THIS is a big weekend in a series of big weekends for ten-year-old Cillian Tobin from Westbury, as he records his piece to camera for the Chicago talent agency that signed him for an 18-month contract.
Talent Auditions works with the likes of Netflix and Disney. Since being chosen from among 500 shortlisted applicants to the agency, Cillian has been mentored by Ryan Keley from MTV series Teen Wolf, and Hannah Kat Jones from Disney’s Austin and Ally.
He was signed after two auditions and an interview, and now has his sights firmly set on a screen career.
Cillian has everything set up at home for his live performance via zoom. His mother, Jennifer, says Cillian is “delighted at having been signed. He’s very excited about it all. From the time he was little, he has wanted nothing but to be on stage.
“He says, ‘I want to be famous’ and asks if we’re moving to Hollywood,” she told the Limerick Post. “We’re a family of six so there’s not much chance of that,” she added.
A fourth class student at St Ita’s in Corbally, Cillian recently took on the role of the Scarecrow in the school’s production of the Wizard of Oz. He has been a student at the Spotlight Stage School in Limerick since he was three years old.
“He plays guitar and trumpet and sings in the school choir and is in the Redemptorist Centre band. He tried different sports including hurling, but it just isn’t for him,” said Jennifer.
But while he has his sights set on the big Hollywood prize, his family are making sure Cillian keeps one foot on the ground with his studies.
“Because he’s in Ireland, there’s a six-hour time difference, so it’s not interfering with his school work,” explained Jennifer.
