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13 Questions: actor Wesley Nelson
At just 13 years old, Welsh actor with CP Wesley Nelson has a portfolio to be proud of. Acting from the age of eight, Wesley had already appeared in Doctors, Casualty and Where The Heart Is, as well as numerous plays, before he got his big break.
Wesley can be seen in cinemas throughout the land in Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, as the young Ian Dury, a biopic of the famous disabledBlochead. He is also treading the boards as Sacha in Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, at The National Theatre in London.
I caught up with Wesley by phone, just after he arrived home from school, and asked him our 13 Questions.
Wesley can be seen in cinemas throughout the land in Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, as the young Ian Dury, a biopic of the famous disabledBlochead. He is also treading the boards as Sacha in Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, at The National Theatre in London.
I caught up with Wesley by phone, just after he arrived home from school, and asked him our 13 Questions.
Today I am thinking about ...
School. I had geography, biology, chemistry and games today. We were rowing and I was the Cox, who tells everyone whether they are in time or not and generally keeps the whole thing together. I’m not supposed to play contact sport since my operation. Because I have CP, they took some of the bad nerves out of my spine. Now I have half the number anybody else has, so if I broke my back I’d have less chance of surviving.
People think I am ..
A bit of a role model for disabled people, like Ian Dury was I suppose. And a role model for children who would like to get into acting.
I would like to ban ...
Everything grinding to a halt when the snow comes. I was working in the National Theatre during the recent cold weather and we had to stay over. My school closed for 5 or 6 days though, so I didn’t need to do so much catching up when rehearsals were finished.
Someone should invent…
Something you could stick on your head while sleeping so that you could learn at the same time. I would use it to get better at languages.
My first job was…
A TV film called May The 33rd. That was my first big thing and I was only about eight. I had a small part.
I couldn't function without ...
My bed. I like to read and relax there.
I get distracted by …
My computer. I like watching iPlayer and using Facebook and Twitter.
My motto is…
Be magnificent. That is what Ian Dury always strived for and I think it is a good motto to have.
The law I would pass is …
One where Everybody would have to cooperate with each other. Including basic things, like on the bus, when someone takes up a seat with their bag. I’d like people to work together more and not be self minded.
For me, Ian Dury was …
A really good man who said, against the odds, that he wasn’t going to be passed over and not do anything with his life. He decided to do what he wanted to do, even though it was something people told him he couldn't.
Playing the young Ian Dury …
Filming was great fun but the part itself was a harsh reality. After he contracted polio while swimming in South End, he was carted off to a special boarding school called Chailey, where there was a mean orderly. I played him going in the iron lung and screaming. In my opinion, my disability helped me get into the role more than anyone else would because I had that connection with him.
Playing someone with a different disability was …
Not that different. I had to wear a full, heavy calliper on one leg in the film. I wear a modern plastic calliper some of the time myself and use a sports stick with shock absorbers in it. I like it when the parts are for a person with a disability, but wouldn't want to confine myself to disabled roles. The part I play in Every Good Boy Deserves Favour isn't specifically for a disabled person. In fact, I share it with a non-disabled actor.
The future for me is ...
I say, enjoy what you are doing and don’t worry too much about tomorrow.
•Catch audio described performances of Every Good Boy Deserves Favour at the National Theatre on the 5th of February at 7 PM and the 6th of February at 3 PM. with touch tour at 1.30. Captioned performances take place at 3 and 7 PM. on Saturday the 15th of February.
Photo credits go to Entertainment Films and Simon Annand.
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