Galway teen Ely Solan getting red carpet ready for Sunday’s Oscar ceremony alongside rest of his Detainment co-stars
The 14-year-old plays child murderer Jon Venables in the controversial Irish film based on interviews with the killers of Jamie Bulger
TEENAGER Ely Solan will take to the red carpet at this Sunday's Oscar ceremony along with the cast of his film Detainment.
The 14-year-old plays child murderer Jon Venables in the controversial Irish film based on interviews with the killers of Jamie Bulger.
Ely, from Headford in Galway, was just 11 years old when he took on the daunting role, his first time in front of the camera.
The youngster was still in primary school when he auditioned for the part, and this weekend it will pay off in spectacular style as he rubs shoulders with Hollywood's finest.
He flies to Los Angeles today with his mum Olyvia and other members of the cast.
Revealing his love for the screen, he said: "I've been fascinated by film and acting since I was about five, when I used to go on YouTube and watch behind the scenes clips from movies and it all looked like such good fun."
Mum Olyvia revealed how her second youngest son has always had an emotional intelligence which she and her husband Michael felt would help him with his acting.
She said: "He was only 11 when he asked for acting classes and was still in primary school in Kilcoona NS so we didn't think too much about it when we bought a three-month subscription to an online acting agency."
She added: "Initially all the auditions were in Dublin so we didn't travel. But then the audition for Detainment came up and Ely really wanted to do it.
"We had a long think about whether or not we should let him go forward for such a dark, intense role but in the end we agreed and I brought him up to Dublin."
Ely beat off stiff competition from 200 other young actors to win the part and joined a six-day shoot at Collins Barracks in the summer of 2016.
Recalling the intense experience, he told how he and his co-star Leon Hughes – who plays killer Robert Thompson – made the most of their time on set with the help of director Vincent Lambe.
He explained: "The role was exhausting to play but Vincent had us doing all sorts of light-hearted improvisations and games between takes and Leon and I only had one or two scenes together, because the film centres on the police interviews with both boys which obviously were done separately.
"It was exhausting as I pretty much had to cry for most of it but it didn't feel heavy because of the way Vincent broke up the shoot.
"It was an incredible introduction to acting and I never thought when I was filming it that I'd end up going to the Oscars because of it."
The film has been hit with a backlash after Bulger's mother Denise Fergus branded it "disgusting", complaining that neither she nor Bulger's father had been contacted or consulted about it.
Yet that hasn't stopped its success, and it's now in the running for the Best Live Action Short award at Sunday's ceremony.
Ely is ensuring his family will be well represented at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre as he'll be wearing a dickie bow belonging to his late grandfather Thomas Flynn.
Olyvia is flying the Galway colours as she plans to wear a maroon dress. And they're hoping it'll be the first of many trips to LA as Ely's career is already going strong.
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He said: "I've done a lot of work since Detainment which has definitely opened a lot of doors for me and now Vincent, who directed me in that film, is my agent.
"My parents have been hugely supportive as have my brothers and cousins. I know all my aunties are very proud of me as are my grandfather Dudley Solan and my great aunt Betty.
"My friends think it's a bit mad that I'm off to the Oscars but I don't think it will hit me how big this is until I get over there."