A Bradford actor, who nearly gave up his dream of stardom when he was refused a grant, has landed a lead role in a film set in the city.

Darren Fawthrop stars in Elevator Gods, about a Duran Duran tribute band that reforms, with the aim of winning an 1980s music contest and using the winnings to save Bradford nightclub, The Brad Pit. The film is due for release next year.

“We shot some scenes in Bradford,” said Darren, 34, of Undercliffe. “In one scene one of the band members chained himself to City Hall gates in a protest. Some people thought he was actually protesting and wanted to get in on the action.

“It was great filming in Bradford. Everyone in the cast was asking me for tips on the accent. In the tribute band my character is Simon Le Bon and I had to dye my hair blond and cut it in a mullet – it was awful!”

A former pupil of Hanson School, Darren is now based in Los Angeles, and his professional name is Darren Jacobs.

“I’d reached the stage in my career when I didn’t have to audition anymore for West End shows, I’d just get a phone call and be offered a part. It was hard to refuse, but I stuck to my guns to move to LA,” he said. “I wanted to try it out, even with the possibility of failing, rather than torture myself when I’m 60 for not even attempting it.

“It was like starting again in LA as no-one there seems to have any understanding of theatre. Managers would look at my CV and ask what the Royal Shakespeare Company was.”

Darren started performing at Stage 84 in Idle. He landed a place at the London Studio for Dance, but almost gave it up when Bradford Council turned down his request for a grant three times. Following a Telegraph & Argus report on his plight, Darren was offered the funding.

Weeks after graduating, he was in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in the West End then joined acclaimed choreographer Matthew Bourne’s dance company New Adventures, touring the world in productions such as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. He was in the original cast of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium, and performed with The Royal Shakespeare Company.

After playing Oliver Graham in Hollyoaks, Darren won a scholarship to study acting in New York. He hopes to continue making films and TV dramas.

“The quality of TV has skyrocketed with amazing programmes like Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire. I’d be over the moon to be cast as a series regular."