Me and I, Daniel Blake...
HER role in I, Daniel Blake made her the face of austerity Britain the Job Centre worker who sanctioned the film’s main characters.
But now Sharon Percy has gone from the Job Centre to the job queue after she found herself having sign on.
Ken Loach’s powerful film cast Sharon as Sheila, the strict work coach who comes down hard on characters Daniel and Katie.
In reality. 45-year-old mum-oftwo Sharon couldn’t be further from her on-screen persona.
Brought up in Byker ikn Newcastle’s East End, she’s worked as an actress and a charity worker, and she’s passionately supported the work of local food banks.
But now she’ll be returning to Sheila’s world, this time, as a claimant.
Due to funding cuts, Sharon lost her job with a campaign against disability hate crime.
As her redundancy pay ran out, she found herself having to ring her local Job Centre Plus. She said: “Being an actor, I’ve had experiences in and out of the Job Centre for many years - I had just finished filming I, Daniel Blake the last time I was there and that was just bizarre, because I knew just what she would say, because I had just been saying the same things on the film. “It’s going to be that same feeling, that I’ve been in that chair, giving the exact same spiel about how many hours of work I have to be looking for. “I look a little different now to what I do in the film so I don’t think I’ll be recognised – but I could say ‘just give us the forms, I can fill them in myself, I know what to do,’ I could let the person go off for a cup of tea.” Her experiences on and off screen have convinced her the current system of payments and sanctions is far from easy for those who rely on it. “I think for anybody trying to manage any kind of lifestyle on these benefits it is going to be hard,” Sharon said. “It’s surviving, rather than
Being an actor, I’ve had experience in and out of the Job Centre for many years... Sharon Percy
living. It’s hard as a parent, to be able to get the right foods that your kids want, to make sure they have new clothes when they need them.”
Speaking to former Job Centre employees, many of whom played extras in the film, highlighted more problems she said.
“At the premier a lady sat next to me said she used to manage a Job Centre and she said she had to get out as they weren’t allowed to show any empathy to clients, they were like robots.”
She said: “Before I saw the scenes in I, Daniel Blake, I didn’t realise food banks were so common.
“We didn’t get the read the whole script - as a director, Ken Loach only lets you see the pages with your lines – so I didn’t know what the impact of my character’s actions were until I saw the premier at the Tyneside cinema.
“I was so shocked at what Sheila, my character, or, the system carried out by Sheila, had done.
“That’s the thing, for someone like Sheila, who is focused on making sure people follow the rules: you’re there to make sure they fill in the job logs and you don’t have time to find out about their personal circumstances.”
Next Friday, Sharon will be helping open the new food bank drop off point at Newcastle’s Grainger Market.