Diana Peedle-Calloo tells us about her acting career, photography and aspirations for the future! (BSL)

Hi everyone, I’m Diana Peedle-Calloo although some of you may know me as Diana Martin – which is the name I use for my acting career.

I am currently a dog sitter, actress, photographer and content creator. I am also a profoundly Deaf BSL user.

I have been working as a dog sitter for the last eight years, I have always loved animals since I was young so I felt dog sitting perfectly matched my lifestyle as I am a Mother and it offers me the flexibility at home that I need.

Working as a dog sitter enables me flexibility to take on acting and photography jobs as well as the opportunity to expand my content creation work online, where I’ve started producing and sharing comedy sketches.

I first started acting on the deaf television series Switch over twenty years ago! At that time Remark! had a database for deaf actors, models, presenters and they would send out call outs via email.

I was dabbling in modelling at the time with the agency VisABLE so I entered my details into the Remark! database.It was on this database that the director of Switch spotted my profile and thought I fitted the character of Claire perfectly.

I was contacted to audition for Claire and it was my first audition – I had no previous experience – I was so shocked to get the part!

It turned out to be the best time of my life as I unexpectedly found a passion in life. Being on Switch gave me confidence and inspired me to pursue more jobs as an actress.

One of my favourite acting experiences was a play I was in called Child of a Lesser God. It was such a challenge for me as the character doesn’t use lip pattern, its strong BSL only that she uses.

I had to be conscious of this when I was performing, which was difficult as I have a tendency to use lip pattern a lot.I had never acted on a stage before and it was a huge achievement for me.

Standing up in front of an audience was so daunting but incredible too. I still remember that feeling, I was so nervous on the first night that my mind went blank during a monologue but I quickly recovered thankfully.

I feel there have been so many changes in the acting world for deaf actors over the years. Back then, there were less deaf actors and perhaps less opportunities but I had more work. I also didn’t have any children or commitments.

Now, a lot of things have changed. I am a Mother, so naturally I’ve been busy raising my boys. It does feel that a lot of people have forgotten about me as an actress which isn’t a nice feeling but I understand I’ve been out of the scene for a while.

I have struggled to get acting roles over the last few years, despite auditioning for so many projects. There are a lot more deaf actors nowadays which is good and there’s more opportunities too but I have experienced so much rejection which hurts.

I experienced a few times being offered a role and then had this taken off me, because the creatives decided I don’t visually tick the box they’re looking for, and that they want to be more diverse.

This has caused me to self-reflect a lot and question whether I should give up acting or keep going. I am also a native BSL user, without clear speech. I see lots of roles going to deaf actors who can use their voice so it does feel like an unfair advantage.

Also you may also have noticed on television or film the deaf characters are usually all by themselves. Where are the other deaf people, their family, their friends, why is there only one deaf character? It doesn’t seem authentic. This needs to change really.

Another reason I feel my acting work has become quiet is also due to my age. It’s a cruel fact for most actors, even mainstream celebrity ones, that as you get older, the roles turn to those who are younger than you.

So whilst I may not be busy at the moment as an actress, I won’t give up, I will keep chasing my dream to be in a film or series again!

Looking at my photography work I first started learning it at Mary Hare school. I loved it and went on to do a degree. I’m not an academic person so I prefer hands on, visual projects so photography fits me perfectly.

After University I volunteered for the BDN (British Deaf News) magazine for a year and then worked taking photos of people at deaf events, for example.

Over time, I became a Mother and I was keen to keep my passion for photography going even when my boys were small. They actually started modelling and I was able to photograph them, play about with their fashion and so on. It kept my creative spark alive through parenthood!

It’s interesting to note I first started working with digital photography but fell in love with using film, I find the quality is just magical and adds a special touch to photos – I love it.

Around eight years ago I started working with a friend Nathan Rollinson, supporting him with his content creation work as his photographer. I loved the opportunity to take a break from my commitments and photograph in beautiful settings.  Together we stay in luxurious hotels and picturesque locations and take photographs there.

Travelling and working with Nathan has encouraged my confidence to grow in photography. So I am very thankful to him for encouraging me and I have learnt so much in the process.

Working with Nathan I learn about the angles, shapes and admiration for architecture within a photo.

I love photographing people and I much prefer natural lighting especially the golden hours of sunset and sunrise – the golden tones are stunning.

Nathan teaches me how to take good fashion images, how to relax and capture the perfect pose. This has inspired my move into creating fashion content online and I also feel excited to travel more and keep a track of this with photography, it keeps my motivation high.

I have moved some of my work online as a content creator for travel, fashion and health. I am passionate about alternative health and would love to share that with everyone.

I have personally learnt so much about fitness, yoga and alternative therapies so I like to share online what I have discovered.

I strongly believe it doesn’t matter how old you are, it is important to practice self care and feel good about yourself. I use my videos to remind others of this. We don’t need to look or be perfect, but find ways to feel happy in our lives.

Looking ahead, one personal aim is to grow my online platform. I also aspire to land a role in a TV series or film. It would be a dream come true to work with Lauren Ridloff or Sophie Stone or even star in a superhero adrenaline filled movie!

Who knows what can happen. I’m prepared to work hard, so watch this space!

By Diana Peedle-Calloo