Life is full of surprises and no one knows that better than Robert James-Collier. While acting may not have always been in his plans, once the acting bug came around he wasn’t able to resist. What has resulted, is a career that many actors can only ream of. Robert has been able to work consistently for the last 15 years and he his hard work and talent haven’t gone unnoticed. Although he was born and raised in England, he has become an international star and people from all over the world look forward to seeing his work. He is most famous for his roles in Downton Abbey and Coronation Street. Most recently, he appeared in the net Netflix series Fate: The Winx Saga. Keep reading for 10 things you didn’t know about Robert James-Collier.
1. He Got Into Acting By Accident
Lots of actors have known they wanted to act for their entire lives, but Robert’s path was a bit different. He actually only made his way to acting after he was asked to do a favor for a friend and fill in for someone who failed to show up for a shoot. Once he got involved, he was hooked.
2. He Was A Model
Acting isn’t the only time Robert has been in front of a camera. His good looks have also leant themselves to a successful career as a model. He has modeled for the popular UK based retailer Argos. These days, however, it appears that he’s done with modeling and acting is his only focus.
3. He Studied Business
Education has always been something that Robert takes seriously. Before acting, his focus was in a completely different field. He studied business at University of Huddersfield and then went on to studying marketing at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.
4. He’s Not Really Into Social Media
Despite the fact that Robert welt to school for marketing, he doesn’t spend a lot of time on social media marketing himself. In fact, he doesn’t appear to have any verified social media accounts. Fortunately, his lack of an online presence hasn’t seemed to have any negative effects on his career.
5. He’s A Father
Working full-time and balancing life at home can be a struggle. This is especially true for people who work in demanding industries like entertainment. Still, Robert has found a way to be a present father. He has one child with his longtime partner Lauren Chandiram.
6. He Finds Los Angeles To Be A Little Intimidating
Robert was born and raised in England, but his career has resulted in him spending a lot of time in Los Angeles. While there are people who are willing to move from all over the world to get to L.A., Robert find the area to be slightly intimidating. During an interview with Vulture he said, “Beverly Hills is too intimidating. Everyone’s got lovely teeth, so you don’t want to smile. Everyone’s ripped, so you start working out at 4 in the morning and eating egg white omelets. I didn’t even know what that was and I’ve had three. My buns are killing.”
7. He Doesn’t Smoke In Real Life
Robert’s character on Downton Abbey was known for his interesting smoking habits, but what makes it even more interesting is that Robert doesn’t really smoke. He told Vulture, “I don’t even smoke! If you watch from seasons one to three, my smoking is terrible in the first year.”
8. He Feels A Little Self Conscious Watching Himself On Screen
Have you ever heard a recording of your voice and cringed while thinking to yourself ‘there’s no way I really sound like this’? Imagine that feeling but 100x worse. That’s exactly how Robert feels every time he sees himself on screen. He once said, “I can’t watch myself on screen without dying a little bit inside. And there are lots of moments when I think, ‘What am I doing as an actor? I can’t act!'”
9. He Was In An Episode Of Shameless
From very early on his career, Robert has been fortunate to get access to some great opportunities. One of his first on screen appearances was actually in a 2006 episode of the TV series Shameless (the original/British version). Although his role was very small, he’ll always be able to say he was part of the legendary show.
10. He’s A Private Person
Maintaining privacy when you’re an actor isn’t always possible, but Robert has done his best to keep his personal life as private as possible. This likely explains his lack of interest in social media. Additionally, when he does interviews and appearances he likes to keep the focus strictly on what he has going on professionally.
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