A 25-year-old from Westmeath currently has the world at her feet thanks to a role in a new movie, and there looks to be a glittering future ahead for the young star.
Niamh Algar from Mullingar hit the red carpet in Texas last week for the release of From The Dark and is set to be one of the bright stars of the future.
The movie, which is directed by Conor McMahon and stars Niamh along with Stephen Cromwell (Love/Hate), is set in the midlands and follows the journey of a young couple Sarah (Algar) and Mark (Cromwell) as they head off on a road trip through Ireland.
Little do they know though that something sinister has awakened from a 2000-year slumber and they soon realize that light is their only protector. But as the sun sets and light sources dwindle, they are truly in a fight for their lives in what is a gripping watch.
Niamh as Sarah in ‘From the Dark’.
Speaking about how it all began, Niamh states that it has been an interesting journey to date.
“Back In February I missed an audition that Conor McMahon was holding for his new feature film because I had the ‘flu,” she explained. “I emailed him and asked could I send a self -tape. He agreed, but then the day I planned to shoot the tape the Factory studio was closed so I ended up recording the audition in my car!” she laughed.
“I sent it to Conor, and well, it got me the gig. Four months later I was in a bog in County Laois playing ‘Sarah’ the lead character of From The Dark.
“Sarah is the definition of a survivalist, a heroine, but she just doesn’t know it yet and she has the capability of crossing over to the dark side under the right circumstances,” Niamh continued.
“The shoot was a lot of fun. Physically it was really demanding but that’s what I love. Arnica cream became my best friend!
“I am the youngest of five so you grow up tough and it definitely came in handy for this shoot! Although the scenes were intense and emotionally driven there was a lot of fun and laughs on set. The cast and crew were awesome; we were like a family (a family covered in fake blood and muck that is!).”
Niamh being interviewed about the role.
“I was so lucky to have worked with Conor. He is quite a chilled-out director, if a scene wasn’t working he would allow the actors time to find a way. I was also excited to work with cinematographer Michael Lavelle, I had seen His&Hers and had heard great things about the last movie he worked on with director Terry McMahon called Patrick’s Day, so I was keen to work with him – although I never thought that in one shot it would be just myself, Michael, the camera and a giant spider shooting a scene in a pretty tight cupboard! Needless to say I quickly overcame my fear of spiders!
“Stephen Cromwell was great to work with also, we clicked really well – he made the tea and I made sure he didn’t burn the house down when he cooked!” she laughed.
Looking back at the red carpet event last week, Niamh said it was absolutely amazing.
“I have just returned home from Austin, Texas where the film had its world premiere at Fantastic Film Fest. It was an incredible experience to watch the film for the first time with an audience in the legendary Alamo Drafthouse. Keanu Reeves, Justin Long and Elijah Wood were all in attendance so that was amazing!”
Niamh, who is a graduate from The Programme of Screen Acting at The Factory in Dublin has been interested in acting for as long as she can remember.
“I have always been obsessed with movies, even from a young age,” she admitted. “I was involved in Mullingar’s local youth theatre, I studied Art and Music in secondary school and I was passionate about it so it made sense that I pursue a career in the arts.
“My mother is an artist so she liked that I was following in her footsteps. After school I studied Design at DIT and I continued my involvement with theatre. It was around then that the acting bug really bit in and I started enrolling in part time acting courses.”
“When I met director Terry McMahon I began to take acting even more seriously and consider it as a future career. I began working in a cinema to pay for the acting courses and worked part time as a trainee Art Director to gain onset experience and knowledge of the business. Later I joined the Actors Studio at the Factory.
“My first official stage appearance was when I was four and I played the letter Z in my school play!” she grinned. “Since that, I’ve worked on several short films and independent features and on The Savage Eye. I was cast in a FilmBase feature last year called The Light Of Day which premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh this year and will have its Dublin screening at this year’s Horrorthon in the Irish Film Institute (IFI) at the end of the month. Most recently I was cast in Season 3 of Vikings and then From The Dark.
“My favourite actresses are Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore – women that break the boundaries of film acting. These women can do anything, they can be any character. I also love Leonardo DiCaprio, Cillian Murphy, Philip Seymour Hoffman and James McAvoy. Someone needs to give Di Caprio an Oscar!
“The highlight of my career so far? Definitely attending the premiere of the film in Austin.”
So what’s next?
“Now, we will promote the film at European film festivals and then, I’ll move onto the next project,” the water-sport mad actress continued. “My family have been really supportive which is brilliant.”
For more on Niamh, click onto her website.
