Late night post and letter to Johnny.

I wanted to get this out of the way now before I sleep.

 

I watched the film 'Huge' tonight, starring Noel Clarke and Johnny Harris. Noel is probably best known for playing Mickey in the revamped series of Doctor Who that began in 2005, as well as directing Kidulthood and Adulthood. Johnny, meanwhile, is known for playing (a different) Mickey is This Is England '86 and This Is England '88, the BBC3 drama The Fades and starring in London to Brighton, amongst other things. It is Johnny I want to focus on in this blog post.

 

Johnny was taught by a tutor at my university, and last year he came in for the day to speak to the Drama students about his experiences and other things. After this, he came down to the SU and the two of us spent a good 15-30 minutes just shooting the shit and talking about anything and everything. Since then, we have continued the odd chat here and there on Twitter, fan to actor. But what has struck me about him is how welcoming he has been towards me. We only spoke for a short amount of time after that visit, yet he still remembers me. I'm not just another fan and that's that, he has always found that little bit of extra time for me. I am sure that I'm not the only exception and that he finds time for a lot of people, but I really feel that he's gone the extra mile in this instance.

 

It's something I want to be. If I make it as a well-known face, then part and parcel of my job is to be recognised. But I want to show to any admirers I may have a gentle and warm side, even if I'm going through a tough time (which may present itself in front of any unfortunate press!). If citizens want pictures and autographs and stuff, then so be it. I don't want to give off an air of 'me and you', I want to be able to glow 'us' and 'we', which is something I really feel about Johnny. He's not your prima donna actor, he's a genuine, down-to-earth guy with a huge amount going for him and a wealth of talent, some of which I feel is still waiting to be explored. And I hope that I can keep my current personality, even if I end up on many red carpets in front of many camera flashes.

 

I don't know how well this has come across, but I want to sum it up like this: Johnny, if you ever read this, thank you for being a huge influence on me; not just as an actor, but also for being a legend of a human being, so humble and modest. I hope that one day we can meet again and talk like old friends, even though it will have only been the second time we have met.

 

Regards,

 

Elliot Leaver