Watch: Tamzin Merchant in a short film she wrote 'Downward Facing' and a trailer of 4 short films including 'Radio Cape Cod' from the 'Second Wind' short film series collection

By Jeane - September 26, 2012

Tamzin Merchant (aka P&P's own Georgiana Darcy) wrote and stars in a new short film titled Downward Facing, which is the 4th of the Second Wind short film series collection that started from Radio Cape Cod (the first short film from the series) where Tamzin first appeared as Anna back in 2008 with Tamzin Outhwaite playing her mother. Now, Tamzin has reprise her Anna role from the first film, with Downward Facing, a new short film, which was just released exclusively via Tesco Magazine with an exclusive Tamzin Merchant interview along with it.

Check out and watch Tamzin Merchant in Downward Facing short film below as well as the trailers for Radio Cape Cod and Second Wind short film series collection (featuring Downward Facing with screen caps and Radio Cape Cod) below!

But first, read an exclusive Tamzin Merchant interview via Tesco Magazine

Tamzin Merchant, 25, is a talented British actress, who spent part of her childhood in Australia, South Africa and mostly, Dubai, before returning to the UK at 13. Her roles have included Georgiana Darcy in the film Pride and Prejudice, and Catherine Howard in BBC2’s The Tudors.

We caught up with Tamzin amidst a busy schedule to talk about her varied career to date, and her involvement in Radio Cape Cod and Downward Facing – part of the Second Wind series.

When and how did you first get into acting?
I was 17 when I first acted professionally. I was reading Pride and Prejudice [the book] at the time, so my mum mentioned she’d seen an article about the movie. Rather fortunately a casting director had previously visited my school, so I called her to ask who the casting director was on Pride and Prejudice, and then rang up to ask for an audition! I think they were a little confused by my approach, but amazingly, agreed to meet me. I auditioned three times before getting the part.

That was brave! So what made you go to university after your acting career was taking off?
I always knew I wanted to, it’s just I wanted to take a break from studying first and see how the acting went [she took two years out after sixth form college]. I studied English literature and education at Cambridge, graduating in 2010. It was very important to me personally that I did that. When people start acting, I think it can be all too easy to let everything else in life begin to fall by the wayside in a way. And actually my studies contributed to me becoming a patron of the charity Build Africa – which was wonderful.
How did you get involved with Radio Cape Cod?
I met the director Andrew Silver through my agent and did an audition. Andrew is a very interesting film-maker and we just clicked. It was really lovely to work with him.
Can you explain its premise?
It’s almost a tapestry of love stories. The film explores the different natures of love and how they can co-exist and be very conflicting. My character, Anna, is around 17/18 and she’s experiencing her first love and her first taste of heartbreak. She’s navigating her way through, and the funny thing is, so is her mum [played by Tamzin Outhwaite]. That was a nice mirror – neither of them really knew the right answer. My own ideas of love have changed since I did the film, so I’d like to watch it again and see it with my new eyes.
Tell us about the short film, Downward Facing?
It’s a very brief portrait about flexibility and being open to trying new things, even when you’re very old or at the opposite end of the scale – inexperienced. I wrote it [and appeared in it], though the script changed quite a lot on the shoot day – so I’m not sure how much credit I should take, and how much June Brown [whose character tries yoga for the first time] should!
How do short films compare with your bigger projects such as Pride & Prejudice?
You bring the same work and you try to bring the same intelligence and instincts to both. Though if you have a smaller crew, it’s often much more relaxed – everything’s a bit more off the cuff and less minutely measured. Of course the costumes and settings for short films such as Radio Cape Cod are widely different to period dramas.
What’s next?
I’ve recently been in LA for auditions and meetings though I’m doing a lot more writing now than before; I’ve just started co-writing a second feature movie script. Writing is actually my first passion, and I’ve realised that now is the best time to get into it properly – there’s no point doing it tomorrow. My aim is to continue with acting and writing side by side – I think it’s best to be open to as many different experiences as possible.