Callum Maxwell: 'The best thing I did for my career was to go to drama school'

My first paid gig was playing the role of Joe in Philadelphia, Here I Come! by Brian Friel at Cork Opera House in 2021. The production held open auditions, so my friend from drama school Benjamin Reilly and I jumped on the train down to Cork city for the day. We were up for different parts so we ran lines before going in. It was a really fun experience, especially on the train home when my pal got a phone call saying he got the job. I didn’t get a call and went back to normal life and my day-to-day job unsuccessful (or so I thought).

A few weeks later, I got a phone call from the director Geoff Gould saying the actor who was playing Joe had come down with Covid-19 and asking me if I could come in to help out. I was only too happy to oblige; being a fresh graduate of the Gaiety School of Acting, I was primed and ready to take anything on. So, I learned the lines overnight and my dad drove me down to Cork from Dublin at the crack of dawn to run the scene with the director and the cast on stage before that morning’s matinee. I was slightly nervous but mostly thrilled I was getting an opportunity to act. Anyone who has gone to drama school knows that coming out you just feel eager to act in anything you can. So, I was more grateful than anything else.

The main advice I can give to beginners is to trust what you can do. The best thing I did for my career was to go to drama school. The Gaiety was such a gorgeous safe space for me to grow and explore the craft. The teachers were so giving with their time and energy and I wouldn’t be here without them. Acting is an exchange of knowledge; you learn from every gig and person you meet. I’m also a huge advocate for being good to people. Bad behaviour almost always inhibits people in the end.

Callum Maxwell

Age: Undisclosed
Training: Gaiety School of Acting – the National Theatre School of Ireland
Theatre includes: Philadelphia, Here I Come! (Cork Opera House), Oh, Brother (Dublin Fringe Festival and tour), The Cloudspotter (Dublin Regional Touring Company), Peter Pan (Gate Theatre, Dublin), Love Me Do (Cavan Arts Festival), Stranger Things: The First Shadow (West End).
Film includes: Finnegan’s Foursome (Wild Atlantic Pictures), Ar Snámh (Sticky Tape Productions), Panto! (Deadly Films) Agent: Iain Mullins at Sovran Carey