In the recent release of the 5 series The Fortune, Rochelle Goldie was in the cast, which starred Eleanor Tomlinson and Matthew Lewis, with her previous screen work including playing Mia in the 2023 action thriller feature film Jackdaw, which was directed and written by Jamie Childs, and Jess Farnsby in an episode of Vera. Goldie filmed as a prom guest in CBBC show The Dumping Ground for the long-running care worker Mike’s leaving episode in Series 7, and went on to join as new care worker Georgia in Series 11 and 12, where she worked with a cast including William Wyn Davies and Andrea Hall as care workers Ben and Doreen and Mimi Robertson and Charlie Geany, who played Maisie and Brodie respectively, who were both residents of The Dumping Ground. On stage, Goldie was directed by Kemi-Bo Jacobs when she played Jasmine in Braids at Live Theatre Newcastle, and she has just finished an unannounced project with her. Catching up with Goldie, she told us about playing care worker Georgia in CBBC’s The Dumping Ground, being in the cast of The Fortune and working on Vera and Jackdaw.
What was it like filming for the recent release of the new 5 series The Fortune, which starred Eleanor Tomlinson and Matthew Lewis?
Super good! Really great, and a really nice cast and crew, which makes everything more enjoyable. I knew some of the crew from other projects, so it’s always great to catch up and work with them again.
Eleanor was WONDERFUL! So nice, so normal, so friendly, and so good to act alongside. We were rehearsing for a scene and I told her, “Oh, I like acting with you”. She said, “I like acting with you too. You feel so natural”. We laughed, it was cute… She was probably just being nice, but it’s a good little memory I have. If you’re an Eleanor Tomlinson fan, she doesn’t disappoint. I’d love to work with her again.
When I found out Matthew Lewis was in the show, I was in the hair and makeup room and his headshot had just been put up on the wall. Believe me when I say I hadn’t had that fangirl experience yet, until I looked up and saw his picture. I think it was because I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. Growing up, I obsessed with it, and now my Shih Tzu is named after a Harry Potter character (Marvolo). So, to see that little old me was in the same cast as Matthew Lewis was hilarious and insane. I felt a little proud of myself. Michael Birtley (head of HMU, who I had worked with him on The Dumping Ground) was shocked to see me fangirl because I’m just not usually the type!
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet him, as I didn’t have any scenes with him and our filming days didn’t cross over. But I swear… one day! But everyone said he was very nice too.
How was it reading the scripts for The Fortune, and who do you think will enjoy watching the series?
Reading the scripts properly at the read-through was fun, and hearing the twists and turns for the first time with everyone is great. It’s a good giggle sometimes. There’s always a little fear at the read-through that you’ll get fired after for being terrible! So a couple of us were giggling about that too! If you love the cast, you’ll love The Fortune, and if you love a murder mystery, this is right up your street.
Having previously filmed as a prom guest in long-running care worker Mike’s leaving episode of The Dumping Ground in Series 7 in 2019, what was it like being involved with that episode as an extra, and how different was it joining the cast as a new care worker for Series 11 and 12?
This was such a good full-circle moment, from being an extra on a show to then being a series regular. It’s extra nice too because I grew up on that show from when it was Tracy Beaker.
I had been an extra on TDG another time too, I think, but I can’t remember much. It was just a day. I had good fun filming as an extra on the prom episode. I remember it was five days filming, so I made friends with the other extras and had a great time. I was part of Kyanne Lamaya’s little mean girl gang. Although her character was mean, she was LOVELY! We talked and laughed a lot and kept in touch after.
I did a lot of extra work on different shows that filmed in the North East, and I learnt a lot. If I didn’t do extra work, I wouldn’t have had a clue what to do when it came to filming my first TV job. There’s no one there to hold your hand; you just step on set and are expected to know what to do.
I’ve had people mock and laugh at me for doing extra work. To this day, I still don’t understand why… HATERS!
Was there anything that drew you to the role of Georgia and what was she like to play?
She was young and also relatable to the kids she was caring for. She was a child of the care system herself, so I knew she had a depth and layers to her. I thought that was valuable to the show and its viewers. When the show aired, I was surprised that Georgia as just the character and then Georgia’s backstory resonated with a lot of the audience! A lot of viewers reached out to me, from a wide range of ages.
She was real fun to play. I like how I could put a lot of myself into the character.
How was it working alongside both the adult and young cast, and what do you remember from your first day on set as a regular character on the show?
Everyone in the cast was great. I did spend more time on set with the kids over the adults, but that was just because of the scenes we were in. I saw Will (Wyn Davies) and Andy (Hall) a good amount still. We would often catch each other in our pods, in hair and makeup, and passing as one of us were getting ready to leave set or start the day. We would hang out with the crew on weekends a couple of times too and party!
Those kids though… wild. I loved them all. They made me laugh too much, and we would get in trouble for talking too much/loud in between takes. There’s a lot of restrictions put in place for child actors (rightly so), so you can’t kiki off set or even talk to them. I only got to see them on set or at lunchtimes, where we would hang out in the sun or play football etc, or in the hair and makeup room! Emme (Patrick) was always in the chair to the right of me, Mimi (Robertson) or Zanele (Nyoni) to the left, and Charlie (Geany) in the first chair when you entered the room. I’d see them if we were travelling in the same cars to location too.
I had a really good bond with Mimi and Charlie. I hope they soar.
I remember my first day on set. It was the first day of shooting! My first scene and my first day as series regular, and I was filming with just Mimi in a scene in the office. We had to reshoot it months after, but thank God, because I was tripping over my words. I was a little nervous and felt as stiff as a board. It was the first time meeting Mimi, and we were both a little shy, like, “Hi”… “Hi”.
Did you have any stand-out favourite scenes to film on The Dumping Ground, and how was it being part of a CBBC project?
Oh, easy. My favourite scenes to film were in Series 11, Episode 9 – Fly Away Home. Mimi, Charlie and I worked hard on that episode. We had lots of conversations leading up to it. It was a deep and heavy theme, and we really wanted to do a good job. I think we did, and I’m proud of us.
It was a long day. We were doing emotional scenes all day, so I was exhausted when we wrapped. We had to do a lot of running scenes too, which was super fun and tiring, but we had a laugh. Running after Mimi with a GoPro gave us a giggle. Working with director Duncan Foster was such a good experience too. I like the way he works, he knows his stuff.
That episode was received well when it aired. Again, lots of viewers connected to it and reached out. I’m probably being biased, but that was definitely the best episode of that season!
It meant so much to be on a CBBC show, but especially The Dumping Ground. I watched a lot of CBBC growing up and loved, loved, loved Tracy Beaker. So, as soon as the audition came through for the role, I just needed it.
The whole experience was the best. I was completely devastated when they didn’t bring Georgia back. I’ve never been so happy in my whole life, and I’ve never felt happiness like that since. I get scared I’ll never feel that happiness again.
You played Mia in the 2023 action thriller feature film Jackdaw, can you tell us about the film and your character?
My first feature film! I lied in my audition and said I could ride a motorbike… luckily, we got bike riding lessons from insanely good stunt people who were champion motocross riders (I’m unsure what you call them!). But alas, I still fell off my bike whilst filming a take. Those things are heavy!
So, as you can guess, there’s bike riding and thrills in the movie, and partying and action! My character is Mia, and she is such a vibe – a raver, a badass and a loyal one.
Mia is my favourite character costume I have had so far.
What was it like being in the cast of Jackdaw, and how was it being directed by Jamie Childs (who also wrote the film)?
Being in the cast felt amazing. I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be, but I was intimidated by a lot of the other actors’ experience, which knocked my confidence a little. I don’t get intimidated by people, I get intimated by their experience. I deal with it better these days, but on Jackdaw, I really doubted myself.
The experience was amazing. I’d kill to be able to do these things again. It was an unbelievably cold shoot, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Being directed by Jamie was great. I thought he was amazing, and it was even better that he was from the North East. He’s very inspiring. I really, really want to work with him again.
What was your storyline in Vera like to work on, and how was the experience filming an episode as guest character Jess Farnsby in Series 11?
Let me tell you this. Vera was my first TV job, and I was shaking like a leaf in those interrogation scenes because I was so nervous. I felt sick. I literally couldn’t stop my body from shaking. I’m so glad I’ve never experienced nerves like that again, because I think I’d have to quit acting.
My storyline was really good and gave me a lot to play around with. It really put me through my paces and tested my acting skills, especially as a new actor.
Vera is another show I did extra work on. My grandad used to drive me to be an extra and pick me up, so that again was another full-circle moment. He was so happy and excited that I got a TV job, and that it was in Vera. Unfortunately, he passed away before it aired, and he never got to see it.
As a stage actor, you’ve performed in shows such as Braids at Live Theatre Newcastle as Jasmine; can you say about your theatre work and how different do you find it to screen acting?
Braids as Jasmine was my first lead role in anything, not just theatre. I didn’t go to drama school, so I learnt so much from Kemi-Bo (Jacobs, director) in the weeks we were rehearsing – from vocal warm-ups to techniques to breaking down scripts – that I still use to this day. I’m so grateful for that experience and, looking back, it really was invaluable. I loved it. I really gave it my all and took so much away from it.
That being said, I much prefer TV/film over theatre, and I no longer do theatre work for multiple reasons. One definitely being that the rehearsal process is long and, for me, I have to be really mentally strong and positive. There’s a lot of repetition in the rehearsal process, and I find myself counting down the days until the last show.
But with TV/film, I never want it to end. I dread the end.
Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get into it?
I was just always that confident kid that liked to sing, dance and perform. I did gymnastics growing up and it all just spiralled from there. I think I was about 19 when I decided it was just acting that I wanted to do.
As an extra, I’d watch the main cast and just think, “Ugh, I can do that. I really want to do that”. It became a really desperate feeling. I had to start from the bottom – no contacts, no training, no help… NOTHING.
What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?
I LOVE my TV and I love my films. That’s my thing. I was such a TV kid! I’m really into fantasy genres and young adult, like The Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf, Twilight, Harry Potter, Gossip Girl and The Summer I Turned Pretty. Gosh, I love all of that stuff.
I’m also severely addicted to Bravo’s Housewives. That’s a series I’d want to be on… The Real Housewives of…
I really love Game of Thrones, and wow, House of the Dragon is phenomenal!
How do you like to spend your free time?
I love spending my free time with a cup of tea, catching up on my TV shows, doing some shopping and hanging out with my Shih Tzu.
Oh… and doom-scrolling. I’m so online.
What do you find the most enjoyable aspect of being in the acting industry?
The most enjoyable part is booking that job, being on set and just working. Honestly, I love it all. I just want to be part of it.
Do you have any projects coming up that you can talk about, and what are you hoping the rest of the year brings you?
I have just finished filming on a project with the amazing Kemi-Bo Jacobs, who was my director in the stage production of Braids that we talked about! I don’t know what I can tell you about that, but all of you reading this… keep an eye out for it. I’m mega proud of it.
For the rest of the year, and every year going forward, I hope for the same thing: to book acting jobs and to be happy.
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