The first-time actor on getting her role in Ken Loach’s film and learning about the hardships suffered by care workers
• MPs and business leaders weigh up Sorry We Missed You
Debbie Honeywood grew up in Wallsend, north Tyneside, and worked in a school before being cast in Sorry We Missed You – her first film role – as contract nurse and in-home carer Abbie.
How did you get the part?When I turned 40, I had a bucket list of things I wanted to do – go to Glastonbury, see the Rolling Stones and get on the telly. I had been working in a high school for 10 years as a learning support assistant and wanted to do something new. One night, I got an email about this movie from the extras agency and I applied. Then they asked me to send a video to Ken Loach; the next thing I knew, they were asking me to meet him for a drink – I told my mam I’m going on a date with Ken Loach. They kept asking me back to do auditions, but I didn’t find out for a long time that I’d actually got the job.