Wetherby girl chases fame in Los Angeles

Well-known Wetherby local Amy Harvey stands with her dad Colin who is also well-known in the area

Amy Harvey, moved to Los Angeles last July with her boyfriend to open up her opportunities and broaden her networking pool after winning a scholarship to study drama at TVI Actors Studio.

Miss Harvey, who attended Ashville College in Harrogate, has lived in Wetherby since she was 14 and is a well-known face in the area after working in a number of local bars.

She said: “I’m trying to make Wetherby proud over here! My Dad is a local in Wetherby, he’s been living there over 10 years now. My dad moved to Wetherby when I was about 14 so from about that age I spent a lot of my time there, and going to school in Harrogate it was just easier to get to and from Wetherby. From about the age of 14 Wetherby has been home.”

Amy, who has been passionate about acting from a young age, has been involved with a number of professional productions including the TV series Fosyte on ITV when she was just 11, and ITV’s series Island At War.

After working in a number of Wetherby bars including Bar Thre3, The New Inn and the Swan and Talbot, Amy left home to study at Lancaster University.

Amy said: “When I was at university I still had no idea I was going to come to LA. I wanted to go to London but it’s so expensive. At the time I didn’t realise it was actually cheaper to come here and do it all. I never thought I could afford to be here, I always thought it was the best place in terms of opportunities but when I looked into it I realised that the schools out here and everything were actually cheaper and better. Especially with my school having this scholarship.”

Despite such an enormous transition, Amy maintains that she is loving her time in the States.

Amy said: “Because I’m with my boyfriend it isn’t as scary as it would have been if I’d have come by myself. I don’t really know anyone here but I absolutely love it.

I Facetime and Skype my parents all the time. They help me out with money and they are so supportive. From the age of about five I’ve said that I’m going to be an actress and they’ve both said ‘yeah you are, you’re going to do it’. They’re both barristers so they could easily say ‘no - go get a real job’ but they’re a huge support.”