Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Peter Tilley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Peter , sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
I decided to select this question as I think it’s important to highlight mental health issues and am open to talking about it, which hopefully will have a positive influence in leading to more men in particular being able to open up and talk about their concerns. I went through a difficult phase a little while ago in which I lost all confidence in myself, not being as social with friends and family and got into quite a bad state where I became depressed and truthfully, didn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. But that light eventually did come through, with a lot of perseverance, support from loved ones and setting my sights on what I still wanted to achieve in life. Movies and acting have always been a big part of my life, and so getting creative again and focusing on something that would benefit my acting career alongside creating an exciting project for an audience to watch and enjoy, the flame ignited and my passion came back. It’s so important to never give up. Because there are always better days ahead, even if it may not feel like it at the time. You’ve just got to keep going. As they say, time heals. And always remember how much you are valued and loved.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Primarily I am an actor and have worked quite heavily within the independent film scene here in the U.K, having starred in quite a few British indie films working alongside well known filmmakers known on the circuit. Just recently I dipped my toes into the producing role, on my first short horror film titled ‘The Foreboding: Fractured’ directed by Kemal Yildirim and written by Alexander Staunton-Hill which is currently on its festival run. This film follows a group of four university students who have just finished their first year and take a trip into the woods, which ultimately has deadly consequences. Think you’ve heard this one plenty of times before? We believe we’ve made something quite original here with the twists and turns in store for audiences to see… And as for my normal job, I work full time with dogs which I absolutely love. So very privileged to have two different careers which I very much enjoy.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Dedication, perseverance and commitment have all got me to where I am today within my acting career. And I’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m very blessed for where it has got me to and where it’s heading next. When I first started out, I regularly took to Twitter to search for castings and connected with filmmakers online: supporting their work and wanting to showcase my talent to try and get seen. With a lot of hard work and consistently networking, this thankfully helped me to get cast in a couple of productions. And now it’s helped to fund and create my own short film with an incredibly talented team onboard, These three key skills were essential to finding somewhat of a name for myself in this small little Indie scene. Keep creative, keep the passion alive, and just keep going. If you put in the work, success comes and you’ll get the results. Just remember this doesn’t happen overnight!
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My parents have always been very supportive of my work and have never judged me based on the actions and decisions I’ve made. I’m extremely thankful and will always be grateful for having loving, supportive parents who allow me to constantly chase my dreams and they both have a strong voice in telling me to go for what I want in life. Without them, a lot of this wouldn’t have been possible.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @tilley.peter
- Twitter: @petertilley20
Image Credits
ejmstudios – headshots and model photos Creepyduck design – the foreboding: fractured movie poster Movie stills of the foreboding: fractured by director Kemal Yildirim
