Donegal schoolboy takes notes from
Hollywood greats
 By Siobhán
Breatnach & Elaine Sheridan
With a selection of Irish names gracing the big screen this month one
up-and-coming young actor looks set for Hollywood fame.
Donegal schoolboy Andrew Simpson stars with British film legend Dame
Judi Dench in the four-time Oscar-nominated movie Notes On A Scandal.
Speaking exclusively to The Irish Post he said: “The whole experience
has been amazing. From the moment I got the call to say I landed the part
to walking down the red carpet at the New York premiere it was just unreal.
Being flown first-class to New York was a real treat and I could easily
get used to that.”
Director Richard Eyre originally wanted an English actor but when nobody
suitable came up for the job castings were then done in the North of Ireland.
Simpson auditioned and two weeks later got the call to say he had got
the part.
He said: “I will never forget that moment I got the call. I was
messing about on the Play Station and the phone rang.
“I picked it up and couldn’t believe it when I heard it was
Richard Eyre on the other end. He told me I got the part and said congratulations.
“I just stood there numb. I couldn’t believe it. The next
day they flew me to London where I was based for the next six weeks while
filming. My dad Paddy came with me to keep me company.”
Simpson is no stranger to working with some of Hollywood’s biggest
names and he made his Irish film debut three years ago in Song For A Raggy
Boy alongside Irish-American actor Aidan Quinn.
Notes On A Scandal is adapted from the book of the same name and is a
story of loneliness, loyalty, envy and love.
Judi Dench, who will compete against actresses Dame Helen Mirren and
Kate Winslet for the Best Actress Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards,
plays a teacher who becomes obsessed with a colleague (Cate Blanchett)
when she learns of her affair with a student played by Simpson.
He said: “It was intimidating to start with, to come into the room
and then have people tell me how amazing they were. But as soon as I got
the role and started to work with them they were just amazing.
“The two of them — they make you feel really comfortable.
I learned a huge amount and came home every night with my head pounding.
I met some really nice people while filming in London — all the
cast were so good me.”
Eighteen-year-old Andrew — who was 16 at the time of filming —
hopes to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time actor when he leaves
school in June.
He said: “Now that I’ve got a taste for it I know it’s
definitely what I want to do. It’s a hard game to get into but hopefully
I’ve made a name for myself and auditions will come up regularly.
“It’s hard while I’m at school but once I leave in June
I may even head for the bright lights of America because that’s
where it’s all happening.
“I want to join the likes of Cillian Murphy and Ewan McGregor one
day.”
Meanwhile Irish screen legends Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson have teamed
up in the latest action thriller Seraphim Falls. Co. Meath man Brosnan
and Northern Irish actor Neeson star as American Civil War veterans.
Brosnan plays Gideon, a man who is trying to escape his tragic past, while
Neeson — who has previously played real life heroes such as Michael
Collins and Scottish legend Rob Roy — plays Brosnan’s rival
Colonel Carver.
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