That's all from Pearl for today
Catherine32 asks:
Which five soul records always get you up and dancing?
Guardian contributor This feels like a challenge! It's hard to narrow it down. OK. The other day I was listening to Sweet Soul Music by Arthur Conley. Classic. A bit of Aretha. So many Stevie tracks: Master Blaster, that's a banger. Most Stevie songs to be honest. They're all good. A lot of the soul I like is quite epic, not dancey. Dancing in the Street. Heard It Through the Grapevine...
If they're making Black Panther 2, then holler!
LorenaMoriarty asks:
Is there a movie you wish you could have played in?
Guardian contributor Yeah, Black Panther. Haven't seen it yet but it looks sick. If they're making Black Panther 2 then, holler! It's so important for black kids to see themselves as superheroes. Have you seen that video with a classroom full of ethnic minority kids when they're told they're all off to see Black Panther? And they're all dancing and so happy about it. It's great. It would be pretty cool to be a part of that.
Jessicajessica asks:
What was your funniest moment on set with Peter Capaldi? And were you satisfied with Bill’s ending?
Guardian contributor Probably episode two. We were filming a big scene with lots of supporting artists. Peter had this big speech and he'd pressed the reset button and everyone had collapsed. So the SAs were all lying on the floor for quite a long time. And everyone's silent, listening to Peter's big speech. Then suddenly you could hear this sound of snoring. Ridiculous, actual snoring. The guy on the floor didn't even wake up. Someone had to go over and give him a nudge.
DWFan1 asks:
What’s your favourite Pixar film?
Guardian contributor Inside Out! I thought it was hilarious. I liked the way it explored childhood and growing up, with all the different emotions as different characters. So clever. And the stuff that goes into long-term memory and just vanishes. I love how Joy and Sadness have to work together. I took my goddaughter who was about six at the time. She said she liked Sadness who helped. It's great about how all your emotions work in harmony to make you a balanced human being. Life lessons from Pixar!!
sachat asks:
What’s The Birthday Party all about, eh?
Guardian contributor The Birthday Party... On a very basic level it's about Stanley, a long-term lodger at a B&B. Two strangers arrive and take him away. That's the bare bones. But it's very open to interpretation - it's deliberately ambiguous and contradictory. Pinter wanted it to be completely open-ended, leaving you disorientated. He doesn't allow you to put the play to bed which is one of its most brilliant aspects. People have some amazing theories about who the two strangers are, who Stanley is. No interpretation is essentially wrong. It exists on quite a mythical level as well as being real and in the moment. Pinter said it was about the weasel underneath the cocktail cabinet... Life can be disorientating and not make sense - that's what Pinter was trying to do. Come and see it! Then tell me what it's about!
Yes, I am the love child of a drum kit and a mixing desk
herrholz asks:
Are you the love child of a drum kit and a mixing desk?
Guardian contributor What? I had no idea about the Mackie mixing desk! I've just Googled it because I'd never heard about it. I knew about the Pearl drum kit obviously. So yes! I clearly am the love child of a drum kit and a mixing desk. I feel like I should bring out some good beats in the future.
Advice for the Doctor's new companions? Learn your lines!
Whovian123 asks:
What advice would you give to the new companions for series 11.
Guardian contributor I would say learn your lines! As thoroughly as possible! I'm sure they all know that - they're much more experienced than I was. And enjoy yourself, play around, there's a lot of room for interpretation in the scripts. Explore all the possibilities. Mostly, have fun. It's such a fantastic job. And appreciate what a crazy ride you're on.
Stormaggedon24 asks:
If Bill Potts was faced with a decision to either visit her mother in the past with Missy or help the Doctor save an ancient civilisation of fruit people called Marves from slavery, and due to timeline instability this was the only chance she’ll ever have to see her mother, which do you think she would choose and why?
Guardian contributor I like the level of detail here! I think she'd be very torn but she would go back in time to see her mother. Not with Missy though. Definitely her mother. Anyone would do that, wouldn't they?
I know the film Clueless word for word
sachat asks:
What’s the last movie/play you enjoyed?
Guardian contributor I watched Clueless last night. Again! I literally know it word for word. There's a complete comfort in knowing all the jokes - I was laughing at them before they were even made! I wish I knew Emma better so I can appreciate it even more.
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Roman Britain was my favourite Doctor Who place
Romanadvoratrelundar asks:
I feel Doctor Who is very unique in the fact that you visit so many weird and wonderful places and you never quite know where you’re going to end up next. So my question is: did you ever get a sense of being ‘in’ the worlds you were acting in and what was that like? Also, what was your favourite place that Bill visited with the Doctor? Bonus question: are you looking forward to your upcoming trip to Australia? Very excited to meet you in Melbourne!
Guardian contributor Great question! Yeah, I totally did! Particularly the episode set in Victorian London. The set designer Michael Pickwoad built a massive bridge that the Tardis was on top of. There was a whole ice fair... It was completely incredible, completely authentic with all the little stalls and so on.
Roman Britain was my favourite place - there was lots of running around in woods, crawling out of holes in the middle of the night.
I've never been to Australia before so I'm very excited!
filmferox asks:
Would you rather fight one Dalek-sized chicken or 100 chicken-sized Daleks?
Guardian contributor I'm saying one Dalek-sized chicken. Definitely. Chickens don't have weaponry, right? Though they could peck you. They might peck your face off. If you did win then I guess you'd have seriously good barbecue... It would take ages to pluck them. This has got a bit weird.
It wasn't me inside the Cyberman costume ... it was a 6ft 4in man called Liam
pottswald asks:
Firstly, I want to say that you were amazing as Bill Potts and thank you for being her. My question is, how did you feel playing a Cyberman? Or what did you think about it? Especially since she wasn’t able to see herself as a Cyberman until she looked into a mirror.
i thought it was a really interesting plot twist. It was a very clever way of exploring the genesis of the Cybermen. Bill is someone who people have always responded reasonably well to - she's friendly and inquisitive, so for her to experience having an appearance that terrifies people, was really scary for her. But unfortunately it wasn't me inside the costume. I'm too short. They decided a 5ft 6in Cyberman wouldn't be scary. And fitting in my afro would have been tough to navigate. So a 6ft 4in man called Liam played him instead. I did have a hand in plotting out his movements though...
El Zorro asks:
Thank you for your recent representation of the vibrant, funny, brilliant and individual Bill Potts. Arguably the most unique of companions in the Doctor’s history! I felt that with Bill, Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor really came into his own (since Clara was a holdover from Eleven) and although Bill’s time with us was all too short, I loved the definitive structure and narrative arc of Bill’s story across Season 10. Hoping she found some adventures as a “water nymph” with Heather! :-)
What are you most looking forward to doing next? Would you prefer to focus more on the stage or screen?! And as an actress, how does your craft differ for each from your perspective (if at all)? Will you be watching to see Jodie’s Doctor later in the year and how the show continues with its first female lead?
PS Your name is properly awesome! The reason I mention it is because you don’t hear of many Pearls these days – you’re a rare jewel! :-) - and I wonder if your surname has Scottish origins ... Is there some inspiration behind it?
Also, loved your star turn on the CBeebies bedtime stories recently!
Well, when you're doing screen work there's no audience! In stage, the response is immediate - and actually it can throw you off if, for example, they don't laugh when they're supposed to! The liveness is very exciting. Every show is slightly different. You still find new elements every time as the depth of Pinter's writing is incredible. With screen work, you may do a scene 40 times for different camera set-ups and so on but once you've done it, it's over. So if you get a great idea for the scene the next day, it's too late. So you really need to come in with immediate ideas in screen work.
20michelleV05 asks:
Can you suggest me a good book to read?
Yes! It's called You Can't Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson, one half of 2 Dope Queens. It's very insightful about growing up as a young black woman. Plus it's hilarious. It may not change your life ... but it's funny.
I would like to play a villain
Coolzico asks:
Personality wise what kinda of characters would you like to play in the future. For example, would you like to play a really shy person or a villain or some other personality type?
I would like to play a villain but then I'm not particularly interested in archetypes. I like rounded characters. But it would be an interesting challenge to play someone less balanced than the characters I've already played. I just like to play characters that are real. If poss!
jessbradburyx asks:
What advice would you give for someone who is just about to do her final GCSE drama performance and would like to follow a career path into acting? I also want to say that you’re one of my favourite actors and cannot wait to see your future projects.
Jess - and everyone else who would like to be an actor! - I would say keep going, go to the theatre and cinema as much as possible. Find out what you think is successful and isn't. Read a lot. And try to go to drama school. It's a really great training. It taught me some skills I hadn't learned before.
I didn't feel any kind of burden playing an LGBTQ woman of colour
RyanFarrell91 asks:
You played an LGBTQ woman of colour – did you feel any kind of burden, especially given that many children questioning their sexuality might not have seen a character like you on TV before, and many young girls of colour might not have seen somebody that looks like them in such a high-profile role? What has the response been from these groups?
No, I didn't feel any kind of burden. Responsibility, yes, but it was an exciting task to represent underrepresented groups. The feedback has been pretty overwhelmingly positive!
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Myam0t0 ask:
Beans on a fryup?
100% definitely yes. Always. And don't give them to me in a ramekin either.
Pearl Mackie is with us now …
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Pearl Mackie webchat – post your questions now
As Peter Capaldi’s companion on Doctor Who, Pearl Mackie spent a dizzying year journeying through space and time. Her character, Bill Potts, who went from serving chips to saving the Earth, is now one of the show’s most loved sidekicks. She also made history by becoming the series’ first gay companion, falling in love with student Heather, who was heartbreakingly turned into a puddle.
Born in Brixton, Mackie decided she wanted to be an actor while her mum was plaiting her hair. “I was watching Judy Garland in Meet Me in St Louis and I said, ‘I want to do that!’ She was like ‘OK’ and kept combing.” The problem was, Mackie has said, “I didn’t see many people who looked like me on TV.” She went on to study at the Bristol Old Vic theatre school, before appearing on the BBC soap Doctors and in the West End in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. She has also dabbled in music – singing in the nu-folk band Freddie and the Hoares.
Now, she is performing in an all-star revival of Harold Pinter’s cryptic classic The Birthday Party at the Harold Pinter theatre, London.
Pearl will be joining us for a live webchat at 12pm GMT on Monday 5 February. Post your questions for her in the comment section below.
Thanks very much everyone! Excellent questions. I'm off to listen to my soul/Motown playlist. Bye!!!