This much I know: Hilda Fay

God chose my path.

Well, to be more accurate, it was the nuns.

After I starred in a school production of My Fair Lady they told my mum ‘therein lies her future’. Mum was baffled. We didn’t really know any actors.

Up until then, I never had a burning ambition to be an actor. I didn’t recognise any great talent in myself and, even if I had, I didn’t think I could make a living out of it.

I find the rehearsal process nerve wracking. You are in this room staring at the director staring back at you. I’m never sure if I’m doing a good job and am always conscious of being judged.

After school, I did an acting course in Inchicore Vocational but didn’t take it very seriously. It wasn’t until two years later that the thunderbolt hit and I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I auditioned for the Trinity course and, once I got in, I completely applied and committed myself to learning the craft of acting.

My worst job ever was cleaning toilets on the ferries between Rosslare and France during the summers. But it paid my way through Trinity.

The musical I’m in now, Girls Night, is great fun as it takes me back to my roots. I started out as a Billie Barry kid, singing and dancing every Wednesday and Saturday, before I ever got into straight acting. And, I get to work with my old Fair City pal Sorcha Furlong again.

I have spent most of the last two years being pregnant, so the role is quite a challenge as its very physical, with plenty of dancing and running about. But, rather than feeling exhausted by it, it seems to energise me, even though home life is hectic as the baby is still on night feeds. But I have great support from my mum and sisters. And my husband of course.

Girls Night doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s set in a karaoke bar and looks at the lives of five women friends and is peppered with ’80s power ballads so we have the audiences up dancing in the ailses.

Having kids has taught me to take every day as it comes and not to worry so much. You really could be knocked down by a bus tomorrow.

I was, and suppose I still am, a bit of a workaholic. I worked all the way through both pregnancies — up until eight months with both girls. Pearl is 19 months now and my baby daughter Nancy is just nine weeks old. I was back at work six weeks after she was born.

I don’t really have any ‘free time’ any more. I juggle being a parent and working. Everything is about the girls now but I feel very fulfilled. If I did have any spare time, I’d spend it painting. I find it very relaxing, especially using oils and charcoal.

One of my worst habits is not answering my phone. I don’t always like to be contacted all the time. I’m old school.

My first paid job was doing Panto with Maureen Potter. We got £20 a week. It certainly taught me to respect working in the theatre and to appreciate that it was a profession.

The best advice I ever got was from my mother. She told me to always believe in myself and to have patience.

My career took 12 years to get off the ground. The first four in college and the next eight trying to scrape by as an actor and even a dancer at times. I was just about to give it all up and do something else entirely when the part in Fair City came along and everything changed.

Playing Tracey in Fair City gave me great profile. But as an actor you have to accept that your career will have ups and downs. I could be out of work for a year after this current job, you just never know. But I love what I do and my advice to younger actors is to have patience and stick with it.

* Hilda Fay is appearing in Girls Night — The Musical on tour across Ireland.