Wallis Day
Photography by Joseph Sinclair. Interview by Heather Hawke
Wallis Day was born in Ilford, England and comes from “a very normal family with very normal jobs,” she says. “No-one was in the entertainment industry, but my dad loved music and my mum loved reading.” Her dad always sung, listened to music or played some kind of instrument and she discovered storytelling from her mom as she would read to her every night. Her passion for drama blossomed when at age 5 her dad started taking her to ballets for her Christmas present. As she loved both music and storytelling, she joined Stagecoach in Oxford at 5 years old.
She feels that since her family moved around a lot when she was a child, growing up in diverse places with completely different people, helped force her into immersing herself into a whole new lifestyle and adapt to her surroundings. “It also brings you closer to your family – you become more of a unit and realize how important it is to stick together.” Her and her brother became really close since they both constantly started new schools together. “Outside of that, I figured out that when I would move to a new city or country I would have to join a group of creatives with similar interests to myself to make my friends.”
“I remember not being able to sleep at night because I couldn’t stop thinking about acting and I remember feeling like I was wasting my time without acting in my life.”
As a child being so far removed from the entertainment industry, Wallis thought actors had just been born as such. “I never thought you could make a career out of it. My family was so far removed from a Hollywood lifestyle that it seemed like a completely different life in a different dimension.” When she finally got on set, the most shocking thing to her was how many people are actually involved behind closed doors. “I just used to think it would be actors, a director and a few camera / lighting guys. In reality, the process is so long and so many people are involved. People just see the finished product rather than the years of preparation that go into a production. I guess that’s the point in the magic. Still, it’s very impressive and everyone deserves so much credit.” As she grew up, she says that acting became more of a necessity and, without it, she was constantly getting into trouble. “I would feel misunderstood. Becoming an actress wasn’t a choice I made. I realized I really needed it.”
She’s been signed to top modelling agency, Models1 since she was 13, having been the youngest in the agency for 3 years, and has secured campaigns with the likes of Garnier, Superdry and Nike. Her teen years were tough because she knew she would have to give up a lot to do what she loves. “I remember not being able to sleep at night because I couldn’t stop thinking about acting and I remember feeling like I was wasting my time without acting in my life.” At 16 she left school to pursue acting, staying with a group of friends who are still the foundation in her life. “I’ve always believed that the best experience you can have is life experience, and although I think education is absolute paramount, I personally like to dive headfirst into things.” After she moved away from home, she constantly battled in her head whether she did the right thing, “but if you love something you have to pursue it otherwise you’ll never be happy. I learnt that pretty young.” Once in London she attended any open auditions she could and finally got a small role in a British show (Jekyll and Hyde). “Afterwards, I felt ready to apply the life experience I’d had on set and learn more about acting, so I went to study at ArtsEd which definitely gave me a deeper understanding of how to portray characters.” Proceeding that she landed her first film role at 19 in the movie Between Two Worlds. She then got parts in TNT’s WILL, where she played Cressida, and the Liongates’ series The Royals, portraying Angie.
Most recently she landed her breakthrough role as the villainess, Nyssa in Warner Brothers/DC comics, Krypton (Superman prequel TV series) which she spent 18 months filming starting in October 2016. Having aired in March, the series is set two generations before the destruction of Superman’s home planet and follows Superman’s grandfather (Cameron Cuffe) as he fights to save his beloved world from total chaos.
Aside from being an actress Wallis is also a passionate writer and has loved writing since she was young, “I also love poetry – playing with words just relaxes me.” She even wrote a psychological thriller 4 years ago that she took to Warner Brothers in LA. “They were really supportive – I just need to tweak parts and finish it. It’s currently a novel so I’d have to turn it into a script but, ultimately, I would love to turn it into a screenplay.” Some of her musician friends have even turned some of her poetry and writings into songs, but she’s not dropping any names.
Wallis also was trained up to swim for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics, but decided to put everything into acting when it became more prominent in her life. “Nothing excited me quite like film – it’s magic! The characters I loved were from action thriller movies.” Still a big sports and thriller enthusiast, she’s since trained in martial arts and performs all her own stunts on set.
Something she couldn’t have done without, especially at the start, is mentors, “It’s really hard-hitting when you constantly feel rejected from an industry you love.” Saying it can be really hard to understand why things happen and it’s important to have people around you who have been through it or have a different perspective of the industry. “My parents and my team are my greatest support system – they have stuck by me unconditionally and constantly push me to reach my fullest potential.” She says her dear friend Sarah Counsell (who’s also an actress, and now a writer and casting director) really looked after her when she first moved to London, “She helped me get my first agent, helped me with my auditions and was always there when I needed a second mum.”
For some last words of advice Wallis says that if you want to work in the film industry, you have the potential to do anything but you have to really, really love it because it’s a tough industry and there will be a lot of obstacles. “If you love it, the obstacles won’t matter, and it’ll all be worth it.”
