'Stranger than fiction' for Cavan-born actor
A brilliant young Cavan-born actor is taking London's West End by storm as part of the new cast for the critically acclaimed stage production of 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow'.
Callum Maxwell reprises the role of young 'Bob Newby' (Séan Astin in the TV series) in the celebrated Netflix and Sonia Friedman spin-off to the gripping supernatural TV drama that had audiences hooked around the globe.
Set in the Stranger Things universe, the stage prequel focuses on a group of teenagers, including Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers (then Maldonado) and Henry Creel - all names with which fans of the original Emmy winning series will be familiar.
Callum made his West End debut back in mid-November, telling the Celt: “It is truly massive to be part of something with an already built-in fanbase like Stranger Things. I do sometimes stop to think about where I am right now. It's exciting. It makes me all the more grateful for what I've achieved and what it has taken for me to get to where I am.”
Callum shrugged off any opening night nerves. But that's no great surprise seeing how far he has come, both as a person and an actor over the years.
Growing up at Kilnacrott near Ballyjamesduff, as a young boy he moved with his family to Oldcastle where he spent his formative years, attending St. Oliver Post Primary, before studying at the famed Gaiety School of Acting.
Notable past credits include the leading role of ‘Thomas’ in The Cloud Spotter (Bewley’s Café Theatre, Viking Theatre, Axis Ballymun), ‘Joe’ in Philadelphia Here I Come! (Cork Opera House) and ‘Michael’ in Oh, Brother (Dublin Fringe Festival, Bewleys Café Theatre, Viking Theatre).
Youngest son to Marie and Séamus, and brother to three other siblings, Callum explains that people often ask “if there is a history of actors” or acting in his family.
Pausing briefly for effect: “Alas I am the sole actor in my family. Although I very much come from a family of storytellers. But I am certainly an outlier in the path I have chosen.”