Juggling CF and being an actor: Paul's story

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your CF journey?

I’ll be turning 40 later this year and my parents assumed I had CF from birth since we have a family history of it. They were always very good at keeping me on track when I was a child, and because of that, I didn’t spend any time in the hospital growing up. When I was in my mid-20s, I kept trying to do too many things all at once, as many young people do. This meant my health did start to catch up with me, and my first real hospital visit was when I was 25 or 26 years old.

What inspired you to become an actor?

It was my love of the repeats of old films on television. Bullett comes to mind, although that was more for the car chase! I did enjoy a few sitcoms growing up too, like Red Dwarf, Only Fools and Horses, ‘Allo ‘Allo. When I started performing dramatic pieces, I realised I was much more interested in making people laugh than being serious.

How did you get into acting and did you face any barriers because of your CF?

I took the very traditional route, which was getting into drama school. I actually hadn’t performed in youth theatre, since my family didn’t drive or live near any. I did drama at A-level and then a practical degree when I didn’t get into drama school the first time.

At that stage, my health wasn’t much of a concern, and it didn’t interfere with my interest in performing. The school wanted me to “have more life experience”. I applied to school again in my late 20s. It was then that my health was a concern. I was made a conditional offer of a place providing I could prove my vocal ability was fine. I had to go to an ears/nose/throat doctor to have them confirm I had not damaged my vocal folds with years of coughing. They were slightly inflamed compared to what is considered normal, but otherwise alright. As soon as I showed them the doctor’s report, I had a place.

Since then, directors just want reassurance that I’m fit enough for the work involved. This does put me off applying to some things - I don’t want to do a bad job. For instance, a role about a marathon runner isn’t going to be right for me! But most scenes I apply for aren’t that physical.

How would you describe your job in three words?

Fun, different, and unique.

What does an average working day look like for you?

It changes from shoot to shoot. There can be very early starts to fit in physio before going off to shoot or rehearse. However, it’s normally a few hours to film a scene, the lunch, then another scene, and then go home. In a way, it’s scheduled like most any other job.

How do you balance your CF and work? Any top tips?

I’m not very good at this, so I should take my own advice. When I’ve prepared things in advance it does make everything so much easier! It helps when I get up that bit earlier, make my lunch in advance, cleaning my I-nebs well before I need them again.

Do you have any advice for other people with CF looking to get into acting?

There is a lot of advice and different views on getting into acting in general. All of which can still apply to someone with CF. But people with CF should be aware that they will likely find it more tiring than their peers. So being as fit as you can be will really help. Do what you need to be at your best such as going to bed early, leaving more travel time, so on. The flip side is if someone wants you in their production, they can usually do things to make your life easier once they have seen you can do the job.

What do you love most about what you do?

Making people feel something and telling a story. I also love creating a moment that sticks with that one person for years to come. 

What motivates you in your career?

The possibility to earn a living from something you love.

As part of Work Forwards, we'd like to share the stories of people with CF in a wide range of jobs.  We look forward to involving as many people with CF as possible in this – if you have a story you’d like to share about your job or experiences of employment, please do get in touch with us at [email protected].  

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic condition which causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system. It affects more than 10,800 people in the UK. One in 25 of us carries the faulty gene that causes it, usually without knowing.

Since 1964, we've supported people with cystic fibrosis to live longer, healthier lives - and we won’t stop until everyone can live without limits imposed by CF.