6:20pm Monday 24th August 2009
By Peter Magill
A STARLET from Burnley could be a casting call away from a part in the likes of Lost, Desperate housewives or Ugly Betty.
Model-turned-presenter Cleo Anderson, 29, has been given the chance to shine in front of some of Hollywood’s premier movers and shakers as she looks to turn her dreams into Tinseltown glory.
The former Walshaw High pupil and law graduate enlisted with talent agency Hey Hollywood Here I Come (HHHIC), beating almost 3,000 other people in the audition process.
Already Cleo, who also attended Nelson and Colne College, had worked as a Diesel Jeans model and tried her hand at presenting before the cameras.
But her shot at the big time, lined up by agents responsible for securing parts in top HBO dramas and films like Mission Impossible and Iron Man, is a major step forward.
She said: “HHHIC allows aspiring new talent the opportunity to fly to Los Angeles, work and audition for first-class industry professionals, namely top casting agents and acting agents.
"They ask for showreels of your work, they ask very specific questions about your training as an actor and your goals as an actor, as well as taking into account your overall look and type cast.
“My dream has always been to be in a hit show such as Desperate Housewives or Entourage. But my ultimate goal is to get into movies and play the female lead.
“I love the boundaries that Halle Berry pushed with her Oscar win, and I aim to do something similar in the years to come.”
Back in Blighty, Cleo had run her own London-based public relations agency, working with securing space in the major glossy mags for cosmetic surgeons, spas and fashion houses.
Friends had encouraged her to try her hand at acting and she soon secured offers from a Beverley Hills modelling agency.
She will travel to Hollywood in the autumn.
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