Actor James Martin, who stars in An Irish Goodbye, has revealed the Hollywood stars he wants to meet when he attends the Oscars next month.
The film, set in Northern Ireland and following two estranged brothers who come together after their mother’s death to fulfill their bucket list, has been nominated in the best short film category at the 95th Academy Awards.
Martin, 30, whose birthday coincides with the award ceremony in March, said he hopes to meet fellow Northern Ireland actors Liam Neeson and other big names such as Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro and Jennifer Aniston.
The actor, who has Down’s syndrome, told BBC Breakfast on Thursday: “Well it’s not every day you go to America, and an Oscar could be a nice birthday present, because March 12 is my birthday there really is, so the time. wonderful.”
He added: “I would love to meet Tom Cruise, of course I would, Top Gun is a great movie. I would love to meet Liam Neeson because we have something in common.
“I would love to meet Robert De Niro because we have something in common too.”
Tom Berkeley and Ross White direct and write the black comedy, set on a country farm, which was filmed on location in Derry, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Saintfield.
Berkeley said: “We’ll probably lose our heads.”
White also said it was “fab” and “enough for us” to qualify for the Oscar longlist, before being nominated for their short film.
When asked how they knew they had created something special, Berkeley mentioned the relationship between Game Of Thrones star and The Northman Seamus O’Hara, who plays Turlough, and Martin, who plays Lorcan.
Berkeley added: “(When we heard) about the two of them facing each other in the evening to run their lines first, and then they ended up doing it because they became very fast friends, so I think we realized they had something. special together.”
In the film, when the brothers are reunited Turlough has to make new care arrangements for Lorcan, and he plans to send him to live with his aunt on the other side of Ireland.
Lorcan tells Turlough that he will only leave the farm when he completes the 100 items on the list of things her mother, Game Of Thrones actress Michelle Fairley, wanted to do before she died.
Martin, who previously starred in BBC film Ups And Downs and works in hospitality at Italian restaurant Scalini in Belfast and Starbucks, said his friendship with O’Hara was a “special bond” and it was important that he laughed when they saw him.
He added: “Because I did Irish Goodbye in the lock, you just want to make people laugh and because you don’t want to watch the same thing again on TV.
“So we have to look at something new and I think that’s nice.”
Irish Farewell is also nominated for a British short film award at the 76th Baftas, which will take place on February 19.
The film has already received awards at the British Short Film Awards, the Indy Shorts International Film Festival and the Irish Film Festa.