Audrey Reid: Actress extraordinaire
DYNAMIC and versatile Jamaican actress Audrey Reid is beaming after receiving her latest award from the Queens of Reggae Island Honorary Ceremony. This brings to seven the number of awards that Reid has amassed over her illustrious career. Yet the humble actress says that the relationship with her fans is one of her main motivations.
“It humbles me to know the joy my work brings to people. I am extremely humbled and grateful,” said Reid.
The strength of the relationship with her fans is also being built from her current tour with King of Comedy Oliver Samuels and the cast of the play,
Teet and Tung. The play has been on tour since May 2023 when it opened on Mother’s Day to sold-out shows in Canada. From there they moved to the United States, England and several Caribbean islands before opening in Jamaica in March.
“
Teet and Tung has been getting great reception. In fact, we were called back to Canada by popular demand. Now that we are in Jamaica, I am not going to say much about the storyline. It has a jaw-dropping end and people must expect the unexpected,” said Reid, who was in the midst of preparing for that week’s shows as well as the award ceremony on March 24.
Over the years, Reid has received awards including the Marcus Garvey Award for Best Caribbean Actress in 1999; and the 2007 inductee into the Jamaican Theatre Hall of Fame for Film, Stage and Television. The trailblazing actress is arguably best known for her roles in Jamaican blockbuster movies such as
Dancehall Queen and Third World Cop as well as Almost Heaven and Ghett’a Life. Always intent on showing her versatility, she has also made her mark on the stage starring in over 20 productions such as Obeah Wedding, Boy Blue (UK and Ja), Guava Jelly, and Embassy Saga. Initially though, the play that launched her career in England and made her a household name was Bups, where she played the character Vinette. Higglers was also another popular play in the UK.
“I pride myself in being a versatile actress. I refuse to be typecast. If it’s drama, I am ready. If it’s comedy, I am ready; film, stage, television, I am ready. I execute all with ease and conviction,” said Reid, who has also several television shows to her credit including the comedy series Oliver at Large, Traxx, and Me and Mi Kru.
With all that though, the movie Dancehall Queen still has a special place in her heart.
“It showed me in a different light — it was my film debut and I went in as a novice. But because of my talent, I did my best and executed and it was a hit. It is still getting rave reviews,” said the actress who has been described by the UK-based paper
Leisure Time as “Jamaica’s hottest export”.
Despite her career successes though, Reid would be the first to tell you that she has not had it easy. The last few years, especially during the COVID pandemic, hit very hard.
“With the COVID lockdown the entertainment industry got a huge hit. I had just finished 56 East Avenue with Oliver when COVID came and we went into exile,” she jokingly reminisced. “Thank God that my upbringing in Franklyn Town helped prepare me for COVID. It was a rough life growing up in the ghetto — you learn that you do what you must do to survive. The experience made me who I am, so no regrets.”
She speaks highly of her mother, Gloria Hibbert, whom she credits with being a model of strength.
“My strength comes from my mother — I learnt so much from her. I don’t remember her being sick or tired,” she said. “[Because of her], I am motivated and inspired from within to ensure my kids have a better life than I did.”
The mother of three spoke of the challenges of raising her children and balancing a demanding career.
“As a theatre artiste, actress and mother, I missed out on a lot with my kids because I was on tour. The kids understood though and looked forward to what I would bring back for them. It did not alter anything especially re their education. I made sure that was solid,” she explained.
She, however, had to take a short break from her career when she discovered that her son Aumer had a hearing challenge. This saw her resorting to taking him to the United States to do surgery and spending significant time there to allow him to recover.
She said she would put her career on hold again in a second to fulfill her duties as a mother, and was especially thankful for the strong relationships that she had developed in the industry over the years and the subsequent support that this provided.
“I must thank persons like Mr Dawson from Whirlwind Entertainment — while I was in the States, he invited me to be a part of a show he was doing. I could not come at the time because of the numerous therapy sessions that my son had, but he held my spot until I was ready. So I came back to Jamaica to do that production and I really appreciated it,” she said.
Now back on tour, she said she has no plans to ease up anytime soon. For her, acting is something that she will be doing as long as she can.
“The good thing about theatre is that there is no age limit. So I am not thinking about leaving the stage any time soon. I am still young, and all my faculties are functioning so I will continue,” said Reid, who enjoys cooking and going to plays and the movies when she has spare time. She, however, advises young and upcoming talent to be willing to put in the hard work required to be successful.
“Don’t look at the glitter and glamour of acting. It is a lot of work beforehand for it to be successful. It is a lot of work and discipline: being at the theatre on time and learning your lines, endless rehearsals and so on,” she said.
Her work allows her to represent her people and her fans and with that she is well content.
“We are representing our country when we go out there. We are ambassadors for our country, and we have to represent well,” she said.
