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THERAPIST
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LISA�MERRICK-LAWLESS��
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Naomie Harris
gets personal
The 33-year-old British actress on
achieving her dreams and how Jamie
Foxx helped her relax
You’ve worked with some amazing
people including director Danny Boyle
and actors Jamie Foxx and Johnny
Depp. Who stood out?
Working with Jamie Foxx [in 2006’s
Miami Vice] was amazing. He helped
me lighten up – normally I’m very
reserved. When we filmed our love
scene he took off his bath robe and
had tied a sock in a bow around his
nether regions. We just cracked up.
You play the lead in the BBC’s
upcoming adaptation of Small Island,
the novel by Andrea Levy. Did you
relate to your character?
Hortense has a cool, haughty exterior,
but at her core she is unworldly, almost
childlike. I can relate to that. I think I’m
still struggling with becoming an adult.
I haven’t even bought a house yet! I
travel so much for work that I end up
crashing with friends most of the time.
����WWW�STYLIST�CO�UK
You grew up in London with your
mum, Lisselle Kayla, who emigrated
from Jamaica. What was it like growing
up in a single-parent family?
At the time I didn’t realise there was
any difference. Like any child, I thought
my family was normal. It was only as
I grew older that I really thought
about the implications of not having
a father around.
Are you close to your family?
I can talk to my mother about anything
and I value her opinion; she’s the most
honest person I know. I’m very lucky
Are you brave enough to you pursue your dreams?
1. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get the life that you want?
2. Do you set ambitious goals, regardless of how realistic they are, if you
think that achieving them would make you happy?
3. Do you try new experiences regardless of fear of failure or of
the unknown?
4. Do you embrace new surroundings and new people even if they make
you feel out of your comfort zone?
5. Do you chase new career prospects even if you feel safe and comfortable
in your current position?
6. Are you in/are you seeking a relationship with someone who challenges
you and makes you feel stimulated?
HARRIS GREW UP IN
NORTH LONDON WITH HER
SCREENWRITER MOTHER
that my family are warm and generous.
However, they’re not very good
communicators. I’ve never heard my
aunt or uncle say, “I love you” but they
are always there for me. My uncle paid
my fees for drama school and my aunt’s
office was close to my primary school,
so she would walk down at break and
give me sweets through the gates.
How easy has it been to keep in touch
with old friends now you’re famous?
I've kept a core group of old friends,
but it’s tricky because I’m used to
leaving, whereas friends sometimes
YES NO
MOSTLY YES
You’re happy
to stand out
and shape the
group. You’re
comfortable being
an outsider and
find it invigorating.
Harness that
innate ability. Take
an area you’ve
been successful in
and model the way
you shaped that
success in every
area of your life.
feel left behind. I can be away for three
or four months m and these huge gaps
can make mak friendships tense, especially
when I miss m someone’s birthdays. It
was my
best friend’s wedding recently
and she begged me not to work, but
of course, cours I can’t promise anything.
You studied stud social and political
science at Cambridge in 1995. Is it
true that tha you were unhappy there?
YYes. We W were all from very different
backgrounds and I didn’t feel like I
fitted in. I felt intimidated. I see now
that everyone feels uneasy at some
point during university because it is
such a huge thing to do, but my way
of handling it was to withdraw. If
I went back now, I’d make an effort
to be more social.
How did you get through it?
With the help of my best friend, Asma.
We were in the same college, Pembroke,
and would cook together and talk into
the middle of the night. We both found
fitting in tough. We’re still friends but
we’re not as close. She’s married with
two children so she has a completely
different life.
Was acting always your dream?
My happiest time was being at drama
school. I started at nine years old. It
was the one time I could totally be
myself and it really boosted my self
esteem. I knew then that however
difficult it would be, my passion for
acting would keep me going. I still feel
blessed every time I get a job.
Small Island is on BBC One from
1 to 8 November
MEET OUR
THERAPIST
Lisa Merrick-
Lawless is an
NLP coach with
Headspace (the
headspace.co.uk)
MOSTLY NO
You’re stuck in
a rut. You seek
out what is safe
and familiar. But
if you don’t take
risks you’ll
never grow. Do
something that
makes you scared.
You’ll be surprised
how empowering
it is and it often
causes a domino
effect in other
areas of your life.
WORDS��LISA�MERRICK-LAWLESS��THEHEADSPACE�CO�UK���PHOTOGRAPHY��CORBIS�OUTLINE
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