Lakshmi V (BOMBAY TIMES; July 22, 2020)

It has been a couple of years since Amy Jackson did a film here — her last release was Shankar-Rajinikanth’s 2.0 in 2018 — but the actress admits that she misses India and facing the arc light.

“I miss being in India. The country not only made me grow as an actress, but also as a person. I was in my teens when I came here to shoot my first-ever film, (Tamil star) Vijay’s Madrasapattinam. In the years since, I have learnt to become independent and dedicated, and I’m still willing to learn. You can get all the opportunity you want, but if you are not willing to dedicate yourself to perfect that craft, there’s no point. I understood that and that helped me grow,” says Amy from her home in the UK.

In her eight-year-long career, Amy has worked with some of the biggest names in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada film industries. Ask her if there is something she’d like to change about her career graph, and she answers, “I am one of those people who go with my heart and instinct. I had no experience with films. At that point, becoming an actress was one of those unachievable things. Hollywood, Bollywood, Kollywood… I didn’t think of it seriously. Obviously, there are certain things that I look back to now and go, ‘Ugh!’ But hey, I was a teenager then. I love every character that I played and participated wholeheartedly in every film I did. I think towards the last five years, I was concentrating on doing female-oriented scripts and playing strong female roles. And I think it worked out well for me from the start till now. I won’t say it’s finished, I want it to continue. Yes, there are certain aspects…. Things that I know now, I wish I had known earlier. But I think that’s age, and that’s maturing. And, I wouldn’t change anything.”

While Amy doesn’t rule out the possibility of returning to the big screen, she says her family is her priority now. “I am an actress and I hope to act till I am 80 years of age. So yes, I definitely need the right kind of project. Also, Andreas (her son, who will turn one this September) has to grow up a little, so he can travel with me. George (Panayiotou), as a father, is fantastic. I also have a great mom, who supports me when I am working here. So, maybe George can visit with our whole family when I’m shooting and that will just be so nice,” she signs off.