“ Love yourself, be grateful for even the smallest things - your favourite song, a sunny day, a hug from loved ones. This helps and know you are so important.”
— Niamh Cockhill
The Interview Q&A
Where are you primarily based out of?
London, England
What role do you typically play on set?
Actor
How long have you been working in the film industry? Where did you get your start?
3-4 years ago, started with student films and extra work
What are some of the biggest challenges you've encountered and how have you overcome them?
Mental health, bipolar disorder, it can be an extreme battle and has taken me to really dark places that have felt impossible to get out of. However I’ve had amazing support and need to remember this can be my creative superpower, not just a burden to deal with. Got to have gratitude for everything.
Who is your biggest inspiration? What have they taught you?
My family, they’ve given me so much love and a new appreciation for life. After some really bad times with mental health, they’ve picked me up and shown me I’m meant to be here. So grateful for them
What does it mean to you to be an inspiration/mentor to someone else?
Means the world, would be amazing to influence peoples lives for the better. Even spreading positive messages on Instagram and talking about mental health feels so important. I get a lot of replies from people I don’t even know that appreciate the posts. That means the world, even a slight difference to one person is amazing. That’s why making a film displaying bipolar feels so good because I just want people to understand the illness, hopefully reflect on themselves and their loved ones. That’s the dream
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Own personal struggles, overcoming challenges of bipolar inspires me. Support from others allows me to keep going and hopefully help someone else. Mental health needs to be talked about way more and not be something to be ashamed of.
If you had one message to share with the world, what would it be?
Remember everything has to get better, if it hasn’t yet then you’re not done and it will. Love yourself, be grateful for even the smallest things - your favourite song, a sunny day, a hug from loved ones. This helps and know you are so important.
What’s are some of the biggest things you’ve accomplished in your career so far?
Creating a film and getting it Amazon prime, that blows my mind and the fact we raise money for a bipolar charity is my greatest accomplishment.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now? (No dream is too big!)
Hopefully being a successful actor but also someone who can have a platform to spread positivity and awareness for mental health. I’d love that, anything I can achieve in my career would be way more meaningful to me if I can help others too
If you had one piece of advice for a woman who wants to get started in the film industry what it would be?
Don’t wait for something to happen, make it happen yourself if you can. Even something small, get that experience to gain confidence and just take every opportunity you can because you never know where it’ll lead
What kind of projects are you currently working on that you can share? (Feel free to leave links to the projects to view)
Currently I don’t have anything coming up, I’ve had a few auditions but I just need to get myself out there more, keep taking more acting classes and work on myself
What does being a part of The Women in Film Project mean to you?
It’s honestly an honour and I am so grateful, what an amazing idea for this to be such a great thing and I feel so honored to have had an opportunity with you.