Interview with Connor Curren (Billy Thompson)

Billy Thompson runs the Autistic Adults support group, a self-help group where autistic young people can come together and compare their lived experience. He is an avid mountain biker and loyalty card collector, as well as a good friend to Patience. He has come a long way since his boyhood, a period of time where he struggled with emotional regulation. Billy has learned to mask as a way to navigate the challenges of adapting to a neurotypical world. Recognizing the importance of support, he has created a safe and welcoming space where his friends can openly discuss their own experiences and strategies for managing life in a world that often fails to meet their needs. However, the toll of masking is undeniable, and Billy knows all too well how exhausting it can be to constantly adapt to an environment that doesn’t reciprocate. Billy is bright and sociable. He seems to have it all sorted but masking still takes its toll. He knows as well as anyone how hard it can be to manage a condition that can be both a difference and a disability at different times.

Interview

Connor Curren - Billy Thompson

 

Why were you attracted to Patience as a project? 

I was attracted to this project due to the nature of its representation of autism and neurodivergence as well as its mission to be authentic in its casting, also its a crime thriller, which has always been a genre I've wanted to delve into!

Can you describe Billy to us?  Give us a little about his background and where we find him when we meet him?
We meet him initially chairing a meeting for Autistic Adults, we learn this is a community led peer support group for individuals on the spectrum, he is very much a diplomatic and compassionate person, working through his own mind by helping others work through theirs, although we later in the series that Billy, perhaps needs more help from others than he leads on. 

Tell us a little about how he and Patience meet?

Patience is a member of the Autistic Adults support group, and Billy shows particular concern for her, as her new involvement with the police is not only potentially massively overwhelming, but also a source of palpable danger. 

Tonally how would you describe Patience as a drama? 

I think people will be pleasantly surprised at how funny the show can be as well as taking you through some darkness, tonally I feel it's a very fast paced and human drama/thriller which has many peaks and troughs of light and darkness, thrills and warmth! 

How have you enjoyed working with the rest of the cast? 

It was so good! Working with the more experienced and veteran actors was so valuable in terms of just learning, I've been out of drama school only three years so learning on the job is still a massive thing for me. And of course the amazing Ella as Patience was just a joy to work with and an absolute laugh to know as a person! 

How important is it to you that neurodiverse actors play neurodiverse roles?

I think it’s all about representing people who, historically, have been massively underrepresented despite the fact that neurodivergent folks are absolutely ubiquitous in this industry! So it's a great idea for us to tell our own stories and get our voices heard when we haven’t often had the opportunity to do so. 

What are your most memorable moments in front of the camera on Patience? 

Working with a rain machine was definitely memorable! Despite what you might think of Glasgow, I never get used to being soaking. So having to act through that was definitely a fun time!  Other than that of course working with the amazing actors in the support group was incredible to me, having all these authentically cast neurodivergent talents in one room was a really special experience.