London - Ronan Keating, the former lead singer of Irish boyband Boyzone, said he had caught the acting bug and wanted to appear in more films after playing a part in the war drama Another Mother’s Son, his first major role.
“I have been trying for a long time and I have had a few roles in different things, but this is my first major role and, fingers crossed, I can do more,” Keating said at the film’s premiere in London on Thu rsday.
Another Mother’s Son is a World War II drama based on the true story of Louisa Gould, a widow on the Nazi-occupied island of Jersey who agrees to hide a young Russian escapee.
“It’s a story of community and support,” Keating said, “but also something that went on so close to home that people don’t realise, that Jersey was occupied by the Nazis, which is pretty hardcore, if you think about it.”
Keating, who attended the premiere with his pregnant wife Storm, took on the role of Gould’s brother.
“He’s a natural screen presence. He steeped himself in research, as we all did, and he took it so seriously,” veteran British actress Jenny Seagrove, who plays Gould in the film, said about Keating.
“He was just humble and truthful and wonderful.”
The film will be in cinemas in the UK on Friday.
Keating was the singer of Boyzone, started in 1993, and had several hits, including Love Me For a Reason and Isn’t It A Wonder. One of the most successful bands in Ireland, they split in 1999.