![\"Child](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/e46b8464-b7ce-4838-ab4e-6127fdb9cc0a.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\nFrom jetsetting abroad and working with Hollywood A-listers to rejection, tears and long days on set, we step into the world of Ireland\u2019s child actors and the parents supporting their dreams\n<\/p>\n
Behind every child actor, there often lies a supportive and encouraging family, yet the cliches remain: that the parents of child actors are attempting to live out their unfulfilled dreams via their children, or that they push them into the industry to live vicariously through them. According to Maureen Ward, owner of Talented Kids Performing Arts School and MVW Talent Agency Ireland, the reality couldn\u2019t be further from the truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe child very much has to want to do this,\u201d she says. \u201cIf a parent wants the child to do this [career] and the child\u2019s not interested, there\u2019s absolutely no point. We\u2019ve had children come in and they\u2019re not interested in the fame side of things, and that\u2019s absolutely fine. I\u2019ve seen it many times \u2013 any parent who wants it more than the child, the child eventually wins out in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ward has seen actors like Alisha Weir, Niamh Algar and Se\u00e1na Kerslake attend her classes and be represented by her agency, but in her 22 years in the business, she has seen a huge mix of children.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have students or clients who\u2019ll join us, who simply want to socialise, have better coordination and be able to build confidence,\u201d she says. \u201cBut then we have the kids who really, really want to be famous. We\u2019re lucky that the kids we see want to be famous because of their talent, and not because they want to be a celebrity. I mean, there\u2019s a difference. They love being a character and learning scripts and researching characters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s up to the parents then to know if they want their children to go down that route, to be able to create a website profile and be able to stay on top of responses for auditions, because we get those on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ward notes that casting directors and producers often have a certain type of young actor in mind. \u201cThey want natural-looking children \u2013 thankfully, in the industry I\u2019m in, we\u2019re not looking for the fake tan and hair done a certain way. That\u2019s the beauty pageant side of things and that\u2019s not what this industry thankfully is. They want children who are the kids that you see playing out on the road most of the time \u2013 no stagey fakeness at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Film and TV work doubtless sounds glamorous, Ward also warns parents that the reality of life as a child actor requires plenty of hard yards and commitment on the part of both child and the wider family.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s long waiting hours that are required if you\u2019re on set,\u201d she says. \u201cYou might be called in for a certain amount of hours and you could be sitting for the majority of those hours in a trailer dressing room. And the child has to be able to sit there and do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cSchool is obviously a big part of things, and a lot of the time, if a child gets a big job, a tutor would be on set for many, many months. I have to say that the majority of schools have been very helpful and accommodating with these kinds of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked what advice she might give a parent whose child has shown an interest in acting, Ward says, \u201cI always say to my students, you have to have the skin of an onion, and there have to be many, many layers. Because [rejection] happens time and time again. It\u2019s the biggest thing you\u2019re going to come across in the industry. Just because you got a particular job, doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll get the next job. It\u2019s like all businesses, and if you take it personally, you\u2019re really not meant for this business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weekend spoke to a handful of parents whose young children have worked steadily as performers from an early age. For them, it\u2019s often a matter of divining a balance between helping their children achieve their dreams while keeping things as normal as possible.<\/p>\n
\u2018Every time the phone rang and she\u2019d done an audition, I\u2019d be jumping out of my skin\u2019<\/p>\n
Child actor Francesca Europa and her mother Jade Black at The Gaiety Theatre. Photo: Gerry Mooney<\/p>\n
Jade Black from Clondalkin in Dublin is mum to 11-year-old Francesca Europa. Francesca\u2019s screen credits include House Across The Street and the Hallmark feature My Norwegian Holiday. She also appeared recently in The Ferryman at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin. She will next appear in Why Me? opposite Linda Martin and Clare Monnelly<\/p>\n
Jade Black recalls the first time she set foot on a film set with her daughter. \u201cI\u2019m thinking, \u2018God, we\u2019re not in Kansas anymore, is this real?\u2019\u201d she recalls with a laugh. \u201cThere\u2019s this little child, and there\u2019s assistants following her, holding her coat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn her first scene, she had to cry because she cut her knee. Internally, my nerves were gone. These days, I let her do her thing, and mind my own business in the corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat said, it\u2019s very tiring work,\u201d Jade adds. \u201cYou might have to do a scene 30 times. My advice to parents is get your kid onto a set and you\u2019ll know very soon if they want to do it. I\u2019ve seen a lot of kids crying and having to leave sets because they\u2019re too tired, and it\u2019s just very mentally draining for them. They just don\u2019t know what it entails.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like most young children, Francesca\u2019s love of performing was sparked while watching other kids singing and dancing on The Late Late Toy Show.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe kept saying, \u2018I want that,\u2019 when she was two years old, and me being the mammy thought she was talking about the toys,\u201d Jade says. \u201cAt that age, she wanted to dance all the time, was constantly dressing up. Everything was about putting on a show.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now that Francesca is working steadily on screen projects, Jade is a regular presence on film & TV sets. It does mean a juggle for the rest of the family, including Francesca\u2019s younger brother Phoenix (she also has an older sister, Esperanza). \u201cIt\u2019s a new world for us,\u201d Jade says. \u201cI made an agreement with her father at the start that wherever she goes, I go. I was very conscious of the fact I didn\u2019t want her on her own anywhere. I have an incredible family and, between us all, we make it work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a pushy parent insofar as if Francesca didn\u2019t want to do this, she wouldn\u2019t be doing it. She\u2019s not a conventional child in the way where she just wants to be out playing all the time. Right now, Francesca is learning a script, and I never have to worry about whether or not she knows her lines,\u201d Jade says.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, our biggest issue would be that we have to say, \u2018Right, that\u2019s enough for today. Let\u2019s go off and do something else.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting used to the carousel of auditioning, self-taping and the occasional rejection has been a steep learning curve for the family.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it was all new, I\u2019d be living for the phone to ring. Every time the phone rang and she\u2019d done an audition, I\u2019d be jumping out of my skin,\u201d Jade says. \u201cI\u2019ve had to learn not to do that anymore. Francesca will do the audition, but never asks, \u2018Did you hear back?\u2019 Now, she\u2019ll just think, \u2018That wasn\u2019t a role for me,\u2019 and she doesn\u2019t get disheartened. I do think that\u2019s been a key to her success.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the day comes where she says, \u2018You know what, Mummy? I don\u2019t want to do this anymore,\u2019 it\u2019s over,\u201d Jade says. \u201cI\u2019d be gutted, I\u2019m not going to lie to you, but her happiness is paramount.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018When they get a gig, you\u2019re excited for them, for this new adventure they\u2019re going to have\u2019![\"Ronnie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3920676b-4412-4c79-a760-879f00a17f16.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Ronnie McCann and Noella Brennan with their children Molly and Aidan. Photo: Mark Condren<\/p>\n
Ronnie McCann and Noella Brennan, from Maynooth in Kildare, are the parents of 14-year-old Molly and 16-year-old Aidan McCann. Molly has appeared in the feature films Rosie, Herself, Vivarium and Feed, and is filming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Aidan, a magician and actor, has appeared on America\u2019s Got Talent: All-Stars and had his own segment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, titled Aidan\u2019s Magic Corner<\/p>\n
With Aidan and Molly McCann\u2019s careers in full flight, the family are fast racking up airmiles.<\/p>\n
\u201cNoella gets all the nice gigs,\u201d jokes Ronnie. \u201cShe gets Columbia and Ethiopia, I get Dublin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be in Germany for a bit now [for The Hunger Games prequel], and because it\u2019s a longer stint, Ronnie and Aidan will absolutely come out at some point,\u201d Noella adds.<\/p>\n
To date, Aidan and Molly have worked with a long list of co-stars, among them Kevin Costner, John Cena, Sarah Greene, Imogen Poots, Ralph Fiennes and Elle Fanning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember when Molly was meeting John Cena; I think it was the first time she was properly starstruck,\u201d Noella says. \u201cShe went on set and had to do a photoshoot with him straight away and she was like, \u2018What do I call him? I can\u2019t call him John. Maybe I\u2019ll call him John Cena.\u2019 Within two minutes, she was absolutely flying it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The children are no strangers to the world of acting. Ronnie, originally from Glasgow, and Noella met in London while working as actors, before moving home to Noella\u2019s native Ireland. With the couple running the Brennan Performing Arts school and agency in Kildare, it was probably only a matter of time before their children caught the acting bug.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey both started taking classes when they were about three or four,\u201d Noella says. \u201cThey just always loved doing it. It happened all very organically. It wasn\u2019t like they said at the age of five or six, \u2018I want to audition.\u2019 We eventually just said, \u2018Do you want to go in and try this little thing?\u2019 So they ended up doing that. They were always so comfortable on set, meeting different people. No matter what your goal is for your child, drama schools are brilliant for kids, especially for confidence building.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly recently signed with a major London agency, signalling a major step up for her career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI say to her, \u2018If it\u2019s meant for you, it won\u2019t pass you by. If you\u2019re happy with what you\u2019ve done [in the audition], it\u2019s to do with whether you\u2019re right for it,\u2019\u201d Noella adds. \u201cIt\u2019s just the nature of the beast. I don\u2019t remember them ever getting desperately upset over any casting, and again, it\u2019s because a lot of other stuff is going on in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Are they ever concerned about the prospect of fame at an early age, given the high profile of the kids\u2019 projects?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think growing up in Ireland makes a massive difference,\u201d Noella says. \u201cWhen they get a gig, you\u2019re excited for them, for this new adventure they\u2019re going to have. They love the travel and being on set. I honestly don\u2019t think they\u2019re going to suddenly become these crazy divas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom an early age, even when Aidan was going on to Ellen\u2019s show, we were very much, \u2018Be polite, ask questions, don\u2019t just say yes or no.\u2019 We didn\u2019t want them to be seen as little spoiled brats or something,\u201d Ronnie says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s great for kids not to ever get tunnel visioned about it. They have lots of other activities, which is great \u2013 Molly loves her dancing, her friends, she loves art. Aidan loves going out with friends, and they\u2019ve just joined the gym. That\u2019s important,\u201d adds Noella.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do have to say,\u201d Ronnie says, \u201cI\u2019d rather sit on a flight to LA than be standing on the side of the local football pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Life is full of rejection, and I think resilience for kids is amazing. They have it in abundance\u2019![\"Michelle](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/fc93ce21-70ff-463e-9ba4-250c81eac7ad.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Michelle Mason at home in Co Kildare with her actor children Myah and Caleb. Photo: Steve Humphreys<\/p>\n
Michelle Mason, based in Burtown in Kildare, is mum to nine-year-old Myah and 11-year-old Caleb Mason. Caleb\u2019s screen credits include Storyland, Little Dream Boy and Detainment, in which he played the role of Jamie Bulger. Myah has appeared in a number of adverts, and also appeared in The House Across The Street opposite Shirley Henderson. Both star in the forthcoming feature Sunphlowers opposite Patrick Bergin<\/p>\n
Michelle Mason encouraged her son Jacob, now 16, to take drama classes, not to become famous, but as a social outlet. His younger siblings followed suit, and enjoyed it right away.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaleb was a natural, a real people person, and was cast in his first job when he was two,\u201d she says. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t stopped working since. I think Myah went for her first audition when she was two, and everything happened organically. She was just naturally good at it. Neither [my husband] Brian or I have that background \u2013 I\u2019m an art therapist and he\u2019s a carpenter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juggling the children\u2019s acting careers with her own has taken a degree of flexibility. \u201cLuckily, I am blessed with my job and I pick my own hours,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve got three children and a little foster girl \u2013 we\u2019ve always been able to figure it out but not at the expense of the kids being kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cMyah is the one that lives and breathes for this \u2013 Caleb takes it in his stride and is very laid back,\u201d she adds. \u201cMyah wants to go to a performing arts school. She never stops moving, always has the head spinning, but when she\u2019s on set, it\u2019s amazing to see how she can be so attentive. She wants it so much, and that\u2019s the thing, they have to want it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michelle is also on hand to make sure that the kids don\u2019t see the inevitable slings and arrows of the industry as anything personal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s brilliant for them to hear the \u2018nos\u2019, the fact that they would come close [and not get something] but the casting director would call them for something else \u2013 they know they\u2019re doing something right, and it\u2019s never a personal thing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t sugar coat it or anything, and that\u2019s if they even ask; usually they don\u2019t. They might see something on telly and go, \u2018Oh, I auditioned for that.\u2019 Life is full of rejection, and I think resilience for kids is amazing. They have it in abundance. They\u2019re very humble with all of this. They don\u2019t tend to talk about it outside of their little acting world.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Caleb, he just loves to connect with people and chat to them, and the smaller-scale productions have stayed with him, and Myah, any chance she gets to get into character, she absolutely loves it,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can see her taking it all the way. But these days, she gets so many things coming in the door, and if we can\u2019t commit to something or if it\u2019s family holiday time or something like that, she completely understands. You need their lives to be very rounded. They\u2019re not little adults. They\u2019re still very much kids.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From jetsetting abroad and working with Hollywood A-listers to rejection, tears and long days on set, we step…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181853,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[268],"tags":[434,18,117,19,17,12612],"class_list":{"0":"post-181852","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-tanya-sweeney"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115553179397625959","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}