‘It’s my story and it’s a painful one’: Bridgerton actress opens up about her new short movie

Streatham-raised actress Theresa Godly, who has appeared in the likes of Bridgerton, EastEnders and Motherland, is set to release her first short film, launching her career as a screenwriter and film producer.

The Stranger I Love, has been submitted to more than 70 festivals running for 12 months from July.

Speaking to the South London Press, Ms Godly said: “We finished it on April 5. It’s been a three-year journey.

“It’s an amazing feeling, taking control of my career to write and produce my own film, from cradle to the grave.”

The film, which Ms Godly also stars in, is based on her lived experience of parental alienation – when one parent coerces a child against the other, safe parent.

Ms Godly said: “It’s my story and it was a painful one to write. It is also a subject that has never been covered in film before, but affects so many parents across the world.”

The Stranger I Love was supported by the charity Parental Alienation Awareness UK – which features in the film – throughout the production process. 

Following the release of the trailer on Tuesday, Ms Godly said she has received dozens of messages from people thanking her for raising awareness of the issue.

She said: “It’s an educational piece – people have seen the trailer and realised ‘oh my god that’s happening to my brother’ or ‘this is what my friend is going through’.

“The story is reflective of so many families but there’s not enough awareness out there.

“It can also be shown to children at secondary school to educate them. If the film can change one person’s life and prevent them from being torn from their parents then I’ve done my job.”

Ms Godly began her work on The Stranger I Love during lockdown.

She said: “It was a very low point in my life and my friend suggested writing a script might help me.

“I did find it cathartic. Your first few scripts are like a vomit draft – you just get everything in your head down.”

Seventeen drafts later and after two crowdfunding initiatives which secured a total of £24,000, The Stranger I Love was ready to start filming.

Ms Godly said: “It was liberating. As an actor you are always working through someone else – an agent or a producer.

“Creating your own work, you’re telling your story and bringing it to life.”

The Stranger I Love is around 15 minutes long. Ms Godly said creating a short film was both challenging and rewarding.

She said: “Short films have to pack a punch. With feature films you have hours to play with, when you have less time you need your audience hooked within the first 30 seconds. That’s what makes them so powerful.

“It would be great to see cinemas running more short films – running several every Saturday to get people watching them.”

Ms Godly – who describes herself as a ‘proud South Londoner’ – was born in Kolkata but raised in Streatham after she was adopted by her parents as a baby.

She said: “I started acting really young. My mum first noticed it in me as a child when I would mimic actors while watching TV.”

As a child she joined the Streatham-based Gina Dyke Stage School, which she says inspired her dream to become an actor. She went on to attend the renowned Sylvia Young Theatre School and also studied acting at the Guildford School of Acting.

But it has not always been a smooth ride for Ms Godly. 

She said: “I had my daughter quite young and then my son at 34, life just got in the way.

“When I hit 40 it was a bit of an epiphany moment. I went back to acting, took acting classes again. I got an agent again and did every crappy acting job under the sun to get my foot back through the door.

“And now I’m here, releasing my own film. It’s never too late or too early to do it. You can achieve your dream if you believe in yourself, and work hard for it.”

The trailer for The Stranger I Love can be watched here: https://vimeo.com/944241418

Pictured top: Jonathan Bailey and Theresa Godly on the set of Bridgerton (Picture: Theresa Godly)