Amanda Billing says if she wasn't an actor, she'd like to be an art teacher. Photo / Amanda Billing/Katie Fell
Amanda Billing says if she wasn't an actor, she'd like to be an art teacher. Photo / Amanda Billing/Katie Fell
Amanda Billing is an actor, artist, and photographer. She has joined season two of Under the Vines playing local cop Yvonne. The former teacher also starred as Dr Sarah Potts on Shortland Street.
I feel my best when I have had a good night’s sleep, when I drink enough water,when I hug my favourite people, when I’m working purposefully and getting paid. Great hair also helps (thanks ASC Salon, if I’m allowed to name-drop my mates).
To keep fit and healthy, look, full disclosure, a lot of the time I’m inconsistent with exercise and nutrition, so I’m not going to make it sound like I actually “do” anything. But in an ideal week, I would walk to my studio often, I would do body-weight stuff and some yoga, I’d get in the ocean, and I’d eat an omnivorous diet featuring a lot of red meat, fish, dairy, and veges I can enjoy raw. There’d be ice-cold lager in there somewhere and biscuits. Plus, a trip to Ponsonby Foodcourt. Oh, and zinc and vitamin D.
To keep mentally and emotionally healthy, I do every single thing I’ve said so far. In addition, I remember to breathe. I talk about my deepest thoughts and feelings with a handful of key people in my life. I stay creative. I avoid trolls and drama on social media like the plague (are we allowed to say that now?). I watch a lot of animal videos on Instagram. I try to see the funny side of things without getting cancelled. I listen to the advice I give other people.
The best advice I’ve ever been given about life is controversial, but, “If you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything.” This is not passivity, a lack of responsibility, or about giving up. It’s acknowledging that moving forward requires an openness to something potentially unrecognisable. It implies that what you’ve done before (if you’ve been here before) hasn’t worked and you have no idea what’s really going on. It allows resolutions to problems to come from other quarters. It can help you see that a need for certainty or control could be part of your problem.
I’d describe myself as an extroverted introvert who’s arty yet politically homeless.
As I get older, I realise life is incredible, and grief is the price we pay for loving anything.
My favourite memory is my childhood home and my upbringing in the 80s and 90s in Masterton. I’m very nostalgic for everything about growing up pre-internet in a small town.
The people who have had the biggest impact on my life are my entire family, in particular my mum and dad. They’ve always been my supporters and guides. I admire them enormously and I strive to be a chip off the (old – sorry!) blocks.
Amanda Billing has joined season two of Under the Vines playing local cop Yvonne. Photo / Supplied
What people don’t know about me is I have pins in my left hand from the last hockey game I ever played.
I’ve suffered from imposter syndrome, and I’ve done a lot of thinking about this. It’s part of the deal if you want to grow in confidence doing something you love, so get used to it. Pay it close attention because it’s telling you what really matters to you. It’s pushing you, to be honest. It’s asking for courage. It’s reminding you to do your best.
When the going gets tough, I tell myself, “Is this really what I want to be doing?” And if it is, “Stay in it, babes, we can get through this! Also…do I need some help?”
An ambition of mine is to shoot portraits for magazines.
My work ethic consists of working very hard on other people’s projects, procrastinating about my own, and thriving under pressure.
On Sundays, you’ll find me at my studio, drawing, reading, and eating biscuits while thinking about dinner and trying not to drink too much coffee.
My best life hack is not even a life hack, but here goes – ditch any app or platform that allows you to hire-purchase your clothes online. You know the ones. Get them off your phone, out of your keychain, and close your accounts. Instead, buy things on lay-by (not the other one), with cash even, from a bricks and mortar store. It’s financially hygienic, it’ll make you appreciate your possessions, and the social contact is good for everyone.
*Under the Vines screens on Sunday nights at 8.10pm on TVNZ 1 and is streaming on TVNZ+
