‘I starred in a beloved TV show 10 years ago but now I’m living my dream’

In 2015, Paisley Billings burst onto our screens arsenic the bubbly and instantly lovable receptionist for the iconic amusement Tattoo Fixers.

Along with creator Sketch, Paisley was the lone formed subordinate who stayed for the show’s full tally with a ‘bittersweet’ farewell aft six seasons.

Metro caught up with the 31-year-old prima arsenic she steps distant from the surface — for present — to radiance successful London’s theatre territory instead.

‘I consciousness similar if I’m connected a stage, I’m surviving the dream,’ she revealed of her caller turns successful some Six and the caller Percy Jackson musical, The Lightning Thief.

Fans of the E4 amusement mightiness beryllium somewhat startled to spot her belting retired immoderate superior tunes connected signifier arsenic galore thought she really was a receptionist.

‘I consciousness similar it wasn’t truly known that I was ever an actor,’ she laughed and added: ‘While I was [on the show] I wasn’t acting astatine all.

‘I deliberation that’s what whitethorn person caused a small spot of confusion. I was a receptionist connected TV, but I’ll beryllium honest, I don’t cognize overmuch astir “receptioning”.’

Her occupation was to get the clients to unfastened up, truthful the champion mode to bash that was simply by being herself, which further conflated this on-screen mentation with real-life Paisley.

While the amusement meant she was ‘entertaining radical successful immoderate way’ determination was a portion of her that yearned to represent a quality for a unrecorded audience, that TV couldn’t fulfil.

‘I deliberation [Tattoo Fixers ending] was bittersweet,’ she shared. ‘I’d been doing it for specified a agelong clip and I truly missed performing but it was besides really, truly bittersweet to permission it behind.

‘Obviously, Sketch and I being successful it from the precise beginning, we were beauteous overmuch similar household by the extremity of it. So that was difficult, saying goodbye to the people, but I deliberation it came astatine a clip wherever I was acceptable for thing new.’

Paisley reassured america that she is inactive successful interaction with tattoo creator Sketch arsenic good arsenic Pash and Uzzi Canby who joined successful play five.

While she whitethorn person circular her fame connected TV, theatre was her ‘first love’ with Paisley adjacent appearing arsenic young Nala successful The Lion King erstwhile she was astir 10 years old.

In The Lightning Thief, presently connected successful London’s The Other Palace, the Celebs Go Dating prima plays not 1 but 7 antithetic characters.

‘It was rather daunting,’ she revealed. ‘I can’t lie, with each the changes and everything that has to beryllium done backstage, my backstage choreography is astir arsenic analyzable arsenic the on-stage choreography.’

Paisley is billed arsenic Sally Jackson but successful world plays astir each monster the demigods travel crossed from Medusa to Charon, the gatekeeper to the underworld.

This is not your accustomed black-robed ominous ferryman though, funnily enough, she is erstwhile again a benignant of receptionist — albeit a disco-dancing undead receptionist.

‘That fig of the show, DOA, is just, oh, it’s truthful overmuch fun,’ the prima said. ‘Where the full formed are connected signifier and we each get to party. It’s the item of my show.’

Despite the franchise spanning two movies, aggregate immense publication series, and a TV show, Paisley went into the satellite of the Greek gods wholly unsighted and is present wondering however connected world she ‘missed out’ for truthful long.

After Tattoo Fixers ended (and lockdown lifted), returning to the satellite of theatre felt earthy and she landed a portion successful Six — a miss band-style philharmonic astir the wives of Henry VIII.

She continued: ‘As a kid, I’d ever wanted to beryllium a miss set truthful I felt similar I got to unrecorded 2 puerility dreams astatine once. It was specified a beauteous experience, the full of the cast, it was a sisterhood.’

The amusement has inspired a dedicated fanbase, known arsenic the Queendom, who Paisley calls ‘incredible’ and reminds her a batch of the Percy Jackson fans, aka Demigods.

‘You expect applause astatine the extremity of a fig but erstwhile it comes successful waves and waves,’ she recalled. ‘I americium floored by however overmuch emotion is shown by the audience.’

The enthusiasm and sheer emotion Paisley has for being connected signifier truly is palpable but she hasn’t said goodbye to TV completely.

‘If there’s a satellite successful which determination could beryllium a philharmonic comedy, oregon speech amusement vibes that would beryllium rather fun,’ she teased. ‘Maybe a documentary present and there.’

The Lightning Thief’s tally astatine The Other Palace has been extended until August and Paisley volition beryllium staying with the accumulation ‘giving america a spot of DOA’ for the foreseeable future.

She concluded: ‘I bash truly bask performing. I consciousness similar there’s an constituent of seeing idiosyncratic successful their airy and I don’t mean a spotlight, I mean shining from wrong due to the fact that they’re genuinely blessed with what it is that they’re doing and they consciousness fulfilled.

‘I consciousness similar that’s the abstraction I’m successful astatine the moment.’

Tickets to spot The Lightning Thief astatine The Other Palace are connected merchantability now. Tattoo Fixers is disposable connected request connected Channel 4.

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