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ABOUT A BOY
15 Oct 2014 : Paul Byrne
He’s onscreen for just 15 minutes, but 13-year old COREY MCKINLEY just about steals the show in the critically acclaimed ‘71. IFTN starts his Oscar campaign here...

The way I see it, if Judi Dench can bag a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her eight minutes as Queen Elizabeth in 1997’s Shakespeare In Love, there’s no reason that 13-year-old Corey McKinley shouldn’t bag the Best Supporting Actor for his incredible 15 minutes in perhaps the most critically acclaimed film out there right now – ’71. The film had the second highest screen average on the opening weekend after Gone Girl at the Irish box office last week, and has also been nominated for a prestigious European Film Award.

In the Troubles-set drama, McKinley plays Billy, a young Loyalist supporter who takes a lost and frightened British rookie soldier (Jack O’Connell) under his wing. Striding through Belfast like he owns the city, Billy is quick to bark orders at men four times his age. And despite the fact that he’s the height of your average Irish wolfhound, when Billy barks, people stand up straight and listen.

I caught up with Corey on the phone this week, to find out where all this dynamism came from, and where it’s going.

PAUL BYRNE: So, are you ready to head out there and sell yourself for that Oscar campaign? As so many Hollywood heavyweights will tell you, it takes months and months of shaking babies and kissing hands to win an Oscar. A great performance is no longer enough.

COREY MCKINLEY: “Bring it on. I’m ready for anything they might throw at me. I’ll happily talk about this movie right up until Oscar day next year.”

You recently caught the movie with an audience both at the Dublin premiere and the London premiere. Your character hits like a bolt of comic relief - how was it for you?

“I was just shocked, because I was so young, and the way everybody was acting when they saw me on screen. It was crazy.”

Did you know when making the film that your character was going to have such an effect?

“I was surprised, because when you’re on set, it’s all serious, if you know what I mean, so, I didn’t know he was the funny character. I thought he was deadly serious.”

You were only 11 when you made this movie, your first acting gig. A baptism of fire or a complete joy?

“A complete joy, with some fire thrown in. Really had an amazing time, and made some really good friends. I’m still in touch with Jack O’Connell. He’s just an amazing guy, and he helped me all the way through the shoot. I find he and I are very similar to each other.”

What inspired you to go for the role of Billy?

“My granddad heard about it on the radio, that they were looking for people. I hadn’t acted before, but I thought it could be fun. I never thought I’d actually get the role, of course...”

I just want to clarify at this point, given the power of your performance, you’re definitely a boy, right, and not a 37-year-old midget who happens to look like a boy?

“[Laughs] No, I’m definitely a boy. I check every day.”

Was it a long process, auditioning and then getting the part?

“No, it was pretty quick. After my granddad heard it on the radio, I just went along to the Lyric Theatre here in Belfast and gave it my all. They gave me a callback, and then they came to my house. It was amazing...”

Did the director Yann Demange or the writer Gregory Burke give you any guidelines or inspirations for what kind of kid Billy was, and what kind of performance they wanted from you?

“No, Yann just told me to give it my all, and see what I came up with. He just wanted it to be as natural as possible.”

Billy feels like Mickybo with a Molotov Cocktail at times - had you seen Terry Loane’s 2004 film about two kids from opposite sides of the Catholic and Protestant divide running amok in Belfast? Were there other films, actors or characters you thought of?

“Yeah, I’d seen ‘Mickybo & Me’, but it was really just Jack guiding me through. I didn’t really have any other performance, or film, in mind. I just gave it my all, and acted the hard man.”

It can be a tough day’s work, waiting around for a film crew to get everything set up just right - did you enjoy the shoot, or was it a hard day’s night?

“It was very enjoyable, so it was, just amazing. I guess if I ever got used to making films, I might get bored someday, but for now, it’s all just like a dream.”

Have you had much feedback directly about ‘71 and, in particular, your performance?

“Yeah, I’ve seen a couple of reviews online, and when I was in London, I was approached by a few people, telling me that they thought I was amazing in the movie. That was pretty cool.”

So, do you feel like a rock star yet?

“Definitely!”

The film could be set in any worn-torn trouble spot, but given that you’re from Belfast, were you already very aware of the politics here?

“Yeah, I’ve studied the Troubles, and my family all grew up in it, so, I’m aware of the politics, yeah.”

Would you say your family is political? Does it still feel like the Troubles are all around you?

“No, my family is just trying to get on with everyone else, like everyone else, and they’re not political, or anything like that.”

Do you think a film like ‘71 helps put the Troubles into perspective, and into the past?

“Yeah, it’s an amazing film, dealing with real people, and what happened back then. It gives you a strong sense of what it was like back then, and it makes you glad that we’ve moved on.”

This experience must have lit a spark in you to become a full-time actor?

“Absolutely. I’m hoping to continue on with the acting in my life ahead, and just get better and better at it. That’s the plan...”

Where to from here? Are you going to wait until you’re finished school, or are you keen to get out there as soon as possible?

“Actually, an American agent has contacted my Belfast agent, and that could lead to something. It’s very early days, and I know I’ve been very, very lucky to land in a film as good as ‘71, but I’ve got the bug now. I want to do this for the rest of my life. And I want to do it well...”

‘71 is in cinemas now, whilst Corey has already started work on his Oscar acceptance speech







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