Who is Maria Anastacia Keogh
Who is Maria Anastacia Keogh? She is a well know Irish Actress/ Fashion Writer. She is ever so humble and sweet and for me she is going to be one of the major players on the silver screen.She started acting at a very young age and got model scouted at 16 but moved careers from model to actress. She has starred on many Irish TV shows. she is also a lover of fashion and writes for Magazines. She has just written her first film ‘ Feinmharu’ and is going to tell her about how her career came about. You can check her IMDB Link here.
The Interview
How Did You Get Into The Industry?
I was inspired by many people but Shakespeare starting my acting drive.. I have read all his plays and I feel in love with the work of Laurence Olivier and Peter O Toole. I have watched a lot of the old black and white movies growing up with classical actress like Audrey Hepburn, Maureen O’Hara and Grace Kelly they really influenced me greatly.
I started acting when I was very young and traveled with productions across Ireland . Sometimes it was like living in a circus travelling around from one stage to the next but so much fun. I later meet a director at the Gaway film festival and auditioned for his film and then I got cast for my first lead role in the ‘ The Doubleganger’ I had done several small roles before this and it really set a fire in my stomach to work more and more in the film industry be it acting, composing or writing. As much as I love theatre I find it sometimes repetitive but on a film set anything could happen which makes it more fun.
What Do You Like The Most About Your Job?
Learning from others when you work on a film set there is so much behind the scenes work that the audience do not see for example the set design, lighting, cinematography, custome fittings, makeup, it really opens your eyes to how much work and detail goes into the a small clips. I also enjoy reading new scripts and thinking in dept about my character I love method acting and really try to develop my roles. Most importantly i love being in the moment of creativity, making a scenes come alive from paper it’s just a magical feeling and of course you always make new friends.
What’s Coming Up For You In 2013?
I just finished acting in a music video for the Irish Singer ‘Paddy Casey ‘ and in April I will be working on a film in London. I have taken the step to co-writing my fist film called ‘Féinmharú’ directed by Paul Jeremiah Hayes which was a nerve wrecking experience but with my background as a playwright it came naturally.
What Is The Film About?
Féinmharú a dark comedy tells the story of a young woman Diane who has a series of unfortunate events. She is living in dark moments but Sally a close eccentric friend pulls her to groups where she meet some eccentric and fun people who change her life.
How Did You Come Up With This Idea For a Film?
Paul the director is an inspiration! We sat down and developed the story and characters. We can’t give the full story away but there are a number of surprises. I have written ,staged and directed many plays with my theatre company Croi8 Productions which was an advantage for my writing skills. Croi8 Productions was set up in 2008 and later we established an Actors Co-OP we were the first company in the south of Ireland to stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of their open stage productions. You can check out their plays here.
Who Would You Love To Work With?
Judi Dench is one of my favourite actress I know I would learn so much from her. My most loved directors are Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Christopher Nolan and Tim Burton. I recently meet Tim Burton and gave him my CV so if he rang me in the morning, I would jump for joy.
What Advice Would You Give To Anyone Wanting To Pursue a Career In The Movie Industry?
Acting is a tough profession you gotta have a love for it. I would say to any young actor keep working during your breaks and do refresher courses in acting to build your skills and maybe even try the Alexander technique it’s great for posture and your voice.
Tell Us About Your Fashion Writing?
I love fashion as a hobby I started a fashion blog that lead me into writing regular for a magazine call ‘ Ink’ thanks to the editor Jay Meenan for giving me the opportunity and since that i have been asked to write for several other magazines and online blogs in the UK . I feel grateful to have the chance to interview some of my own fashion icons.
I was delighted to be recently accredited by the British Fashion Council as I have moved to the UK to pursue my acting and writing career, it was a great honor and has allowed me to meet some amazing and inspiring artist.
Who Are Your Favourite Designers?
I adore John Rocha and he kindly sponsored me a beautiful dress for the Irish film awards this year i also love the work of Russian designers Marina Richards and Yana Gafurova from Rinaree who also gave me a beautiful dress for the BAFTA awards this year.
I feel very grateful to model for designers work I truly adore on the red Carpet . I like to wear a lot of high street during the day, Ted Baker, Reiss, and Topshop. But I absolutely adore the designer ‘ Tata Naka ‘ adorable colours and patterns. My motto is to live bold and wear bright colours.
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