Chris Walley
He’s well- known to Irish audiences as Jock from The Young Offenders, but Chris Walley is making waves in the UK, too. Recently, he has been nominated for an Evening Standard Theatre award and is also one of the recipients of a BAFTA breakthrough award, a
The Young Offender is making waves in the UK. Michael Doherty chats to him about his BAFTA accolade
Congrats on the nominations and the BAFTA bursary accolade, Chris; it must be very gratifying to be celebrated in this way… Chris Walley:
It’s so great to be recognised for the work you’ve done, particularly by an organisation like BAFTA. I’ve watched the BAFTAs every year and seen what they have done for everybody’s career. To have that support system around me for the next year is something I’m very grateful for and I’m looking forward to it.
You’re following in some big footsteps: Jessie Buckley was among those who received this award last year…
Yes, I remember Jessie being announced and of course, she also went to RADA. To even be considered in the same bracket as people like Jessie and Jack O’Connor or Florence Pugh, who both received it previously, is very special. London has been a home away from home for me, and I’m a very proud Irishman today. I almost have to take a step back and think, Jesus, this is amazing! Hopefully the jobs will start flying in!
What does the BAFTA programme involve?
It involves getting a mentor, so in this case, it will be an actor who will be guiding me. I think you can ask for certain people and I have a long list! You get to attend all the BAFTA screenings and masterclasses and you’re exposed to all these industry people with whom you can network. I’m going to grasp this opportunity with both hands and see what the next year has to offer.
e BAFTA nod comes a er your nomination for the Evening Standard Emerging Talent award; a prestigious accolade that is almost up there with the Oliviers…
It’s a huge endorsement and a great honour. People who have won this award in the past include the likes of Tom Hardy and Chiwetel Ejiofor, so again to be put in the same bracket as those guys is a real honour.
At this stage in your career, are you thinking of concentrating on TV, theatre or movies, or will it be a mixture of everything?
To be honest, it depends on where the interesting roles are; whatever the medium. I’ve just nished a play [ e Lieutenant of Inishmore] in the West End, so at the moment, I’m keen to do lm and TV. en again, if a good play comes along that grabs my attention, I’d love to do that!
Finally, Chris, with all this newfound recognition, are you going to start demanding a bigger trailer?
A bigger trailer? A trailer in the rst place would be a good thing! When I was working on e Young O enders, my trailer was the back seat of the nearest car and, to be honest, that suited me just ne!