DUNDALK’S GOT FILM TALENT
DUNDALK-BORN casting director Nick McGinley says he’s delighted with the young talent he’s unearthed as he searches for child actors to fulfil roles in a new Channel 4 series that is currently shooting.
Nick, a former student at Bay Estate National School, was in the Town Hall in Dundalk at the weekend, and continues his search this week in the Redeemer Centre and in Muirhevnamor, for three kids for Channel 4 drama series called The Virtues from WARP Films.
Written by Jack Thorne (The Scouting Book for Boys, Skins) and to be directed by Shane Meadows (This is England ‘90/’88/’86, A Room for Romeo Brass), the four part series is currently in production in Sheffield and stars Stephen Graham, the English film and television actor who is best known for his roles as Tommy in the film Snatch and Andrew ‘Combo’ Gascoigne in This Is England.
Graham plays an alcoholic from Liverpool, who, as his relationship collapses, travels to Ireland to find his sister, from whom he was separated when he was younger.
Some of the scenes are set in Dundalk and Nick is looking for two children - a girl aged eight to ten and a boy aged ten to 12 to play the sister’s kids, as well as a nine-year-old boy to play a younger Graham in flashback sequences.
Nick told the Argus he was very happy with the talent he saw in Dundalk. He said: ‘I was looking for young people with wee personalities, fully formed, and ready to chat.
‘I think all children can act - it’s only the adults who are self conscious. Once the kids are having fun, that’s the main thing’.
Audition slots were allocated so people didn’t have to wait around too long and the children and parents spent some time talking to Mick before doing an improvised scene, close to what will be in the TV series.
They were filmed and Nick will send the ones he thinks are best to the director and producers, who will have the final say. Already, there are more than 20 children who have caught Nick’s eye and he says that decisions will be made ‘imminently’ about
It is expected that the children’s roles will be cast in the next few days, with kids expected to be available for filming in Sheffield between the end of this month and August.
A family member will travel with them to act as chaperone. And it is expected that some external scenes will be filmed in Dundalk and featured in the TV drama. There is no date as yet as to when it will be shown on TV, but it is expected to be aired some time in 2018.
And despite all the excitement at the weekend, Nick was back in his old Alma Mater, Scoil Mhuire na nGael continuing to unearth young talent there!