TWO students from the Bradford-based Yorkshire School of Acting have achieved success on the big and small screens.
TV drama Peter and Wendy starring Zak Sutcliffe has won a Junior Emmy in the Best TV Movie category. Zak, who is about to take his GCSEs at Tong High School, played Peter Pan in the film opposite Hunger Games actor Stanley Tucci.
The Bradford teenager was also in Sacha Baron Cohen’s film Grimsby, and more recently played a teenage killer in Channel 4 drama No Offence.
“I’m extremely proud of everything Zak has achieved, his career is really taking off,” said Yorkshire School of Acting principal Matt Zina.
Joel McVeagh of Thackley started performing aged 11 at Centre Stage in Yeadon then the Yorkshire School of Acting. Aged 18 he started teaching junior classes and became an acting coach, along with training in the school’s adult classes. Joel has been in Romania recently filming Netflix movie A Christmas Prince. He plays the best friend of a character played by New Zealand actress Rose McIver, who goes to work in a European country, where she encounters the royal family.
Joel landed the role following an audition in London earlier this year. He recalls his reaction when Matt called with the news. “I just sat in my bed in shock then ran into the living-room and told my mum who jumped around the room with excitement!” he said. “When the filming came around in March, besides getting the script, I had no information about anything else until I landed in Romania. When I got on set I found out the film was led by Rose McIver. That was a real shocker as she’s the lead in an American TV series, iZombie.
“It co-stars Daniel Fathers who was massive in my childhood, from Disney movies Camp Rock 1 and 2. It was an honour to meet him, he shared amazing acting advice and recommended books I should read, such as Michael Caine: Acting in Film. I’ve read it twice since coming home.
“The filming experience was amazing. On my first day I was talking straight into camera. The whole crew was lovely.”
Matt said: “Joel is extremely committed. I’m extremely proud of him and how his career has taken off this year.”
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