Chorley actress proves that hard work pays off

Early next year Laura Wilson, 24, will be jetting off across the pond to the US to take up a role in a feature film. But she will not be sitting idle while she waits. In fact, in the three months since Laura committed to taking up acting full time, life has been a bit of a whirlwind. She is playing the lead role in two feature films – Covenant Evil and Codename Vasquez – and she’s gained the lead role in a new TV series for Amazon Prime called The Shook Theory. She also has two more feature films to look forward to acting in which are in pre-production. “It’s been great,” said Laura, who is an only child. “My dream was to go to America but I thought that would be in three or four years time but its gone a bit crazy.” Laura, who lives in Bolton Road, believes that dedication and networking are the secrets to her success. “There’s a lot more networking than applying for jobs. “You have to network with the right people and a lot of it is about your online presence.” Laura had an unconventional entry into the world of acting. When she was 12 her dad took her to Kung Fu classes where she found herself acting in a promotional film for the sessions. Since then she’s never looked back, joining Stagecoach and studying performing arts at Runshaw College in Leyland. Over the past five years she been working on cruise ships singing, acting and dancing in places as far flung as Mexico, the Caribbean and closer to home in Italy and Norway. Looking back on her high point Laura said: “There have been so many. “Its got to be when you get that role that you really want.” One experience Laura particularly enjoyed was presenting in a pilot for a new show. She said: “I was presenting a show with animals so I just got to play with lots of really cute animals.” And she has even inspired her dad Ray to dabble in a bit of acting. “My dad has never really understood the rush of being in front of camera so I signed him up to a an extras agency and he loves it.” Laura says that her mum, Janet and dad, have become more supportive of her dream to become an actress as they have seen all the hard work she has put into establishing her career.