'I found the casting call on Instagram': Douglas teen wowing audiences with new film

A young actor from Douglas is emerging as one of the stand-out new faces in Irish cinema.

Clara Crichton has been attracting growing attention for her feature-film debut in Once Upon A Time In A Cinema, the new Irish coming-of-age drama from writer-director David Gleeson.

Set in 1980s Ireland, the film draws on Gleeson’s family history in the cinema business and tells a nostalgic story centred on a fading picture house and the community that gathers around it.

Since its release, Once Upon A Time In A Cinema has earned a warm reception from both critics and audiences, with particular praise for its young cast and heartfelt portrayal of small-town Irish life.

For 17-year-old Crichton, it was a social media call-out that led her to the film.

“I found the casting call on Instagram. I was following one of the casting directors in Dublin, so I emailed them, and they sent me the audition and the script. I loved the script from the second I read it. It was only my second audition ever - my first was for a commercial. I met with the casting team, and thankfully it all went really well.”

Douglas native Crichton began acting in theatre at the age of 11 before moving into screen acting classes at 14.

In Once Upon A Time In The Cinema, she stars alongside an established cast that includes Colin Morgan and Calam Lynch. Crichton plays Kate, the daughter of cinema owner Gerald, played by Morgan.

Kate is unhappy with the amount of time her father spends devoted to the cinema, while Gerald struggles to come to terms with the fact that his daughter is growing up. Their strained relationship leads to confrontation almost every time they speak, forming one of the film’s central emotional storylines.

Crichton says she identifies with her character. “Kate really speaks her mind and says exactly what she thinks, and I think we have that in common. She’s also pretty sarcastic, which I can relate to. I really saw a lot of myself in her.”

It is a big step to go from acting lessons to starring in a film, and Crichton admits to being nervous at the start.

“I was absolutely terrified! But I’d met Colin and David during rehearsals a few days beforehand, so that helped a lot. Everyone was so lovely and understanding. They really couldn’t have been nicer to me.”

Most of Crichton’s scenes are with Morgan, and she says he helped guide her through the experience.

“Colin was incredible. Honestly, I don’t think I could have done it without him. Acting with someone who has experience automatically makes you better because you have so much to react to. He also explained a lot of the film terminology on set because there were so many words and processes I didn’t understand at first. We’d talk through scenes beforehand, which made filming them much easier. I’m so grateful to him.”

She says that Gleeson also made the filming experience easy and was always willing to listen to her questions and thoughts.

“David was amazing. I was so nervous because I didn’t really know what I was doing at the beginning, but he was always open to hearing my thoughts. If I didn’t understand something, he’d explain it. He and Colin made the whole experience feel really supportive.”

The film is set in a historic cinema, and the production was fortunate enough to use an original cinema building that was reopened specifically for it. Crichton says working in a real cinema helped immerse the cast in the story’s world. “Walking into a real auditorium instead of just opening a door onto an empty studio makes everything feel much more real. It really helped immerse you in the world of the film.”

As the daughter of a cinema owner, Crichton’s character has to operate original projection equipment, which she says proved surprisingly difficult.

“Most of it was pretending. They’d tell me, ‘Press this button,’ or ‘Walk over there’. The only thing I actually had to learn was how to handle the film reels, but they were so heavy. On the first day, one of them fell and crashed onto the floor during a scene.”

The film is set in 1984, a period Crichton admits feels very distant from her own life experience. “It’s not a time I can personally relate to. People on set would talk about remembering the 1980s, and I’d listen. My mum remembers the 1980s, so I talked to her a lot about it. I also listened to music from that time, which really helped.”

Filming also meant taking time away from school. 

“I took about a month off before Christmas. My teachers were really understanding and helped me catch up afterwards. It was strange being away for that long, but completely worth it.”

After her experience on the film, Crichton says she would love to pursue acting professionally in the future.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I love it so much, and I’d love to keep doing it forever.”

She hopes audiences leave the cinema with the same sense of warmth and nostalgia that she felt while making the film.

“I hope people come away with a feelgood feeling. It’s also a reminder of how important cinemas are. So many people watch films at home now, but cinema can really bring people together. Hopefully, it encourages people to support their local cinema.”

Once Upon A Time In A Cinema is in cinemas now, rated 15a.