For many years as a teenager growing up in Orkney, Eilidh Fisher’s relationship with the idea of home was a little complicated.
Growing up on Stronsay as the child of the island doctors, she spent most of her early and teen years in a community of around 350 people.
While she loved the people, she was aware early on that the size and remoteness of her home made her dream seem more impossible.
And Eilidh only had one hope – to become an actor.
However, there were very few opportunities to pursue acting and the more people Eilidh spoke to, the more unrealistic her dream felt.
“I always knew that I wanted to act but I remember everyone I spoke to in Orkney about it told me it was a very unrealistic idea,” she said.
“Obviously, that was just people looking out for me, and I’m grateful for that.
“But I think working on a film or a TV show felt so intangible because no one around me knew anyone who was doing it.”
The Outrun changed Eilidh’s relationship with Orkney home
Years later when Eilidh got the chance to move to London in her late teens and pursue acting, she admitted she could not wait to leave.
However, London life was not easy and as Eilidh struggled in the big city, she came across Amy Liptrot’s book The Outrun.
The 2016 memoir from the Scottish journalist and author is set in Orkney as she returns to her childhood home to rehabilitate from addiction after 10 unhappy years in London.
“My view of Orkney as a teenager was it was a place that I wanted to leave,” said the young actor.
“But reading Amy’s book showed me that it was somewhere that is beautiful and full of nature, history and interesting people.
“Her book really changed my relationship with Orkney and so it’s really special to me.”
Eilidh wrote to agents and directors from a young age for advice
Despite any disadvantages growing up, Eilidh has managed to pursue her dream.
These days, aside from appearing in The Outrun, Eilidh’s resume includes appearing on Call the Midwife, The English Game, The Power and an exciting upcoming role in the new BBC drama Dope Girls.
When asked what made her pursue acting so actively, it seems there was not one particular inspiring moment but rather hundreds of them.
“I think it was everything I was watching,” she admitted.
“Anything that had a child in it that was my age, I would think ‘I wish that could have been me’.”
When Eilidh moved to study at Kirkwall Grammar School on the mainland for her Highers, she got the chance to study drama for the first time.
Helped by the head teacher at the time — Gillian Dearness who became one of Eilidh’s biggest supporters — Eilidh went on to audition in London for an LA drama school and got a scholarship aged 16.
But before she could go, she had to raise £25,000 for the rest of her fees.
Starting a GoFundMe and doing an interview with The Press and Journal at the time, Eilidh also called around 200 Scottish businesses asking for their help which to her surprise, some kindly did.
This enterprising habit of not being afraid to contact people for advice from an early age, which included writing to her now agent when she was 13 years old, later stood her in good stead.
She even managed to secure an in-person chat with Julian Fellows from Downton Abbey.
How Eilidh’s role with The Outrun began
One of the other people Eilidh contacted when she was living in London after graduating from drama school was director Sarah Brocklehurst after watching her film Animals.
The email eventually led to a Zoom call and the pair kept in touch.
When Sarah started working on The Outrun, she would sometimes ask Eilidh questions about lambing and Orkney.
During this time Eilidh and her agent Ruth Young kept an ear out for any audition opportunities and Eilidh managed to get a small role in the production.
She said: “I had a little role in the Bible group and I was part of that filming.
“It was a very kind of blink and you’ll miss me but I loved every second of it.”
Nora Fingscheidt, the director, wanted to audition local people for a few of the roles in the film and brought on Eilidh to help.
“We were auditioning people to be in an Orkney AA group.
“So I would play Saoirse’s character Rona and Nora would set up a little improvisation scenario for whoever was coming and I would do the scenario with them.
During this time, Eilidh gave her former teacher Gillian Dearness a call to convince her to audition for a prominent role.
“I kept calling her, and then eventually she came in,” she said smiling.
“I did her audition with her, and she smashed it.
“That was maybe the highlight of the whole thing for me. I just was so excited for her.”
Saoirse Ronan was ‘so impressive’
During the filming, there was one day that Eilidh said was one of her top career highlights so far.
“I think the single day I spent watching Saorise work is probably my highlight,” she said.
“I had always really admired her work but watching her work felt like a real privilege.
“She has become a real role model of how I would like to carry myself on a set.
“It was watching her balance her work and protecting the space that she needs to deliver her performance while making all of these people who’ve never been on a film set before, feel welcome and comfortable.
“I think the environment Saoirse, Sarah and Nora created was so magical and creative.
“If they cut me from the film, I wouldn’t have minded. I’m always going to remember that one.”
What did Eilidh think of the film?
With so many people in the production carrying a real love for Orkney and the book, Eilidh said she felt the end result had a “really positive impact”.
“They’ve captured it so well with the cinematography and the sound of the weather and wind.
“You see Orkney throughout all of its seasons, its lambing, and its brutal winters.
“I think it’s also partly because they did bring so many local people in so it feels very authentic.”
She added it was not just the beauty that came across: “Orkney is such a special place, but it is so remote and you can feel very cut off there.
“I hope that people watch this movie and see that it’s beautiful but it can be a really hard place to live.
“In Orkney, there is a real tendency to self-deprecate and be extremely private about feelings or ambitions.
“And so outside of the success of the film and the conversations around addiction, I would hope it shows people from the isles that things that feel like whimsical pipe dreams might not be that out of reach.
“Also it gives people a chance to celebrate and take pride in Orkney because it can be really beautiful and special.”
Next up: Dope Girls
After travelling home to watch the premiere, Eilidh said she is now looking forward to seeing the BBC drama Dope Girls in which she plays the daughter of a single mother who owns a nightclub in post-war London called Evie.
Saying it was another inspiring set to work on, Eilidh added: “I’m really excited to see what they’ve done with it.
“I remember getting that script and thinking ‘I really want to be part of this’.
“The women were written so well and they were so complex, interesting and messy.
“You follow these women fighting to keep their place in society and have a voice. They also do a lot of very messy, rogue things that I’m not sure make them good role models but it was really fun to play.
“And it was just a bigger character and someone you really got to know and love.”
‘I’m gonna keep trying, and for as long as I enjoy it, I’ll keep auditioning’
Meanwhile, when she is not auditioning or on set, Eilidh is working as a pastry chef in Glasgow.
She first started training four years ago after realising the waitressing jobs would get old very quickly.
“I wanted something else I enjoyed to be doing when I wasn’t acting,” she said.
“So I started working as a pastry chef, which I love.
“I think it’s a lot of similar skills and it means I have a life I love.
“And then if I get an acting job, I go off and do it, and it’s fun, but it means I can come back to something that’s stable and nice, fun, and I’m not just waiting around to get a job.”
When asked what advice she would give to anyone who could relate to her story or who is looking to get into acting, Eilidh encouraged people to be curious and keep going.
“I would say, write to people, do try and give it your all because it might work. And if it doesn’t, at least you tried.
“And if you want to do something like be an actor, I would say go for it, but also keep building a life that you want to live. Don’t put everything on hold because you’re waiting to get a job.
“I have no idea if I will get more work or if I can turn this into a long-lasting career, but I’m going to keep trying. And for as long as I enjoy it, I’ll keep auditioning.”
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