Young Kildare actor gets big break in TV drama

By Kim O'Leary A talented young actor from Monasterevin will soon make his acting debut in 2018 on AMC’s hit martial arts drama Into The Badlands which is set to enter its third season, and it follows the journey of a ruthless warrior named Sunny (Daniel Wu) and a young boy M.K. (Aramis Knight) as the duo team up to survive in post-apocalyptic America. George Blue, 18, is from Monasterevin and he attended primary school in Monasterevin before going to secondary school at Mountmellick Community School, and last year he moved to Galway to study acting and theatre.  He recently was offered a speaking role on the American hit series Into The Badlands, and he has now finished shooting his scenes for the upcoming third season. Speaking to KildareNow, George explained that he was always interested in acting and modelling but he couldn't really see it happening for him. He said: "At 16 I started going for modelling auditions and I started out modelling with Not Another Agency in Ireland, but after a while I felt there wasn't really enough opportunity for acting and modelling, so I saved up and decided to go to Los Angeles in California to break into the industry. I'm 18 legally an adult, and I felt that I needed to try acting and modelling in L.A. because I wanted to get more experience in the industry." George moved to L.A. in June and he stayed there for six weeks where he went to many auditions for both modelling and acting. [caption id="attachment_200341" align="alignnone" width="280"] Living the Dream: George in L.A. during the summer as he pursued his acting and modelling career[/caption]   “I got involved with a new agency the Photogenic Agency in L.A., and I tested for a modelling shoot for Old Navy in London which was amazing. I auditioned for ABC and CBS shows as well as 13 Reasons Why on Netflix, then I auditioned for a speaking role on the third season of the martial arts drama Into the Badlands, which is produced by AMC who also produced Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead; they’re my favourite shows so to get to work with them was amazing,” said George. George auditioned twice before he was told he’d secured a speaking role as a scout on the hit show. He said: “I’ll be in episode 8 of the show but the writers are still writing and it’ll be shooting until April, so there’s a chance my character could be back for more episodes.” George described living in L.A. as well as working on the set of Into The Badlands as an “amazing experience”, and that the cast and crew were very welcoming. He said: "The cast and crew were just the nicest people, they made me feel very welcome. Everyone was so hard-working and I remember how we were shooting scenes in the rain and it was really coming down, but everyone kept going because they wanted to do a really great job and I really admired that." George also had his own trailer on the set and he also explained how he became close to several cast members, who would give him advice on the industry. However, George did find the American accent a little tricky to master, so he enrolled in more acting classes in Hollywood studying with an L.A. acting studio which he feels greatly helped him in his work while shooting Into the Badlands. After finishing shooting his scenes in the U.S. and modelling in the U.K., George has recently returned to Ireland and is now living in Newbridge. The humble young actor has said that he is very grateful to his family and friends for supporting his dreams. George said; "My family is very supportive and they've supported me from day one. My friends have been so supportive and they think what I'm doing is cool and they've encouraged me to keep working hard." Now that Christmas is just around the corner, George has said that he is looking forward to some down-time. “This Christmas I’m planning on staying home to relax. I’ve done a lot of travelling this year so I’m hoping for a bit of a rest,” explained George. So what's next for George in 2018 and beyond? He has recently auditioned for an upcoming Steven Spielberg movie and he is also receiving "lots of auditions" from L.A. As he prepares to make his acting debut onscreen with Into the Badlands, what advice would he give to other young actors trying to catch a break in the industry? "Well, I always tell myself ʹif it was easy everyone would be doing itʹ, because it’s a tough industry to break into. I’d recommend going to acting classes, watch movies, and also just watching other people’s body movements and their behaviour which is great to help you practice. And most importantly to never give up on yourself,” said George. This talented young actor is certainly one to watch in 2018 when Into the Badlands airs later in the year and Irish viewers can tune in through BT Ireland.