A star is born
Sonny is out of this world in new movie
A seven-year-old schoolboy enjoyed some lights, camera and action during his summer holidays as he starred in a brand new short film.
Sonny Ferguson won the part of Joe in The Rocket Ship after his first-ever audition.
He’s been a member of Paisley’s Pace Theatre Group for the last two years and proud mum and dad Craig and Leeane said Sonny loved taking part in the film.
Craig said: “It was really professional. My wife took four days off work just in case Sonny didn’t settle, but he was great. When we went to pick him up, he was just a ball of energy.
“Hopefully, this is the start of something for him. We want to look at how we get more opportunities for him. He’s got the ability and the confidence.
“There were two chaperones there to look after the kids and they took them to the park in between filming and looked after them really well.
“Sonny loved it. He got a lot of plaudits from people working on the film. They all said he was a natural and he did absolutely brilliantly.
“There wasn’t one point when he said he didn’t want to go.”
The story centres on single mum Stace and her two sons, Shaun and Joe, played by Sonny.
Stace is struggling both financially and mentally. As a result, the boys decide to build a rocket ship in their garden to fly into space and escape their world.
It was shot over four days in the south side of Glasgow at the end of last month. The producers got in touch with Pace to tell them what they were looking for and they thought of Sonny.
Craig, 38, said: “The first thing he had to do was a video. We filmed him getting emotional with somebody he was trying to cheer up.
“He used his soft toy dog, Puggy, and he took him on set. They actually put Puggy in the film and he gets a credit at the end too.”
Craig, Leeane and big brother Alfie, nine, live in Elderslie and the boys go to St Margaret’s Primary, in Johnstone. Craig is delighted with Pace and what they’ve done for Sonny.
He added: “Sonny has got such a bubbly personality and is so confident. He goes to Pace every Saturday and to the festivals in the school holidays as well, when we can.
“The teachers are brilliant with the kids and Pace has been fantastic for Sonny.”
Director Chris Bogle loved working with the wee boy. He said: “Sonny was amazing, both boys were. We picked them because they were both so natural and easy in front of the camera.
“They had a lovely natural charm with them. Even when the camera wasn’t rolling, Sonny lifted everybody.”
The film has now gone into edit and Chris hopes it will be ready to go to film festivals from October onwards.
For more information on the film, go to facebook. com/ therocketshipfilm/