Boy's joy at getting lead role in play aged nine
Helen MurrayA nine-year-old who landed a leading role in a play with no professional acting experience says he "screamed the house down" when he found out.
Atlas Johnson-Dutfield from Bristol is sharing the role of Lanny with fellow youngster Lucian Thomas, 10, in the stage adaptation of Max Porter's acclaimed novel Lanny.
Atlas' mum Jada Johnson-Dutfield said she initially "felt sick" with nerves when watching him perform - but this was then overtaken by pride.
The young actor got the part following an open audition by the Bristol Old Vic theatre.
Atlas said he felt "super-duper happy" when he found out he had got the role.
"I shouted yes and fist pumped... dad was so confused and wondering why we were screaming," he added.
Based on the bestselling novel by Max Porter, Lanny has been adapted for the stage by West Country playwright Bea Roberts.
The play tells the story of Lanny and his family moving to a village near Bristol and awakening Dead Papa Toothwort, a mythic figure listening from the woods.
"Lanny is different from all the other kids and is connected to nature in a different way that other people can't see. He's different in a good way," Atlas said.
He added that he and Lucian, who share the part of Lanny, are now "like stage brothers".
Atlas' mother said her son had gone to acting classes after watching children in the Lion King stage show at the age of seven, at which point he asked if he could be in a play one day.
Helen MurrayDescribing the moment she first watched her son on stage himself, Johnson-Dutfield said: "When I first saw him up there it was just odd. I'll be honest I felt quite sick.
"I couldn't focus on the play. I was thinking 'I don't want this to go wrong'."
"After that I got over it, there was pride. I was just watching him in the whole process and seeing him grow," she added.
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