The actress says that living in Pontypridd keeps her grounded as “nobody cared”
When it comes to Welsh actors, we can’t help being proud of one of our own and celebrate every role and on-screen appearance. However, there’s one thing the Welsh do well and that is keep people humble.
That was the case for Kimberley Nixon, who is best known for starring as Josie in the comedy sitcom Fresh Meat, as well as numerous early 2000s coming of age movies, and more recently the Sky series Under Salt Marsh. You can read more about the true story behind the TV show here.
The actress from Pontypridd said that even when she was appearing in major motion pictures, the local community kept her grounded as “nobody cared” and she hardly ever gets recognised.
Speaking to Bronwen Lewis on BBC Radio Wales, the actress shared an anecdote of when she worked with Colin Firth on the movie Easy Virtue.
Kimberley explained that she wasn’t sure how to become an actress when she was from a small town in Wales. She said: “You know, I grew up in Ynysybwl just outside Pontypridd. How do I get into those rooms in London and beyond to make that a reality?”
The host replied: “I bet there’s so many kids out there, you know, listeners thinking, ‘oh, you know, yeah, my kid or I want to be an actor and it is having to get used to rejection’. But do you think that having Pontypridd as that base then has almost, that is your grounding, that’s your rooting and whatever happens I’m going back to a family and a place that loves me.”
The actress replied: “That’s exactly what it is, because there were two things. One, in the olden days, I used to travel on the train to London, go and do an audition. It could go brilliantly, it could go terribly, and there were a lot of those, really, really badly.
“Then I would get back on the train, come home to Ponty, and my life here had nothing to do with that. My value wasn’t placed on whether I got that job or not. You know, which was incredible.
“The other thing, I was shooting a film called Easy Virtue with Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas through the week, and then I would come home for the weekend, and I remember being in Ponty in the Opticians on a Saturday, and they were like, ‘oh, are you filming with that Colin Firth?’ And I was like, ‘sort of, yeah’. But mainly, nobody cared. Nobody.”
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Bronwen responded: “Oh, it’s refreshing, isn’t it?”
Kimberley continued: “I never get recognised in Ponty, hardly ever. People go, ‘what’d you do?’ And you go, ‘you know, an actress’,
“The say ‘what were you in?’ And you say, and they go, ‘all right, okay.’ They’re just not interested, but in a wonderful way.”
Bronwen added: “Because they’re interested in who you are as a person.”
The actress said: “Exactly that. I think what helped me stay who I am is that I’ve lived in Pontypridd the entire time.”
Kimberley currently stars in Sky’s Under Salt March as Shell Hill, the mother of nine-year-old Cefin who was found dead by his teacher (played by Yellowstone’s Kelly Reilly).
The series follows the fictional Welsh town of Morfa Halen, as they not only deal with the tragic death of one of their own, but the community faces an impending storm which threatens the residents with dangerous flooding.
You can watch Under Salt Marsh on Sky Atlantic, Sky on demand or Now TV. If you haven’t already signed up for Sky, you can do so here.
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