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Runway to Role: Behind Sophie Rankin’s Career - EP 21

• Warren Tells Tales - Warren Adams • Season 2 • Episode 21

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Sophie Rankin – Actress & Model! 

Sophie is a very talented actress with a lot of great acting experience in film and television roles gained from working all over the world. Sophie has had lead roles in four feature films, including a role in the very popular UK TV series Emmerdale playing Erica, and much more. 

Sophie is a lovely individual with bundles of energy and a ton of enthusiasm for life. She’s known for always being smiling, and she brings a lot of hard work, energy, and positivity to everything she pursues. She has a very versatile acting ability and has played a wide range of genre-spanning characters. She loves getting into character and helping a piece of film work come to life. She has always had very professional work ethics—highly reliable, extremely hardworking, and never afraid of a challenge!

Modelling

Sophie has also been working as a model for the last 10 years and has done a lot of published print work, commercials, fashion/editorial beauty portrait work, and lingerie/bikini modelling in the UK, the Philippines, China, Japan, Malaysia, and America. She gets regularly booked to model for skincare products, makeup lines, and fashion lines in magazines, websites, and catalogues—and has had endorsements for big brands in Asia.

Sophie is also a beauty queen title holder. She won Miss Wonderful UK 2015 and Miss Harmony World 2017, and was also Miss Global England 2015. Sophie also models for a lot of TV work and has been in E4’s My Mad Fat Diary, and has featured in 31 music videos and several TV commercials in the UK, Asia, and America.

Sophie’s Socials

Host: Warren Adams – Warren Telling Tales

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Warren Adams Socials

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SPEAKER_00

Hello everyone, welcome to today's episode. I am very excited to have Sophie Rankin on the podcast today. She's an actress, a model, an influencer online. She is a fantastic individual. I worked with her a number of years ago on a short film, and we were trying to work out how long it's been, but it's been many, many years. When I was back in London and you were living in London, because you actually usually are based in the Philippines, which is pretty cool, and we're going to talk a lot about that later. Whereabouts are you uh at the moment? Welcome. Welcome to the episode.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, thank you so much. Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It's so nice to see you after all this time. And I will definitely try my best to work out when I last saw you, but I think it probably was about maybe eight years ago now, which is crazy. So, yeah, so lovely to uh to see you again, and thank you so much for having me on your show. I'm currently in London to answer your question.

SPEAKER_00

Wow, nice. Um, whereabouts in London are you?

SPEAKER_02

Are you in central London or yeah, I'm in central London, uh close to Rembrandt at the moment. So yeah, it's um kind of a shock because um I flew back from the Philippines uh last December for Christmas, and obviously I had no idea that the borders were about to close, and then England went into lockdown. So I had every intention of flying straight back to the Philippines, and obviously that um didn't quite work out as planned, but um everything's actually been really good, and I think it's really worked out for the best because I got to spend four and a half months in Hampshire with my family, which was amazing, and that was the longest time I'd actually been home for since I pretty much left home. So it's incredible to just uh spent so much time with them, and now I'm back in London um living with one of my best friends, so yeah, it's all fun and games at the moment.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And that's kind of cool, but um that your your you uh based like or your family are based out in Hampshire because that's actually where where I grew up as well. I don't know if you if you knew that, but my um that no, I I I grew up in Winchester, so uh part of the Hampshire. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So and whereabouts are your family? I know bizarre.

SPEAKER_02

They're close to a village called Blackmoor, so it's really nice, like very rural, it's like more in the countryside. So yeah, I actually it's funny because I've always really appreciated where I grew up, but I think I appreciated it even more. Um, obviously having spent the last four and a half months there, because it was just so nice to be in the countryside again and have lovely places to go out and hike, and you really miss that when you're kind of in the city for so long. So yeah, it was really lovely to be back. But Winchester's so nice. I've actually got friends that went to uni there, so I I know your hometown really well.

SPEAKER_00

It's really lovely to be as well. It's a it's a good university as well, actually. I thought I thought I thought a lot about going there at one point, but I think one of the uh the major things about university is sort of like living somewhere different, right? And of getting into a different culture and meeting new people. And I probably would have ended up living with my parents through university, and I wanted that experience of obviously, you know, of you know, being somewhere else for a for a period of time, and um but but it's a really it's a really good university, actually, uh particularly in the the performing arts. I think they have a really really strong uh you know dance choreography course there and uh and performing arts and all of that.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah, it is it is a nice place to study and a nice place to hang out as well.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So you're you're in the UK now, and do you so you have no idea as to when you can get back to the Philippines at this point?

SPEAKER_02

Or it's it's a bit crazy. Um my guess is it'll probably be towards the end of the year, I would imagine, because um cases have increased there quite a bit at the moment and they're um kind of struggling a little bit with the vaccine program. But things are really looking up there um a lot more at the moment, having said that, and they they do have a lot more um yeah, doses of the vaccine available now. So it's just a case I think of just getting the vaccine out to more people and then gradually, hopefully, they'll open the borders. So yeah, I hope soon, but I really have no idea when. So it's just bizarre because I've lived that for so long and it's kind of like it's kind of like leaving a life behind, but obviously I'm not because I will be going back, but yes, you're very crazy.

SPEAKER_00

I'm sure the Philippines is missing you immensely.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you. I hope so. If you're watching Philippines, I miss you guys so much.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Sophie has Sophie has a very, very uh big following out there and in in many places around the world. It's pretty impressive. Um, so you she's an actress, uh a model. Uh I want to talk to you though briefly about your you you won some beauty queen titles, which I'm which I'm very intrigued about. Yeah, I'm very intrigued about those. Yeah, I was kind of hoping you would have a crown on or something for this, but it's it's fine. We we can use our imagination.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, imagine I'm wearing a crown.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, exactly. So you you were um in 2015 you won uh Miss Wonderful UK and also Miss Global England, and then in 2017 you won Miss Harmony World. Um, can you talk to us about those titles, what they mean, how you go about actually getting them? Um that would be quite interesting, I think. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Definitely, yeah. So um it was um I was um doing a lot of modelling and acting back in London at the time, and I I'd always heard about how sort of beauty pageants can help open doors for girls and can help sort of increase you know modeling work and it and it can really be a real door opener, but I had never really thought to venture into one myself. Um I was never really um like massively into them. But then I saw this um just opportunity to apply for um Mr. Global International. Um and I thought, wow, that sounds like an incredible opportunity. I was reading like more and more about um, you know, pageants and what they really stand for, like women in powerment. It's a great um sort of platform to get like your views across. And I was doing a lot of charity work at the time as well. So it kind of all just sort of like, oh, it made sense. And I thought this would be a great opportunity. So yeah, so I applied and I um was very grateful to make it to the finals, and they were actually held in the Philippines. Oh, sorry, I've got ahead of myself. This was for Miss Global International, but the pageant I won beforehand that was um Miss Wonderful UK. And through winning that, I then um was given the opportunity to apply for Miss Global International. And then of course the finals with that were held in the Philippines, which literally brought me um to the country. And I I planned to spend uh two weeks there, and obviously that turned into five years. So it all stemmed from the pageant, and then um a few years later I decided to uh um apply to to join another one, and that one was Mr. Harmony World, and that was another international pageant, and that was the one that I actually won. And that was incredible because that um led to uh uh modeling endorsements um all over Asia and I had modeling contracts in Malaysia at the time, so I was spending a lot of time in the Philippines and also Malaysia, and even through modeling work I was doing in the Philippines, that was uh like landing me TV commercials in the US, and just yeah, it was just really incredible. Um, I couldn't have imagined how much it would actually help my career, and it really did. It taught me so much. I met such an incredible bunch of women, um, many of which I'm still really close friends with now. So yeah, it was just an incredible door that I'm really grateful I decided to open because I would have never imagined the opportunities that could have come my way from it.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah, I no, I didn't I had no idea that that was uh that it would have that much power at all. So I'm kind of part of me is wondering whether they have a male one because you know uh I could I could see my I could see myself, you know, with a crown on one day.

SPEAKER_02

I can I can teach you the work, yeah. Actually in the Philippines, um, even male pageants are huge because the difference between pageants in the UK and in Asia is in the UK, um, they're not as much of a big deal, but in Asia, beauty queens are really like celebrities. So, of course, when I moved to the Philippines, which is um beauty, like beauty pageant um capital of the world, um, I was kind of already entering as in their eyes, like a celebrity from obviously from being a beauty queen. So that helped me so much to obviously land um or modeling uh jobs.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah, that's probably the biggest difference. They are just so huge in Asia for guys and girls. So yeah, they are real door openers.

SPEAKER_00

So that took yeah, took you over to the Philippines and you've been there for five years now. That's incredible.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, which I never in a million years could have predicted would happen because my plan was to stay for two weeks after the pageant, do a little bit of traveling, and I just met all these incredible people out there, and I just I got so close to so many lovely people out there who all just wanted to like tour me round, and I just found myself just visiting so many beautiful places, and I just really fell in love with the country. Um, so I was just always wanting to extend my status travel, and then I was landing more acting roles out there as well, and it ended up having a real impact on my acting career. So yeah, I just kind of I would I never planned to stay for serious long, but it was just something that really kind of happened and made sense.

SPEAKER_00

We'll talk about your acting, uh your the the acting elements um in a second, but I'm interested to know what what it was about, because uh I think you may know this, but I I spent some time in Asia myself as well. Uh I was in Hong Kong, not the Philippines, but um what was it what was it about the Philippines that that drew you in? It seems like you know the people were very friendly and um and and supportive and they they showed you around and all of that, but was there were there any other elements about the country that um that sort of encouraged you to stay for more than two weeks and ended up becoming five years?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I don't know if you're familiar with a really famous logo that they have, which which um is it's more fun in the Philippines. And that is so true. Like um the people are definitely the number one reason that made me stay. They are just one of the nicest, kindest, most welcoming sort of racist people that I'd ever met in my life. And they were just so, so lovely to me. And they're just so welcoming of foreigners, and they just love the fact that we love their country and they really just go out of their way to help you and to make you feel at home there. And yeah, I just really formed just incredible relationships with them, with people out there. So that was the number one reason. And then the second reason was it's just such a beautiful country, it's home to like thousands and thousands of islands, and it's impossible to get bored. Everywhere you travel looks like somewhere else, and it's just full of so much beauty, like the beaches are just unimaginable, and it's really just a stunning country. You'll have to go there, you'll have to go there.

SPEAKER_00

I have I've been to I have been there. Um, I I've not obviously lived there, but um no, I've been to um I mean I did uh just a just a quick trip um uh to Cebu. Um Cebu? Cebu, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, in the Philippines. I didn't realize you'd actually been there.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, no, I have, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

We went um what do you think? That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, I loved it, yeah. It was, I mean, the beach is incredible, as you say, the people are very friendly. I mean, it's there's a lot of Philippine, there's a massive Filipino community uh in Hong Kong as well. So I'm I'm very connected to them in that sense. And um so yeah, I loved it. I thought it was a beautiful place, and um it's somewhere that I was definitely I definitely go back to.

SPEAKER_04

Um that makes me happy. I actually have no idea.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe maybe we'll move back to to Asia one day, who knows? And then uh I'll come and find you in in the Philippines.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, hello, it's me.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I bet your family would love it. It's just yeah, I'm sure there's so many places.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the food is really nice as well. The people, the beaches, the food, the weather, obviously. Um, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, the food is amazing, and everyone wants to feed you as well. So even if you meet someone, someone for tea, all of a sudden they'll bring out like a buffet, and you're like, oh my gosh, I just ate lunch. Yeah, the food is amazing.

SPEAKER_00

They love their food, very passionate about food over there. Um okay, so do you speak any? Is it tagalog? Is that correct?

SPEAKER_02

Am I saying that means I I speak some.

SPEAKER_00

Some, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. I can speak um basicalogs are enough to kind of get by out there and make people laugh. So um, yeah, I speak a lot, but I'm very lucky out there because another reason why it was so easy for me to move there was because everyone speaks English. Um, even if you go to a really remote location, like a really tiny province, you'll find that people can all speak English. It's really incredible. So I used to get like annoyed with my friends, like, talk to me in Tagalog, I'm trying to learn. And they still just talk to me in English, but I did manage to learn um quite a bit. So yeah, it's always I wish it also helped a lot um with my workout there, because for sort of local TV, do you they usually speak in Taglish, which is sort of half the guilogue and half English, so it does help to know a few bits and pieces of the language.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Nice. Yeah, I there's a similar thing in Sweden here where everyone speaks such good English that it makes it quite challenging for me to learn Swedish. I do, I do try sometimes, but as soon as they realize I'm from the UK, I've got no chance.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's yeah, you can relate to that then.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I can absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, I'm always like, please, I'm I am trying. I know it's terrible, but I'm trying. Come on.

SPEAKER_03

Stop speaking such amazing English.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, exactly. So so you've been acting uh a fair bit over there as well, then in in films and commercials, and um in um a couple of films, both that made cinema, so that was really awesome.

SPEAKER_02

Um, in television series out there, uh TV commercials, and I've had uh modeling endorsements for uh big brands in the Philippines and also all over Asia and the US. So, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

What was it like actually, um sort of when you first got into that industry out in the Philippines, like your first job working there, and how does it differ from other places that you worked in, like the UK, for example, in terms of you know, work ethics and um, you know, uh actually how about how you go about getting a job, that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_02

I think I very much admired the speed with which they work in the Philippines. Everything is actually a lot kind of faster than the UK. Um, like in the UK, um I think you probably already you already know this because obviously I met you um during a film a long time ago, but um um frequently things just take a really long time to get finished, whereas in the Philippines um they film everything so so quickly. So it's like the second you've been cast in a film, it's like in England you're kind of thinking, when will this actually push through? Like there might be like a one-year gap or something. But in the Philippines, if you're classed in a film, it's because everything's already in place, they've already got the funding in place, they've already got everything in place, and you know you will be filming like in the next month. And it's just a much faster production out there. I feel like it's kind of a country where anything's possible and they just really get things done. And it was just incredible for me to have um films I've done out that actually, you know, make it to the cinema. And that was just incredible to get to, you know, go to the premiere and watch my movies at the cinema. And yeah, it was just really um, really awesome to be in sort of to be in such massive productions out there.

SPEAKER_00

Um, do you need to have uh similarly to the UK, do you need to have uh ideally have an agent or someone representing you that gets you the work, or is it is it really just about who you know and uh networking and that sort of thing?

SPEAKER_02

Um it definitely helps to have an agent out there. So um I did have a brilliant acting agent out there. Um I wasn't signed with him exclusively, uh which I actually I also admire sort of about the system there because agents do allow you to be more free. But he was incredible um at in getting me uh film jobs and uh TV show show jobs. Um but because it wasn't an exclusive contract, I was still able to kind of do my own thing um through networking. Um yeah, um, who you know out there does help an awful lot as well. So networking is a big part of um the industry, but yeah, it does definitely help to have a good agent, which I was lucky to to have out there.

SPEAKER_00

You're making me want to move to the Philippines now, Sophie. You know that. I'm looking at flights as we speak.

unknown

Excellent.

SPEAKER_02

And when you find out the borders are open, just let me know.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah, right, right, right, exactly.

SPEAKER_02

I'll follow you.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe we can star in a film together in the Philippines, that would be quite cool.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, absolutely. I'm sure I'm sure I can make that happen, definitely. I'll just uh I'll teach you a little bit of psychologue.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so do you have to be able to speak that then uh in order to be in films, or do they are there some characters like in I know in Hong Kong there were characters where they wanted English speaking for a particular role? Do they exist or is it all purely, you know, you have to be able to speak Tagalog?

SPEAKER_02

Um so you don't have to be able to speak English if the role is uh purely for an English speaker, but the roles that I've done, it was obviously I was cast as an English or as an American girl. Um but in the roles I've done, a few of my lines were always into dialogue. So it always does help if you're always you're always a lot more likely to get cast if you can uh speak the language. Um but obviously, yeah, for films I was always cast as an English girl or as an American girl. Um so I would just say the odd line into dialogue, but for local TV, um like television shows I've done out there, I'd say you do need to be able to speak to dialogue or at least some, because then it's just nice, obviously, for the people out there, because it shows how much of an effort you're really making to kind of um, you know, like embrace the culture and the language. And I always tried really hard to learn as much as I could because I felt like I'm in your country, so I I always felt bad, you know, them having to speak to me in English all the time, which they so kindly did, and they were always happy to, because as I said, it is sort of the second language, but I always try my best to um yeah, to speak to them into Galogue whenever I can.

SPEAKER_00

Very cool. And uh in the in the UK, you were um you were in a very famous TV show that many people will be familiar with. It begins with an E and it's called Emma Dale. Uh, how was that experience? I'd love to know a bit more about being on that show and uh how you got into it and um what effect and impact that had on what what you've done and uh since then. And uh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, no, that was incredible, actually. I I can literally remember my agent at the time telling me I got that role, and I was so happy about it. And I remember she told me as I was about to get on a bus, and I was so happy that I fell down the stairs. And we were both laughing. I was like, Really? Did I really get the role? And she was like, Yeah, you really got the role. Well done.

SPEAKER_00

And you fell down the stairs at this point.

SPEAKER_02

I literally fell down. Oh my goodness, mate.

SPEAKER_00

We you're okay there, right? You didn't injure yourself.

SPEAKER_02

I'm fine. Luckily, no no injuries happened, so I was fine. But yeah, it was um an awesome role to get and um Yeah, it definitely did help lead to other roles. And I got that through my agent at the time. I had a very good agent in London. She's actually got into acting herself now, but at the time she was my agent. Back probably, I'm trying to think when I lived in London. This was probably seven years, six years, seven years ago now, maybe. But yeah, that's how I uh got that role. And yeah, I really enjoyed it. I met um such lovely people on set, and they were all so nice. Because I think when you go into like a so popular TV show for the first time, sometimes you're like a little bit nervous, and they were all so lovely to me and yeah, made me feel very at home on the set, and it was just so much fun.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah, I had a great time filming for them.

SPEAKER_00

I can imagine also that being surrounded by such familiar faces must have been quite strange, particularly if you've followed that program and you've watched it on TV yourself. Then to then be working with those people and be surrounded by them must be very odd. What was that the case for you?

SPEAKER_02

Or a little bit. Well, before I got the role, um, I hadn't actually seen the show before, even though obviously it is extremely famous. I hadn't watched it myself, but I wanted to uh familiarize myself with with it. So I made myself watch like a few episodes before I filmed and I got really hooked on the show. So um yeah, so it was really cool when I was then acting with the same actors that I'd been sort of yeah, glued like watching on my TV screen for the last week. So yeah, it was really, really good. But um I always feel like um when you meet someone in real life, I don't know, it's weird. I always feel like it's just like kind of meeting anyone, and um you you kind of don't see them as their characters so much when you meet them in real life, you just sort of see them, oh like you're also an actor, and yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

They're often so different, aren't they, to what you to what you imagine? I've always found that just like wow, bizarre.

SPEAKER_02

Um definitely, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00

Awesome. Uh and were there any sort of takeaways from that experience? Any any like learning points in terms of acting and um you know working on the camera and uh you know uh yeah, did you learn anything from that experience particularly, or was it just sort of go in, do the job, and then no, I learned an awful lot.

SPEAKER_02

I feel like every single TV job that I've had, I've learned so much more about acting itself. Um, I think the more the more TV and film that you do, just the more confident you get as well. Um and the quicker you get at learning lines. And yeah, I feel like I've sort of grown from every acting job that I've had. And I feel like um now I feel like in a very less sort of lucky position because I feel grateful that I've had the opportunity to kind of act in so many sort of different countries now, and now I hope to sort of use all the skills I've kind of obtained from sort of living all over the world to help me sort of further my acting career even more in the UK, maybe the US sometime, and also obviously back in the Philippines.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. How how many countries have you actually lived in?

SPEAKER_02

Um so I've lived in England, the Philippines. I've also lived in China. I was working as a model and a presenter out there for a little while, and I also um lived in Africa for a short time as well. Um I was working in an orphanage out there for a while. I was traveling so much for different jobs, but I was always in a very non-touristy area.

SPEAKER_04

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Um so it was kind of the area like that if you were to go to China on holiday that you wouldn't go to. So it was incredible to have such an authentic experience out there.

SPEAKER_00

But how did you get on? Because because I know in in certain parts of China, if you don't speak Mandarin, it's pretty tricky to survive.

SPEAKER_02

It was really hard. I'm not going to lie. I did learn very basic Mandarin, but I wouldn't say I'm really an expert at learning languages. So I did find it quite challenging. But I was lucky um because I was out there um for work, I had a translator that would uh literally follow me around. Um they'd um always stay in the same hotel as me, they'd share a car with me, they'd go to the job with me. So I was always very, very safe out there and they would always communicate with um with local people there because uh the places I was living in, generally the people didn't speak any English. Like hello was pretty much the limit. So I'm okay. Well, I can say hi and Mandarin. You can say hi in English, that's all we have.

SPEAKER_00

Hi and goodbye.

unknown

Hi and goodbye.

SPEAKER_02

That was the limit of our communication.

SPEAKER_00

A nice short conversation.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I managed to learn a little bit towards yeah, towards the end of my stay, sort of also enough to get by, but not not as much as I know in the Philippines. I couldn't have lived there like I have done in the Philippines because it's in the Philippines.

SPEAKER_00

Did you have a um a teacher like for learning the language, or was it just purely through being there and hearing it a lot of the time that you picked it up, or or a combination of the two?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, I didn't have a teacher. I often thought about getting one, but in the end, I just sort of picked up um phrases just through other people like teaching me. I was living with a lovely Filipina girl for a while who um I was super close friends with, so she'd always sort of give me like the odd to guidelog line and help me out. And I also had a teach yourself to guidelog book. So I tried to just teach myself as much as I could, really, but I I didn't have a tutor. I probably should have done, then I probably would have learned even more.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but I mean, the fact that you can actually, you know, get by out there is is is pretty cool because uh I struggled immensely with Cantonese, but I mean in Hong Kong is such a diverse, you know, select I don't know if it's similar in in parts of the Philippines, but there were so many international people in Hong Kong that you know the the English language was it was was pretty um prevalent, it was used a lot, and uh it was only really if I did a voiceover job in you know the middle of nowhere that I would have potentially have a bit of a problem, but but generally, you know, you could easily get by with with English, but um but yeah, probably similar to Hong Kong, there um you do meet sort of other like international people more in Manila in the capital, but I wouldn't say it's um as as touristy or as international as somewhere like Hong Kong.

SPEAKER_02

I can imagine there's probably more foreign speakers there, but um the Philippines is definitely getting um a lot more touristy and more foreign models are sort of moving there as well because there are so many opportunities for um for um for models for models for models out there.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, definitely um increasing, but I wouldn't say there's as much of uh foreign influence as probably in places like Hong Kong, no, especially in the local areas, then I would say in the local areas of the Philippines, it's really probably all Filipinos, but in the in Manila you do find people from other places.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, which is I mean it's a foul. To him, it isn't why kill someone why not? The motive is incidental. He's a psychopath. He's a psychopath. He's a murderer. I don't know for him anyway. Like if I had to blow her off to hang out with Jason, she'd be like, Oh, why didn't he kill me last night? And I'd just be like, uh, why are you so obsessed with me? So then for my birthday party, which was an august pool party, I was like, Cindy, I can't invite you because I think you're a lesbian.

SPEAKER_00

Whereabouts are you based when you're out in the Philippines? Is that in Manila or are you somewhere else?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, um, I'm based literally in the center of Manila, so I call it Traffic Central. And I live in a condo, which is pink. It's very cool. You have to have a pink condo.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, that's incredible.

SPEAKER_02

It's very cool. So yeah, and I'm literally in the center of the city. Um, so people often imagine when I'm when I'm out there that I'm sort of like on a beach or something, and I'm like, no, I'm actually in the city. But yeah, yeah, the good thing about the Philippines is you're only sort of a one-hour plane ride away from the beautiful islands. So a lot of people kind of go like go to islands on short vacations, and yeah, yeah. I'd say it's like a good crowd. The nightlife there's really good. There's lots of like nice bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. Well, obviously they're closed now. Yeah, they were quite happening at one point before the pandemic. Um, yeah, the clubs there are really fun actually. So probably um similar in that way, I suppose, to yeah, to Thailand a little bit.

SPEAKER_04

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Lots of good restaurants, loads of international restaurants as well, which is always good.

SPEAKER_00

Wow. No, I I definitely have to go back now to the Philippines after this conversation for sure.

SPEAKER_02

I'll send you a list of places you'll have to go to.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That'll be awesome. Um, all right, so let's talk. Um let's talk about 2020 very briefly. Uh, we don't need to we don't need to dwell on it for too long because it well, I mean, for some people it was a very um, you know, help helpful year in in some ways, and uh for others not for others not so much. But um how how was it for for yourself? Um 2020 and and into parts of 2021, we've already spoken about the fact that you you know you're you're in the UK and and you can't get back to the Philippines yet. So we're we're aware of that that restriction, but uh outside of that, um, how has it impacted what you're doing and your and your work and how have you managed to uh navigate around any potential challenges that have been thrown your way?

SPEAKER_02

Good question. So yeah, um I think uh just like it was for everyone, it was a massive shock and it did change an awful lot for me work-wise, because at the time I had just got another main role in a new film, and I was super excited about it. And then we were meant to be filming um in one of the islands in the Philippines for a few weeks. But then of course, um, when lockdown happened, obviously the film was postponed because all of the production companies were in Europe, so they weren't obviously able to uh fly here anymore. So that got well, it's still currently postponed at the moment. So um obviously no one knows when they can get back to the Philippines. So yeah, that was postponed. Um, other modelling jobs were also cancelled, and the Philippines had one of the toughest lockdowns in the world. So it was crazy because for about three months I literally didn't see another person because I was just staying in my condo by myself at the time, and no one was allowed to uh visit me. And every single night you'd hear like police cars um just like driving up and down like the area and like talking on speakerphones just to make sure everyone's yeah, like inside after curfew. So it was very, very strict and start with it. I was kind of in denial. I was like, this will only last a week. Time progressed, and then eventually I I felt like I really made the best of it, to be honest with you. Um, to start with, I got very creative and I started making loads of um cool videos, like I was really focusing on my YouTube channel and TikTok as well, and I was just getting really fit and dancing every day like a crazy person. Um, but then after I say maybe after four months, I kind of realized this was going to be more of a long-term thing. Um, so it then kind of enabled me to kind of give time to other things, like various kind of business plans that I sort of had in my mind, but hadn't really sort of had a chance to kind of try out. So I'm still sort of working on a few things uh business-wise. And I also got a corporate job, which um yeah, I then was also doing in the Philippines um just before I left. And that was brilliant because I'd never had it's really bad, but I'd never had a full-time um I'd sort of I had done corporate jobs, but I'd never had a full-time corporate job for that long. I'd always just sort of done corporate jobs around acting and modeling, like back when I was in London. So it was actually brilliant to sort of go into like the business world and the corporate scene. And I learned so much, like things I never thought I could do. I realized I can. And that was a real eye-opener for me. And it was great to just get into a completely different industry. And obviously, I miss acting and modeling, and I'm so excited to get back to it. Um, but at the same time, it's been great to sort of go into something completely different and kind of take a break from acting and modeling for a little bit. And yeah, so I'd say it was good for me in many ways.

SPEAKER_00

You mentioned some skills that you didn't know that you had. Could you could you give us a couple of those? Because I'd love to know.

SPEAKER_02

It sounds really stupid and lame, but I just before, because obviously I have always done acting and modeling, I was never, I've never been like a, you know, too great on computers and things like that. And I live and for the corporate job, I was put on like a technology training program and I just learned so much about you know, computers, uh technology stuff, uh business things, and I just learned so much. And um, the job was all in consulting, so it was massively computer related. So I I never, yeah, I just um it was brilliant because I was like, oh, I can't do all this stuff, this is good.

SPEAKER_00

And it's something it's so it is so needed right now. It's their essential skills for this uh this period that we're living in now, which um everything is online, so yeah, it's amazing. I I had a similar experience with with editing and product production with you know the podcasts and YouTube and all of that. You know, I I I was doing so many things that I had no idea that I could do, or you know, I just thought this is just not going to be possible. I speak about this very briefly on a radio interview I did um a few months back now, but uh but yeah, you it's incredible what you can uh you can learn when when you put yourself when you have to, right?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, you sort of sometimes you need to be you need to be pushed into it a little bit, but uh yeah, that's brilliant though that you kind of were faced with the same kind of thing and also you know, like learn all this all these new things as well. Because I was really excited for you actually when I saw you've got your own podcast. I was like super happy when you asked me to be on it because it is just it's things like this that really um have made such a difference, hasn't it? Um it's great that yeah, that so many people have learned how to make money online and how to start up their own businesses and go into things that they never would have thought they could do or was possible before all of this happens. So yeah, whilst of course it has been a really awful time, um, at least there has been a silver lining for for many people in some ways. So it's good to see the best of bad situations, I think.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely, yeah. No, I I love that. Um, all right, so you're you're you're highly skilled in many areas, including technology we've just discovered. So that's gonna be on your CV now, highly skilled in computing. You're gonna be working for the FBI soon in you know, hacking into databases and this like plan for June. Yeah, yeah, right. Um yeah, so do do you have a preference? Acting, modeling, hosting, corporate work? What what what if you you know if you had to do one area, what what where would you want to put your focus?

SPEAKER_02

Definitely acting. Um it's always been the like a such a massive passion of mine. And it's always like an acting career is always um is always what I've sort of pursued. Um modeling, I've sort of very um thankfully kind of fell into, but acting is always really what I've kind of worked towards, and I just love sort of becoming different characters and seeing different characters come to life. And yeah, I just absolutely love acting so much.

SPEAKER_00

Many people will know this, some may not, but Sophie is um has a a large following online. You're uh you're I suppose what we would can we would call a an online influencer uh in terms of you know, you know, your your people follow and and they uh have great passion for for what you're doing and what you're up to and your beliefs. And how is that world for you? You know, do you do you feel a um a sense of pressure and and and responsibility uh uh you know, in terms of what you what you're putting out online and um how you how that sort of started, and was that something that you wanted to do, or did that just did you just fall into that as well, similarly to to modeling?

SPEAKER_02

Um so I suppose my Instagram following probably really kicked off um probably also in the Philippines. I'd say most of a large amount of my followers are probably from there, I would say. And yeah, that's a really good question because if I think about it, I probably I would say that I I am sometimes conscious about what I post because I kind of um I'm always thinking like, oh, what if like children are following me and I don't want to post anything like too kind of negative? I like to post sort of positive, um, uplifting things and I try to kind of sometimes like inspire people with some things that I write, but to be honest, I'd say my Instagram is more just full of like very sort of surface level, kind of happy, like positive things, which I hope make people smile. But I think um yeah, I am definitely conscious of posting, sort of uplifting things, yeah. Um yeah, and trying to be real kind of at the same time. But I would say there is uh going back to your first question, going um I'd say there is a little bit of pressure to kind of all like always keep posting because I always joke about about this to my friends, and we always say it's funny because during lockdown, apart from TikTok videos, there's nothing to post. It's like update. I have no update.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah. I opened the fridge today.

SPEAKER_02

Literally. So I'm always thinking, oh, I really, I really hope you guys still follow me and I'm not boring you.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I mean, everyone's going through it, right? You know, it's uh it's kind of comforting, I suppose, you know, that the they people can go on there and see you who they obviously admire and respect a lot, and you know, to to see that you know it's affecting you in a similar way to them, I imagine, is is quite a comforting, uh, a comforting fact for them as well.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I think one of the biggest things that I've been trying to get out there on social media at the moment is the importance to look after your mental health.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um, so I work closely with um a uh private uh counseling uh business who are helping people to kind of uh you know like uh seek help if they need to during this time because I think it has been a very isolating time for so many people. Um I think it has made a lot of people's mental health uh really worsen an awful lot. So that's definitely one thing I do try to promote a lot on my Instagram, just sort of taking care of yourself and knowing how important you are, and that there is help out there if if if needed, and that there's always someone that you can talk to. So that's probably yeah, yeah, that and obviously like trying to stay positive and trying to be real at the same time is probably something I try to get out there on my on my Instagram, but of course, not all the time. Sometimes it's just if you go on my Instagram stories, so it's like a London at the moment, it's just yes.

SPEAKER_00

I've seen I've seen it in London, it looks very different to to the London that I remember.

SPEAKER_02

It's so different going out at the moment because as you know, things are open for like outdoor dining at the moment, so it's been really it's been quite a novelty hanging out with my friends in the evening, and we're kind of like, okay, we'll see like which places we can hang out like safely in that's outdoors and away from people. Yeah, it's very entertaining.

SPEAKER_00

I do wonder what uh what impact all of this is gonna have on humanity as a whole, but that's another massive question that maybe we don't need to delve into right now. But it does I do wonder about that a lot, you know. When people are just sort of particularly I've noticed here, like just and with the with the masks on, you know, it's just this look in the eye of like, oh, it's another person, don't come too close to me. And uh it's bizarre.

SPEAKER_02

So I think it's going to affect a lot, and I think that it'll take a while for people to feel confident enough to really get too close to other people. Like, even when I'm meeting my friends, I'm kind of like, let's do an air hug, because I'm still, even though we're allowed, it's kind of I think I won't feel fully safe until I've had both of my vaccines. And and it's like what people say like no one's really completely safe until we're all safe. So I think it is important for people to still kind of social distance, even if they are able to catch up with friends now, just until sort of everyone in the country really has been vaccinated, because obviously there is. Still a risk, even though things are a lot better now here. Thank goodness.

SPEAKER_00

The UK is doing brilliantly with that. Um, yeah, it's it's much slower here at the moment, but um it is, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

It's funny because obviously we were one of the worst hit countries to start with, but now we have been very lucky. And luckily, the vaccine program has been amazing, and now I think they've vaccinated a third of the or two-thirds now, I think, of the population. So yeah, it's a lot better.

SPEAKER_00

Going back to the the the greetings and the air hugs and all of that very briefly. Like, I I I'm a bit confused. I don't really know what is socially acceptable in terms of uh of a of a coronavirus greeting, you know. Like, is it is an air hug okay, or should it be a an air high five, or should you just ignore each other completely? I I really have no idea.

SPEAKER_02

I think a nice air hug.

SPEAKER_00

A nice air hug. Is that the way to go?

SPEAKER_02

Nice to meet you.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe I'll try that.

SPEAKER_02

I think just randomly like bow to one another. Nice to meet you.

SPEAKER_00

I just kind of imagine that working well in the Philippines, but I I'm not sure in Sweden or the UK if you started going up to people doing that. I think they might think it was a little bit odd, but um I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

It's always worth a try to make a few people laugh.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it. I'm I'm going I'm going to the school tomorrow. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it.

SPEAKER_04

Oh wow. Is that to pick up? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00

I I I do I do some uh teaching um in a in an international school here. Yeah, tomorrow you'll have to be teaching for uh teaching for a number of years on and off, and um that's true, that's awesome. And um yeah, cool, all right, good. This is enjoyable. Um and we're uh my goodness me, we've been talking for 55 minutes. I can't believe it. Right, so what we're gonna do, we're gonna jump to a game and then and then and then it will be your final thoughts, and then that's it for the episode.

SPEAKER_02

Cool, I've loved it so far. Bring on the game.

SPEAKER_00

Bring on the game, why not? Why not? All right, so uh, would you rather? Have you played it before?

SPEAKER_02

I actually don't think I have, so I am prepared to feel very enlightened.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I mean, let's not get carried away. These questions are a bit ludicrous and not really in keeping with what we've spoken about, but it's a good bit of fun. I like random, so yeah, all right, so let's go for it. Number one, then uh, would you rather give up air conditioning and heating for the rest of your life or give up the internet for the rest of your life?

SPEAKER_02

Oh my gosh, that that's really hard because I don't know how I would survive without internet. But then in the Philippines, I couldn't survive without air conditioning.

SPEAKER_00

I know, I know. I put these questions carefully, you know.

SPEAKER_02

I'm gonna have to give up the internet, unfortunately. It will literally break my world. But I I need to think of staying alive, and I can only stay alive in the Philippines with air conditioning. So yeah, can I?

SPEAKER_00

I I feel you, it was the same in Hong Kong. Aircraft everywhere. Um, number two. Would you rather buy 10 things you don't need every time you go shopping? Or always or always forget the one thing that you need when you go to the store?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, that's a great one. Okay, question. So if I buy 10 things I don't need, is one of those things the thing I did need, or do I also not have the thing that I did need?

SPEAKER_00

My goodness me, you just blown my mind with that. Um idea. Uh sure.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, so if the 10 things that I didn't need, if at least one of those things incorporates a thing that I did need, I'll go for that option.

SPEAKER_00

I'm gonna be difficult and say no, it doesn't incorporate that.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, okay. Well, I think I'll have to I'll have to choose the other option in that.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, very good, very good.

SPEAKER_02

So you know.

SPEAKER_00

And in editing, I can go either way with this. That's the beauty of it. Um I'll keep I'll keep that one as surprise. Uh all right, number three. Number three, would you rather have Beyonce's talent or Jay-Z's business acumen?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, excellent question. Oh, can I not have both?

SPEAKER_00

Uh sadly, on this occasion, no, you can't.

SPEAKER_02

At times, another hard decision you have thrown my way.

SPEAKER_00

I know.

SPEAKER_02

Beyonce has a lot of cool business skills as well.

SPEAKER_00

She does have a lot of a lot of it. That's true.

SPEAKER_02

So, you know, girl power. I'm gonna go. That's what I'm thinking. Okay, I'll go for both of them. Suppose if you had to pick talent or business skills, probably best to go for the business skills because you can be the most talented person in the universe, but it doesn't necessarily mean that your career might go in the direction that you want it to. Whereas if you've got incredible business skills, then you're probably gonna have a better chance at living an awesome life and doing very well financially and in other ways, and hopefully using your business skills to have a lot of fun at the same time.

SPEAKER_00

So we'll go Sophie. You have thought this through. I like it. Um, all right, number four, would you rather be an extra in an Oscar-winning movie or the lead in a box office bomb?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, awesome question. Okay, well, if the box office bomb is only like awful because the film sucks and not because of my acting, then it's probably the wrong answer, but I'm gonna pick that one. Then at least, you know, you've been the lead in a film, and I can add, I can put that in my showroom.

SPEAKER_00

And if you, as you say, if you were awesome, it then you can be proud of that film if you were if you were really good in it.

SPEAKER_02

I'm like, I know I was good, but I'm sorry the film stuck.

SPEAKER_00

If you're the reason that it was awful, then yeah, then yeah. Run run the other way. Yeah, what it means.

SPEAKER_02

That was that was my twin.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, uh, all right, number five, the last one. Would you rather be uh royalty 1000 years ago?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, definitely an average person today. Yeah, I think I massively respect how far the monarchy has come over you know recent years and how well they have adapted into society and all of the good things that they stand for now, the work they do for charity. But I wouldn't have wanted to be a part of the institute going back a thousand years, and I don't think I would have survived a thousand years ago either, with you know the amount of prejudices that was still so much in place. I think I probably would have it would have been a nightmare back then. Could not have survived back then. Definitely an average person today.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, okay, very good. I I enjoyed those answers immensely, Sophie. You're very insightful. You're an intelligent, insightful lady.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00

I have my moment. Absolutely. Um right, so we're gonna go to your final thoughts and then we're gonna close the episode. Uh so something uplifting on approaches to life dealing with positive and negative change. Ah, I think that's for our lovely audience, all those people that will be listening to this.

SPEAKER_02

Ah, well, I would just say um you never know what's going to happen in life. And I think people spend so much time worrying about what will happen tomorrow. And I think that if people kind of took a moment just to think about the present moment more than you know what what might happen, what may or may not happen tomorrow, I think people would find like more kind of inner peace in going with that philosophy more. And I think just try to make the best of everything that happens in life as well. Um, always try to see like a positive outcome, even in a really negative, hard time. And if if times are troubling you or if you're finding something hard, just try to think of what will make you happy. Like what can you do that will make you happy? Maybe like make a cake. Or, you know, I always find exercise is the best way to feel more happy and to feel energized and motivated. And it's frequently when I'll be like on my outdoor hikes and I have all these good ideas. And I think exercise is just really good for your mental health and really good for your brain. So yeah, just always always try to think positively, um, but also remember that it's okay not to be okay, because sometimes I think it's easy to watch people on social media always posting such happy things, and then you're kind of thinking, why are they so happy? Why are they doing so well when I don't feel like this? And it's it's okay not to feel okay and just to sort of reach out to a friend or a family member, or obviously, and there's so many online counselors at the moment who are um doing online practices, there are online tech services, there's always someone that you can turn to if you are feeling down, and that's okay, and that's something that yeah, you should do because obviously everyone is just so so important, and it's so important to make the most of your time and to aim to be as happy as you can be within whatever situation you might be in.

SPEAKER_00

That was a very long answer. No, that's brilliant. That was really that's um that's really nice, and um uh so much to take on board from from this episode, and uh I like the fact that you brought in mental health as well because it is a big a big thing that's going on right now with you know with all that we've had to deal with, and uh definitely it's it's it's very important that we talk about it when we can and um use online platforms like like this to to to get some of that out there and hopefully it can help people. So um yeah, thank you so much for today, Sophie. It's been lovely to connect with you again. And uh I'm gonna do that now as well. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you, thank you.

SPEAKER_00

There we go.

SPEAKER_02

So um so lovely to chat with you, and thank you so much for um having you on your show, and thank you to everyone who's watching. Um, you can follow me on my Instagram, Sophie Louise Rankin. And yeah, it's really so lovely to chat with you, Warren, because it's been ages, so I'm really glad we did this.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, awesome. Thank you so much, Sophie.