Deaf Derby twins’ acting career takes off with British Airways TV ad

Derby twins Natasha and Rhianna Cullen, who are 12, have enjoyed their moment in the spotlight after appearing in a TV ad for British Airways with a string of celebrities including newly crowned BAFTA winner Olivia Colman, Paloma Faith, Grayson Perry and Gary Oldman. (Not to mention Winnie the Pooh and the Kingdom Choir, who sang at last summer’s royal wedding.)

Called #BA100, the advert marks a century of British Airways in the sky, and it was created to highlight both British talent (hence the famous names) as well as national values and ideals.

The sisters have attended their home city’s Royal School for the Deaf since the age of three. Both girls have Waardenburg syndrome, a rare genetic disorder most often characterised by varying degrees of deafness.

Both Natasha and Rhianna, who have two older sisters and a brother and are not identical, are profoundly deaf and BSL users.

Mum Rachael, 52, a full-time parent who is also deaf, told Limping Chicken:

“Many people think they are identical, but there are differences, for example in eye colouring. They’re incredibly close, and go everywhere and do everything together, sharing clothes, secrets, make-up…everything. They have to wear the same clothes every day, even if in different colours – you never seen one in a dress and the other in trousers. Their personalities are very similar, too.”

The girls had to pass two auditions before being cast in the ad, in parts which, originally, had been intended for a single actor. They also had to fend off stiff competition from hearing actors who could use BSL.

Rachael adds: “They’ve loved being the centre of attention since they were really small! They do drama at school and love doing BSL plays and recording them on their iPad – they also love watching YouTube.

“It must run in the family, as their late grandfather was a keen amateur actor who loved playing the panto dame. So I was keen to get the twins into acting.  But everywhere I looked, I just kept seeing barriers. Then I started to think about catalogue modelling and adverts, and got a professional portfolio of photos done.”

Cullen had been trying to find an agency to represent the twins since last August, and says she was on the point of giving up when she came across the website of Zebedee Management, which specialises in signing up those with disabilities.

She says: “Within a week, we were offered a contract with the agency, and the next thing we knew the girls had landed the BA job! It all happened really quickly.

“I think when the director heard there were deaf actors who could use BSL as their natural first form of communication, he was keen to hire them rather than hearing ones. When we went for the casting, we were amazed the twins were the only deaf actors there.”

Filming took place over one day, on a plane in the hangar at Heathrow Terminal Five, and Natasha and Rhianna attended with their mum plus an interpreter. As with any sort of filming, there was a certain amount of hanging around, with five hours elapsing between finalising costumes and make-up and filming.

But the twins dealt with the wait like a couple of pros, and impressed fellow cast members and crew by shooting their part in the 90-second ad, in which they sign the word for ‘Trouble’, in just 20 minutes.

The ad was first shown on ITV and Channel 4 at 9.30pm at the start of this month, and is still being shown. The girls were paid a fee for their participation, which is being reinvested for their futures.

Cullen adds: “We felt overwhelmed to see the final thing, so happy and proud. And we got publicity on regional TV and press too. I never really expected any of this to happen, so we’re still all in shock and people are still talking about it.

“At the casting, I worked hard to manage the girls’ expectations, in case they were disappointed. I hope those who bring their hearing children to castings and auditions – and directors – don’t forget those who are deaf or who may have other disabilities, and think about giving a broader range of actors a chance.”

Ian Noon, Head of Policy and Research at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “It was great to see Natasha and Rhianna feature in the new British Airways advert. This is yet another example of the amazing ability of deaf children and shows they can achieve just as much as their hearing friends given the same chance to shine.

“It’s really positive to see deaf children, young people and adults feature on mainstream television and it will hopefully inspire other deaf people to follow in their footsteps. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of deafness among the general public, so we can help break down the barriers that deaf children face.”

Headteacher of the twins’ school Helen Shepherd said: “We are very proud of Rhianna and Natasha for their part in the advert. They had a fantastic time and it was a real adventure. It is great that the advert used BSL native users.”

Juliet England is a partially deaf freelance writer