Little Daniel Lamont was feeling 10ft tall – even before the shoulder ride at a prestigious film festival.
The beaming boy was carried on the red carpet at Venice by his smiling co-star and screen dad James Norton, who has been tipped to become the next James Bond.
But this was no stunt for the cameras. It just showed how close they had become filming Nowhere Special, out in cinemas this month.
Daniel was just four when he landed a part in the heartwarming drama after an open casting call. And Granchester star Norton, 35, quickly took the lad under his wing.
Daniel’s mum Kasia, 35, said: “James did lots of things to put Daniel at ease. He was very good at pulling funny faces at Daniel.
“They were friends, just playing and having fun. James is really good with his diet, eating salads, and Daniel would have a burger and chips. But then James would steal Daniel’s food!”
The boy plays Michael, the son of Norton’s character John, a single dad with a terminal illness given just months to live after the child’s mother leaves.
The story follows window cleaner John as he desperately tries to find a new family for Michael to look after him when he dies.
Norton was equally good at helping Daniel cope with all the attention at Venice Film Festival.
Daniel said: “It was exciting and cool. I was a wee bit shy I think but James relaxed me.”
The pair filmed Nowhere Special in Northern Ireland two years ago.
They first met in a playground near Daniel’s home in Ballymena, Co Antrim, along with his dad Geoffrey, 39, and sister Erin, 11.
They went back to Daniel’s house to eat.
Kasia said: “We had dinner twice. I am from Poland so I made something Polish – dumplings with baby potatoes, meat and salad and chocolate cake for dessert. The second time he came round we ordered a Chinese.”
There was also time for Daniel, now six, and Norton to play.
Daniel said: “We liked throwing sticks and throwing toys. We did a back-garden race and I beat him. He is good at running but I beat him.”
Norton, who has also starred in Happy Valley and McMafia, was highly complimentary about his young co-star.
In a behind-the-scenes video, he said: “If I knew exactly what Daniel’s magic was and could put it into words and replicate it then I’d be sorted – as an actor and as a human being.”
Kasia, who works for Santander, never expected to hear back after Daniel’s Facebook audition but director Uberto Pasolini, who also produced The Full Monty, was enormously impressed.
Kasia and food production manager Geoffrey want a normal childhood for Daniel, who is currently learning the guitar.
She said: “We have kept in touch with James, he loves recording wee videos – it’s lovely for Daniel. People are saying Daniel is such a star but we don’t see it that way.”
If Daniel does wants to go into the world of acting, he knows James will be at his side.
