Danielle Pinnock

MA Acting 2012

Danielle, from New Jersey in the USA, has gone from strength to strength after graduating from Birmingham School of Acting (BSA), winning awards for her one-woman stage show and then following up her success in the theatre with a number of TV shows, including a recurring role in Young Sheldon, the prequel to hit comedy The Big Bang Theory, shown on E4 in the UK.

Following graduation from the MA/PG Dip Acting programme Danielle entered her university dissertation project into the 2013 Strawberry One Act Theatre Festival in America in the hope of raising awareness of the varying perceptions of body image. Based on a series of interviews with women in the UK and USA, Body/Courage landed her a ‘Best Actress’ prize before premiering on the stage in Chicago in 2016, where it won a TimeOut Theatre Award.

Following graduation from the MA/PG Dip Acting programme Danielle entered her university dissertation project into the 2013 Strawberry One Act Theatre Festival in America in the hope of raising awareness of the varying perceptions of body image. Based on a series of interviews with women in the UK and USA, Body/Courage landed her a ‘Best Actress’ prize before premiering on the stage in Chicago in 2016, where it won a TimeOut Theatre Award.

“I chose BSA, because I have always wanted to study abroad in England for as long as I could remember. I think the acting training in England really is special, because you are learning from tutors from all over Europe. I wanted to study acting, because I graduated with a directing emphasis during my undergraduate college. I really wanted to sharpen and challenge my acting skills and I was able to do that and more at BSA.

“I was nervous at first; being an African American student coming overseas I had no idea what to expect. But I really loved that BSA is right in the centre of Birmingham. I really wanted to attend a school that was an integral part of a community and I was actually surprised at how diverse the school was – I think the school’s diversity is a direct representation of Birmingham's community. I love that there are so many different students from various countries.

“The teaching at BSA is incredible. The professors are truly amazing. Lise Olson, Louise Papillion, Alex Taylor and Stephen Simms really taught me everything that I need to know to survive this industry as an actor. They always challenged me past what I thought I could attain.

“After BSA, I developed a play, Body/Courage that started as my dissertation. I interviewed over 40 people worldwide about their personal body image. The play was performed at the Strawberry One-Act Theatre Festival and I won ‘Best Actress’. The play also garnered ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Play’ nominations.

“At the beginning of 2016, I promised myself that I would do something different with my career and I began to challenge myself artistically. My focus has always been on theatre – I was in my first play at 10 years old and had been performing on stage ever since but I'd always been afraid of auditioning for television, because I was very insecure about how I looked. On stage you can reach thousands, but on television you can instantly reach millions. I'm so glad I garnered enough courage to audition for television. The projects I've had the opportunity to work on have absolutely changed the course of my life and career. In the short time I've been on television I've shared the screen with Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, Peter Bogdanovich, Ray Romano and so many more. Los Angeles has been the most magical whirlwind I've experienced in my career thus far and I can't wait to see what next year brings.