Seaton actor Billy Walker premieres 'Linda Evans is my Spirit Animal'

Billy Walker, 41, born and bred in Seaton, moved to Hollywood to pursue his dreams as an actor.

He has now created his first ever film - which he directed, produced and stars in - with the support of donations from people as part of a GoFundMe campaign.

The film Linda Evans is my Spirit Animal is described as a comedy about a 'pompous English actor arriving in Hollywood with a burning desire to be in the Dynasty remake'.

The character Theodore Emery-Jones is an aristocratic decsendant who is in LA, alongside his maid, trying to make it as a star - with the ultimate dream of starring alongside his hero, Dynasty star Linda Evans.

Billy did a Q A session after the film , led by former Times and Star reporter and magazine editor Andrea Thompson (Image: NQ staff)

Billy said: "For me it's an observational comedy about what I have witnessed of how Brits are percieved in America, and how a lot of Brits behave in America.

"There is a lot of this, kind of tea and biscuits snobbery, the la-di-da Brit, well... what we would call 'all fur coat and no knickers'.

"Even now in LA I am constanty amused by the characters I see and the people I meet."

And the film got film star Linda Evan's approval, with the 80-year-old actress watching Billy's film and saying that she found the project really funny and wishing him all the best for festivals and its future.

The film on the big screen at the Theatre Royal, Workington (Image: NQ staff)

The film was premiered in LA in November, with the UK premiere taking place to an adoring crowd on Sunday, January 8 at the Theatre Royal in Workington.

Billy said: "It was really important for me to do it. Number one was for me to do a cast and crew screening in LA for everyone who was either in the film or had worked on the film, and I did that in November before I came back to the UK.

Crowds gathered at the Theatre Royal to watch the film (Image: NQ staff)

"The other thing was to show it my friends and family, but most importantly to the people who had contributed to my GoFundMe campaign which actually enabled me to make the film in the first place.

"It was really important for me to say thank you.

"This is the most difficult thing I have done, but it's the thing that I am the most proud of in my life."

Billy did a GoFundMe campaign back in 2019 to raise funds for the project and said most of the money that was raised ($5,000) was given by people from West Cumbria.

And the film is just the start. Billy hopes to use it as a pilot of what the character can be. It has been submitted to play 22 film festivals all over the world, already getting accepted to two of the festivals.