An actress desperate for a part in Emmerdale has arranged for a massive billboard just yards away from the soap’s set in Yorkshire.
Mariama Bojang took action after struggling to find roles despite 100 auditions in the last seven months.
Her mum generously agreed to pay £1,000 for two billboards, one in Leeds and the second erected at Salford’s Media City UK, near the set of Coronation Street.
She said she had deliberately chosen the two spots as appearing on a soap “has been an aspiration of mine since I was young.”
But ultimately she hopes the “ingenious” advertising campaign, involving a 48-sheet static billboard in Leeds, will help fulfil her dream of being in a crime drama like Line of Duty.
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The 27-year-old, who lives in Lindley and describes herself as ‘the articulate autistic actor,’ started out after landing a small speaking role in ITV ’s Prey, where she acted alongside Rosie Cavaliero, in 2015.
"I was an extra at the time when the director came up to me and gave me a line. I could have jumped for joy," she said.
"After we finished filming he said I was brilliant and that I was no longer an extra and had upgraded to the role of walk-on."
Mariama, who believes her autism has been a benefit to her acting, said: “Ideally, I will be contacted by a casting director asking if I would like to audition for a role and I of course will accept.
“I am not aspiring to be a celebrity, I’m not in it for fame, or even money, I have a passion for this craft and it comes from the heart.
“The idea of the billboards came into my head one evening and I thought ‘what can I do to maximise my chances to be noticed by the ‘right people’ ie casting directors and producers?’.
“So I thought why not advertise on a mass scale, as large and loud as possible. What better way than a billboard!”
She says in the last seven months she has taken part in around 100 auditions, some by tape and some online and managed to get a few parts and is waiting to hear back from some.
Mariama said she started acting when she was three and last year attended the Matt Zina acting school with a branch in Leeds.
She said she was “excited” to see the billboard but said it felt “surreal”.
“It was the first time I’d been on a billboard. I felt proud and accomplished and this is only the beginning,” she said.
About her love for acting, she explained: “I like the ability to live a thousand lives in one lifetime. The fact that I am able to assume any identity I wish.
"It’s a form of escapism. I can get away with saying and doing things that I would never normally dream of.”
About her autism, she said: “It has enabled me to learn to mask and watch what other people do and respond. Acting is reacting.
"Being neuro-diverse in a neuro-typical world, you learn to act all the time, especially when I'm socialising.
"But it really assists with the acting. I am hoping to inspire others who are on the autistic spectrum.
"I want to tell them to follow their dreams just like me."
