How did you get into the Acting Business?
I started my work on stage at a very young age. If you can believe it, I was no more than 6 years old. I was doing local plays in Devon, England.
Shortly afterward, I joined the dance arena. That was an area where my sister was
already making her mark.
My basic schoolwork was suffering at the time. This was due to my attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This is a childhood problem which was not well understood at that time. Luckily, however, I was given high marks in performing arts. This provided a “therapeutic training” for which I was grateful. Dance required a certain type of discipline which helped me overcome those problems. Dance can keep one’s mind focused, or to put it another way, “on the straight and narrow.”
Surprisingly, one rarely sees dance or movement therapies prescribed for childhood ADHD.
Then, a ballet scholarship was awarded. To me! I felt as ecstatic as Billy Elliot. I trained professionally at the Central School of Ballet in London at age 16. After that achievement, my real passion for acting evolved quickly. At age 18 I changed schools to the very well respected Laine Theatre Arts. From there, I graduated and found my first professional job on the national tour of Fame the musical age 19.
What or Who inspires you on a day-today basis?
This may sound like a fateful Charles Dickens tale, but it is true: My family did not have much money. We made do with what we had. What we did have was an incredible amount of love. We also helped each other where help was needed, and where role models were so important.
My father, himself, acted on stage as an avocation. I could watch him for free--and was enthralled. My mother often joined in those performances. This was and always is my main inspiration. To them, I owe everything.
What actor would you compare your acting style to and why?
One can emulate other actors if one studies them carefully enough. The details are in the cadence of their voices, and the naturalness of their physical movements.
Recently, for example, I’ve been cast to play Montgomery Clift in a new movie. I’ve been studying and researching him extensively. It seems his very soul grew inside of me. I’ve started to “become” him for the sake of the project.
“Monty” (Montgomery Clift) had inspired a grand ensemble of actors who came out of the Actors Studio. They paved the way and change in the style of what we call the “method actor.” This means, in part, that the actor develops a complete emotional identification with the required role. This demands (for myself, at least) a decisive change in one’s entire personality. You become the person both on stage and in everyday life.
How can fans reach out to you?
Just google @emrhyscooper. I am thrilled to hear from one and all. I attempt to answer many fans personally to let them know how much I appreciate them.