skills, and if you're going to make any kind of a living you can't afford to deem any genre unworthy of your talents. I recently had an online discussion with another actress who took great pride in having seen many arty European films yet, despite having never seen any of them, described the original Indiana Jones films as "crap" and Monty Python as "funny" but far less important than "ground breaking film" due to their "fundamental aims". This bothered me. A lot. Especially coming from someone who wouldn't know a Knight who says "Ni" if it pushed her into a shrubbery.

It took me a while to figure out why this particular discussion got my knickers in such a twist, but I think I've finally nailed it. The simple fact is, I can't stand it when people look down their noses at art forms they simply don't understand. Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely fine to have personal preferences in terms of genre or style but to consider dramatic films as somehow 'better 'or more artistically valid than a well-made comedy, action or sci-fi film seems rather pretentious and totally ignorant of the considerable skill it takes to pull such a role off. Experimental, artistic and dramatic films can be wonderful if done well but I feel that the key to being a truly great actor is to study every genre, finding the worth in each and bringing what you've learned into your performance, no matter what part you're playing. Also, to write off certain genres as 'crap' is to essentially alienate a huge portion of the viewing public, along with many directors who, more than likely, got into film-making because such movies initially sparked their interests. Passions are founded in our childhoods, whether we realise it or not.

It concerns me that some people might not think that comedy is as much a valid art form as whatever 'ground breaking film' might be. In fact good comedy is far more difficult to pull off than straight drama and just as subtle. Assuming that comedy is easy simply because it's funny is a mistake that far too many actors make, hence the abundance of horrendous comedies out there. Fact is, the Python boys were the very epitome of 'ground-breaking', exploring new areas of comedic performance and perfecting comic timing in a way that is still revered today. The Python humour wasn't just slapstick, though it's easy to see why the untrained eye might view it as such - it's deeply intelligent comedy, without being patronising, which is incredibly difficult to do. Their continued popularity is testimony to the amazing skill of the group - a single style of comedy remaining funny after so many decades is a rare thing indeed. As for 'fundamental aims'... well, in historical context their aims were pretty damned important. Luckily just two days after I had my little online 'disagreement' with the aforementioned actress, in a truly delightful display of point-proving, Terry Gilliam was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship - their highest accolade. About bloody time, I say!

So please, if you're reading this, do something today you wouldn't normally do. Watch a film you consider 'not your thing' (even if it's just so you can later maintain that view, but with educated reasons as to why). Part your hair differently, add a strange new (non toxic) ingredient to an old favourite dish, go for a walk on your own, just to see where you end up. What you discover might surprise you. Above all else, though, don't be afraid to let people see you for how you really are because god knows they'll figure it out eventually!

As for me, I'm going to keep on learning and, most likely, fall over again fairly soon - it's been at least a week now since my last A over T moment. If you have any must-see film suggestions then I'd love to hear them (my current genre weaknesses are westerns and classic horror, though I'm working on it), and I promise to write reviews when I get time. For those who usually don't enjoy rom-coms I'd heartily recommend Valerie Breiman's 'Love and Sex' - a rom-com that's genuinely funny and definitely NOT just for the girls. Let me know what you think of it.

TTFN,

Milly x

PS - Of course, another key to being a great actor is to never assume you know everything (that kind of diva behaviour is soooo 80s, dahling!) so I may well take all of the above back in a year or so when I learn something new and change my mind, or if my publicist recommends that I display a more closed-minded attitude in order to impress the genre snobs...

Heheh, as IF. ;)

Check out www.AmeliaTyler.com for previous blogs, plus more info, photos and behind-the-scenes goodies.