Reels & recs

Even though Harry (Richard Vernon) and Elizabeth (Debra Lord Cooke) have felt estranged, a chance encounter reignites the spark. Notably, the latter’s bashful demeanour around her ex proves charming thanks to Cooke’s natural screen soul. The camera treats her as a lived-in presence rather than a cipher remembering lines. In fact, her performance carries all kinds of awards potential despite the 26 minute running time. Perhaps the Academy could create new accolades for short films like their lengthier counterparts.

  Review by Richard Jack Smith

Debra Lord Cooke's magical ability of adding depth, meaning, charm and humor to her characters is uncanny. Her unique talent makes a character she plays interesting and real. Debra's role as ELIZABETH in my film entitled CAKE was outstanding. Meaningful pauses, subtle nuances and body language made her acting multidimensional and rich of meanings.
Debra is also someone who is extremely reliable.  

                                                                               Ariella Media

"Debra is a superb talent, an actress with great depth and range. For our film, she auditioned for two roles, one dramatic and the other comedic. She nailed them both. Her character performance is one of the jewels in our film."
 

Bob Mrazek
Writer/Director, The Congressman

Debra Cooke is a director’s dream. She arrives completely prepared, lines learned, character carefully worked out, research done, but open to exploration, too, eager to have her estimable talent and enthusiasm encouraged, ready to try anything. She’s a great energy to have on the set, the consummate professional, tireless and uncomplaining (ask her how long she sat by a roaring fire on the hot spring day we were doubling for a cold winter one). An absolute pleasure to work with; I’d use her again in a minute.    

Ernest Thompson   Writer/Director/Producer

On Golden Pond, Time & Charges

Debra Cooke is without question one of the most professional and generous actors I have had the privilege to work with. On our first feature project together Analogue she was always on time, always prepared, and offered encouragement and intelligence whenever we ran into a problem during production.  She is a terribly gifted actor, with a subtlety in her use of emotion and facial expression that is a wonder. 

 She is always up for a challenge, always open to new ideas and new narrative experiments. But her vast experience and dedication to her craft ensure that any script handed to her will be approached with care and professionalism. She really knows how to bring a character to life, on stage and on screen. You can always count on her to deliver a great performance, day in and day out.

Alvin Case
Director
Analogue 2015 USA 84min

Having recently directed Debra Lord Cooke, it is my honor to note her incredible work ethic and stunning performance in my short film, Set in Grey Matter. The part required Debra to play two roles, one of which required fluid adaptation in each scene. Not only did Debra exceed my expectations, she smoothly handled the disjointed nature of film shoots, excellently switching between roles.
 

The professionalism started from the beginning; I knew from the moment she auditioned that she was perfect for the role. Rehearsals always ran flawlessly. Debra dug deeply into her two roles and excelled at experimenting to deliver what would become our collective vision. Debra asked the right questions and was not afraid to ask for my motivations, which I greatly appreciated.
 

On set, Debra not only wowed me, but also the entire crew. During a monologue, tears streamed from her face unexpectedly, it was genuine moment beautifully rendered on film; after calling cut it seemed the entire set was entranced by Debra’s performance.
 

My recommendation for Debra extends universally as she was a delight to work with and rendered two difficult roles in a way in which it seemed effortless. She truly is a talented artist.
 

Sincerely,
Logan Lamson
Director of Set in Grey Matter