Monday 18 March 2019

Did disappearance end Honeysuckle Weeks' career?

In 2016 Honeysuckle Weeks shortly disappeared from the face of the earth. At the time, she was being treated in a mental health unit for anxiety and stress, so people were understandably worried about her welfare.
Yes, there were some similarities between the disappearance of Honeysuckle Weeks and that of Agatha Christie in 1926, but the latter was able to keep writing the mysteries she was renowned for. I suppose her publishers were having an anxious wait for her next mystery, but she quickly put them at easy with the quality of her next few books.

Honeysuckle Weeks was not so lucky and it seems that producers and production houses are now reluctant to hire her. Producing a movie or television series carries substantial financial risks and one would like to hire actors that are dependable and stable. She had counseling to help her, but it is rumoured, however, that Honeysuckle Weeks canceled one or two rehearsed readings in 2018 at the very last moment. People tend to remember that sort of erratic behaviour when they consider an actor for a potential role.

Another problem is that her career is a bit uneven. Yes, Honeysuckle Weeks did have a great run as a child actor, and she was extremely lucky to land the part of Sam in Foyle's War, but times have changed. She's older, more mature and her good looks have now faded somewhat, possibly exacerbated because of her continued smoking. Which is rather unwise because your face is the ultimate tool of an actor.
The end result of her ill-advised flight from treatment is that she hasn't been offered a proper acting job since 2016.

It is surely encouraging that my column about Honeysuckle Weeks being a perfect candidate to play Jem Flockhart receives the most visitors. Apparently viewers have not forgotten her and still want to see her act.

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