Galway child actor Ely Solan recently appeared in one of the most controversial short films of all time, DETAINMENT, which chronicled the confessions of the two killers of Liverpool boy James Bulger in a deplorable act of violence and murder which shocked the whole world over a quarter of a century ago. Solan played Jon Venables, who with Robert Thompson, carried out and then confessed to the murder.
Despite the film’s acclaimed success on the Festival circuit, which led to it gaining an Academy Award nomination in 2019 for Best Live Action Short, it was not without its’ opposition.
Happily, though, Ely has now gone on to win a Young Artist Award in Hollywood recently, following on from a highly-exclusive and highly-regarded group of young successes. Film and TV Now recently interviewed the actor about this and other aspects of his life.
FILM AND TV NOW: Congratulations on your Young Artist Award, which puts you alongside such recognizable talents as Leonardo DiCaprio, Kirsten Dunst and Reese Witherspoon. Tell us about the night you won the award and your experience in Hollywood.
ELY SOLAN: The night was amazing. I remember getting into my suit and just dying of excitement. Walking the red carpet was very cool because there were flashes everywhere and people interviewing me. When they called out the winner of Best Performance in a Short Film I wasn’t sure if it was me as they called out the film’s name instead of my name and they mispronounced it. I just hoped it was me since nobody else was standing up and I got up and walked onto the stage shaking of excitement all the way there. Hollywood has been nice aside from the crazy people I have encountered on the street. The weather has been amazing which is a nice change from Ireland.
FTVN: DETAINMENT was a well-made, if controversial film, because of its’ subject matter. I interviewed the director, Vincent Lambe, before the Awards season about the film-making process. What was it like working on this film and how did you deal with the sensitivity of the subject?
ES: Working on the film was a fantastic experience and although the subject is very dark I had so much fun. The director Vincent Lambe made sure to create as light an atmosphere as he could on set to keep me and my co star Leon happy since the film is obviously very depressing. I tried not to think about the subject aside from when I had to in order to get into character and so on. But overall I tried to forget about that side of things and focused more on getting my performance right.
FTVN: You are from Galway. Tell us about your upbringing and your family.
ES: I have a family with seven. Six of which being boys. I have 4 brothers and not a single sister. I am the second youngest in the family. I give credit to my mom for being able to handle us all as I’m sure we make it challenging. I am so happy to have been brought up in Galway as I love it there and just think it is a beautiful county. We were always brought to lots of movies and would watch lots of tv shows growing up and so I have always had an interest in acting.
FTVN: You are in the upcoming film ‘Four Kids and It’ alongside Michael Caine, Russell Brand and Daniel Bruhl, three hugely-in-demand actors who have delighted audiences over the years. Tell us about your experience working with them and did any of them give you any advice about Acting and the Business itself?
ES: I had a brilliant time working on ‘Four Kids and It’, even though I have a relatively small role in the film, but I got to hang out with Russell Brand and he was very funny and very nice. One time he brought an ice cream van to set and everyone got to have ice cream.
FTVN: You were cast as a young Charles Dickens in ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’. Are you an avid reader and what is your favourite book to date?
ES: I am not going to lie – I do not read often but when I do it has to be a good book. My favourite book to date is probably ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Artemis Fowl’. But I really enjoyed playing “Young Charles” in ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’. I have a lot of scenes with Jonathan Pryce who plays my dad in the film and it was really brilliant working with him.
FTVN: What are your hobbies when you are not Acting?
ES: When I am not acting I am either doing homework or rowing. We have rowing training 6 times a week and it’s very intense. As well as this, my homework usually takes around 2 hours so I am always exhausted.
FTVN: The film-making process covers so many elements and when done well can be so rewarding. A lot of Actors after a time turn their hand to Writing, Producing and Directing. Given your experience on Film and TV sets, is this something you would like to do when you are older?
ES: I have always had an interest in directing but I don’t think I would ever to try it out until I am older and wiser and have much more experience in film. I used to write short stories when I was younger a lot and even won an award for one of my stories once but I stopped writing around the time I began acting and simply haven’t been able to find the time to write stories since. Still from time to time ideas will pop in my head for stories but I never write them. But that might be another thing I try out when I am older as well as directing.
FTVN: What are your Favourite Films and TV Shows when you get a chance to watch them?
ES: I absolutely love ‘Stranger Things’. It is my favourite show and would be my favourite movie if I could count it as that too. I think the acting and the story and just everything about it is amazing. The directors / creators of the show, the Duffer brothers, are geniuses. I am inspired by the Stranger Things kids and they’re amazing acting and success. I hope that maybe one day I can meet them. If I had to pick a favourite movie I would probably say ‘Dunkirk’ because I think it’s very well done.
FTVN: How have your friends reacted to your success?
I have had amazing support since winning my award at the weekend. My friends and family have all been reaching out to me and saying congratulations. It’s really nice to see everyone’s love and support.
FTVN: Finally, what are you most proud of in your career so far?
ES: I am most proud of my performance in ‘Detainment’. I put my heart and soul into that movie and I’m very happy that it worked out in the end. But I couldn’t have done it without the love and support of my parents and an amazing director like Vincent.
