Director John Ridley has added more Irish talent to the cast of Jimi Hendrix biopic ‘All Is By My Side’, with Tristan McConnell the latest Irish actor to take on the role of a real-life character.
McConnell will play Terry McVay, roadie to 1960s band The Animals and close friend of band member Chas Chandler, who later became Jimi Hendrix’s manager.
The role is McConnell’s biggest foray into the film world to date, having previously acted in Irish-based series’ such as ‘Camelot’ and ‘Marú’.
‘All Is By My Side’ is currently filming on location in Dublin and Wicklow, with Outkast rapper Andre 3000 playing the role of Hendrix in the period of 1966 to 1967, when the Seattle-native rose to fame and earned the reputation of the greatest guitar-player of all time.
Irish actors Laurence Kinlan, Danny McColgan (playing Eric Clapton) and Jade Yourell have already been cast, along with English actors Imogen Poots (Fright Night), Hayley Atwell (Captain America) and Ashley Charles (who is portraying Keith Richards).
The controversial biopic, which has been dismissed by Hendrix’s estate Experience Hendrix LLC, was written and is being directed by John Ridley, the man behind ‘Three Kings’ and ‘U-Turn’. The distancing of Hendrix’s estate from the feature means no original Hendrix material will be featured in the film, unless the estate authorises it before filming wraps next month.
Terry McVay was roadie to The Animals in the 60s when they toured the UK and the US. The band is famous for the deep vocals of frontman Eric Burdon and the heavy bass lines of Chas Chandler. Their most famous hits include ‘House of the Rising Sun’ and ‘We Gotta Get out of This Place’.
‘All Is By My Side’ is being co-produced by Dublin’s Subotica Films, Britain’s Matador Pictures and Darko Entertainment.
