“It was such a fun journey. I have met a lot of very, very nice people along the way and I really hope to get more involved with acting in the future. “I can not wait,” he says. Judd probably won’t have to wait long, considering the praise for his star in Belfast, Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical tribute to his hometown. Jude speaks through Zoom from his home in a village in Armagh County, Northern Ireland. Framed by an artfully hung white sheet, it is structured and articulated and looks a little bigger than Buddy, the character he lived in, but the lightning exuberance is the same. “I think he’s starting to calm down a bit now,” says Jude. “It’s nice to go to school with my friends and play with them in the playgrounds. I have always been and will always be Jude Hill. “But yes, getting back to normal was a relief.” There is a glimmer in the eye, however, so that we do not believe that Jude Hill is finished with fame. “I do not think I will ever return to normal after that.” Hey Jude σκη Director Kenneth Branagh and Jude Hill on the set of Belfast. Photo: Rob Youngson / AP It means a whirlwind that started in 2020 when it won 300 hopefuls to play Buddy, the son of working-class parents played by Jamie Dornan and Caitríona Balfe, who are anxious to leave Northern Ireland at dawn . Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench play Buddy’s grandparents. The riots are the backdrop for a lyrical adult story that won Branagh an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Jude also won gong, including the Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Newcomer. The Oscars in recent years have been marred by controversy over the film industry’s treatment of women, ethnic minorities and informants, but its fledgling star loved Tinseltown for almost everything but the heat. “People in Los Angeles are really, really nice – they’re really nice, in fact, and super funny. You could sit down and make friends with them right away. ” No one noticed his accent, despite the fact that some American film critics complained that Belfast should have subtitles, a sentence that Jude eloquently sketches. “I do not think there is a need for subtitles, to be honest, paying attention will probably work.” Accompanied by his parents, Jude found himself on the red carpet somewhat sweaty and completely enchanted. The Belfast cast secretly shared Twizzlers, American sweets, to keep them up all night. “I think it was my first. It was very nice.” Jude was surprised to see that the veteran A-listers looked just as nervous as he did. “All the big stars looked a little nervous. Trembling literally from the adrenaline and nervousness. I was like, my God, I can not believe I am here. I kept biting myself just to make sure I was not dreaming. I think if someone goes to the Oscars they will be very nervous because I would say it is one of the biggest events in the world. “All these celebrities… were like me – they were trembling, jumping.” During commercial breaks he wandered around the Dolby Theater exchanging greetings with celebrities. “It was just a perfect night. These are just three words to describe it: a perfect night. All these celebrities there are laughing, having fun. “It was very nice to be a part of it.” That brings us to Will Smith. Asked about the actor’s attack on the presenter, Chris Rock, there is a pause. “Well, I love Will Smith himself because I met him at some of the other awards ceremonies and he was probably one of the nicest people I could ever meet,” says Jude. He congratulated me on my suit and said, “This is fire.” And I will always remember this compliment “. There is another pause. “The incident that night was… yaaah.” The face pops, the voice is lost. In short, Jude has lost his words. It is a melancholy moment, a crack in innocence. Anthony Hopkins came forward and hugged me. Wow, that was such a highlight. What an aura it brings out “Some in the audience thought it was set up. It was 10 seconds of awkward silence because none of us were sure if it was funny or not. Everyone was on their phones texting each other to see if it was true. “Nobody really knew that night until we all went home.” Jude is obviously anxious about how someone seemingly good could do something bad. “Personally, I love Will Smith. “He is one of the most fun and exciting people I have ever met.” Not sure what to do with Smith’s 10-year Oscar exclusion. “I’m just an 11-year-old, I do not pay much attention to social media, but I listened to it. I’m not so sure how I feel about it. “They are very mixed at the moment, I have to say.” The smile returns when Jude remembers meeting Anthony Hopkins at Governor’s Ball after the Oscars. “He passed in front of me and hugged me. He said, “I liked your movie, oh my God, what a masterpiece.” I was frozen in shock, I was saying to myself, “Jude, this is Anthony Hopkins, tell him something, tell him something.” Jude gathered to thank Hopkins and praise his work. “Wow, that was such a highlight. What an aura it brings out. “Talking to him made me feel so safe and relaxed.” Safe and relaxed with the actor who refreshed a generation with the portrayal of Hannibal Lecter and changed forever how we think about chianti and fava? But then The Silence of the Lambs was released in 1991, two decades before Jude was born. He knows Hopkins as Odin, Thor’s father in the Marvel franchise. “In Thor: Ragnarok he was very emotional. It made me cry a lot watching that movie. “This man is an actor.” Cinema Family… Belfast cast (left) Lewis McAssky (Will), Caitriona Balfe (Ma), Judy Dench (Grandma), Jamie Dornan (Pa) and Judd Hill (Filara). Photo: Rob Youngson / Focus Features, LLC Four months before the age of 12, Judd may sound like an old professional. He is no longer ashamed when strangers click on him. “They ask me, ‘Are you this Belfast boy?’ The idea of someone approaching me on the street or at the airport saying, ‘Oh, I know you’ is a little crazy, but I like it. Jude’s balance is remarkable. After taking on the role of Buddy, he researched the history of Northern Ireland. “Before Belfast I did not know what the problems were. “I do not think a child my age would know what the problems were, unless his parents or grandparents were affected.” Books, movies and documentaries filled the gaps. “It simply came to my notice then. “I think Northern Ireland is much more peaceful now than it was then and I am grateful for that.” There is a scene in Belfast where Buddy, actually a young Brana, is in a movie theater fascinated by the flickering screen. The actor who plays him looks at the actor’s career in the same way, despite the obstacles. “I know this is a very, very difficult road. “You do not take part every second,” says Jude. He shrugs, smiles. The future is a blank, creamy page. “I will continue to do my auditions and my calls and I hope to get one of them.”
