Ballymena teen Claudia Betty proudly walked the red carpet in Dublin recently as she attended a special preview screening of King Frankie at the Lighthouse Theatre on Tuesday, October 8.
The event marked the release of the movie in cinemas across Ireland, as well as a number of cinemas in Northern Ireland.
The young Broughshane lass starred in the movie which tells the story of Frankie (Coonan), a humble Dublin taxi driver who runs his own tiny taxi firm. On the day of his father’s removal, he comes face to face with something that happened ten years ago, and the first thing that he must do is forgive himself.
Directed by Dermot Malone, his debut film is about those who not only make promises but also keep them.
Claudia’s hard work and dedication to carving out a career as an actress on the big screen, was rewarded after landing a role in the Irish movie.
The young talent features in the movie as Grainne, Frankie's most loyal and favourite customer. The young girl has down syndrome, and Frankie collects and drops her to school five days a week. Claudia was perfectly cast for the role of playing the young teenager who is described as 'a beautiful soul, always laughing and messing with Frankie in the car, naturally curious with a beaming smile'.
Starring as Grainne in King Frankie has been Claudia's biggest role to date. The young talent was previously cast in a BBC Newsround documentary called ‘Thirteen...A Day In The Life Of', that aired in March 2020.
Claudia is a student of Castle Tower School in Ballymena, and attends Starburst Drama School in Antrim. Whenever the role came up to play a teenage girl with Down Syndrome in the movie, Claudia's drama teacher encouraged her to apply. After submitting a self-tape for an initial audition for the part, she was invited to the Ali Coffey casting office in Dublin, and was soon celebrating when she was offered the role.
Speaking previously to Love Ballymena, proud mum, Cheryl Beatty, described her daughter's casting in the movie as a "great opportunity". She said:
“This has been such a great opportunity for Claudia to be involved in her first acting role. To be part of a film and star alongside Peter Coonan and work with the most amazing and supportive cast and crew was an incredible experience for her. We are very proud of her achievement”