I beat my stutter by listening to Eminem
Star of new TG4 drama, Elva Trill tells how she used rap to get her f low
RISING star Elva Trill has revealed she used to listen to Eminem and the motivational words of a Navy SEAL to help her get over her stutter.
The award-winning Co. Sligo actor – who appeared in the Hollywood blockbuster Jurassic World Dominion last year – said the US rapper ‘definitely’ helped her in overcoming her speech impediment.
She told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘I’ll take anything. I’ll listen to people like Eminem, I’ll listen to people like David Goggins. He became a Navy SEAL despite all of these obstacles.
‘He had a speech impediment as a child and he was bullied for it. He was told he was stupid for it. He was also negative buoyant which means even if he had air in his lungs and he was trying to swim, he wouldn’t float – and a big part of being in the SEALs is you need to be able to swim!
‘Even though my stutter’s gone, my anxiety and fear that the stutter will return is a big part of why I don’t like to speak publicly. I’m a nervous wreck to do it because I know I can string a sentence together but I’m afraid I’ll stutter my way through it. But look, Emily Blunt apparently had one and so did Ed Sheeran and look what they are doing for a living now.’
Trill’s relationship to Eminem extended to her latest leading role as Áine in Dublin-based drama Northern Lights.
Based on the play by Stephen Jones, Northern Lights tells the story of two grieving strangers, Áine and Lloyd, played by Stephen Jones, who meet on Grattan Bridge overlooking the Liffey.
Both dealing with major grief and tragedy, the six-part drama explores their previous relationships and how resilient people can be, ultimately being a story about hope.
Trill said she was drawn to Áine from the moment she read the quick-witted script because of her volatility.
She told the MoS: ‘If we’re being honest, it’s something we can absolutely all associate with in terms of feeling a sense of anger, wherever that anger is coming from.
‘I listened to a lot of really angry music.
Eminem was huge because it’s such amp-up music. It’s a “put the money in the bag” attitude that you just want to go out and find trouble and I think Áine is a bit like that.
‘She’s so hurt and feeling such guilt that she just wouldn’t care walking down the street and bumping into everybody – she’s almost hoping someone’s going to turn around and say “what’s your problem?”, she wants to get it out.’
Trill grew up in the small town of Ballymote in Co. Sligo, and said she had to take every acting opportunity that came her way, which often meant trekking across the country.
She recalls: ‘I was allowed to go to Dublin on the train by myself when I was 12 to spend a couple of
hours doing the Gaiety School of Acting. ‘And on another occasion, my poor mum used to drive me to Galway to do a drama course that lasted the summer.’ But she said her west of Ireland upbringing helped her to pursue her dream of becoming an actor. ‘It came with a healthy dose of cynicism. We had no connections and this country isn’t necessarily known for giving chances. It’s not America and it’s not LA, there aren’t an abundance of people going for this career, and so I was often asked “Are you sure? Are you sure?” and I really was.’
Trill moved to London for a year before being accepted onto The Factory’s screen acting course in Dublin which she described as her launchpad.
Since then she has landed highprofile roles in Line of Duty and Striking Out.
And acting is not the talented performer’s only passion – her indie rock band The City and Us are currently on a hiatus, but Trill said she is keen to get back into music.
‘There are so many good musicians in London that I’d love to collaborate with – someone like Bob Vylan, who are just phenomenal.
‘I want to have five songs out by next year… well if it’ll be by next year, I don’t know. But by summer… summer would be great!’
‘Even though it’s gone, the fear is it will return’