‘I think I sent my campaign to 960 agents’ – How to make it in Hollywood by the Irish actor who knows the tricks

Actors around the world are drawn to the bright lights of Los Angeles but the work begins before even stepping on a plane, as Navan woman Claire Bermingham reveals

Red Lake

Ciara Dwyer

‘Everyone wants to go to LA,” says Claire Bermingham. “As an actor, it’s the pinnacle. Hollywood seems glamorous and fabulous. Acting is hard wherever you go, so I thought I may as well start in the eye of the storm.”

That’s exactly what she did. Straight out of Trinity College with a degree in drama and theatre studies, the Navan woman didn’t even hang around for her graduation ceremony. As part of her degree, she had studied in the University of California for a year and was keen to get back. So, Bermingham hopped on a plane to LA and plunged right in. She was young and ambitious, and a bit clueless too.