An aspiring young actor eh…
Yes, this is Jack Stone, a confident 12-year-old who attends Forest School in Horsham. He will be making his television debut on 24th September in the BBC One medical drama Holby City.

Does he have ‘child star’ potential?
You never can tell. Little McCauley must have thought the world was his oyster when he starred in Home Alone at the age of ten, whereas Leonardo DiCaprio was outshone by tiny thorn-throwing aliens in his film debut, Critters 3. Jack hopes his role in Holby City leads to further acting roles.

So how did Jack land the role?
Jack received a call from his agent, and his mum drove him up to London to audition for the role. Jack said: “The next day, my mum came to pick me up from school unexpectedly. I asked her why she picked me up, and she said ‘you know that Holby City role you went for?’ Then she just smiled.”

What role has he landed?
He plays a boy suffering from Cystic Fibrosis, which gives him a lot of breathing trouble. He is taken to hospital after a football is kicked into his stomach. Jack adds: “There’s a little background story, about him finding letters from his mother that had been hidden by his father, so he’s a very angry boy. Luckily I didn’t have to play football as I’m not very good! All of my scenes were in the hospital.”

Shouldn’t he be at school?
Because of his age, the production company needed to fit school work into Jack’s schedule, so he was receiving tutoring between filming at Elstree Studios. Jack said: “I missed a week of school, and I was thankful it was that week as I was on litter duty at school!”

It must have been quite an experience...
One Jack would like to repeat. He said: “It was breath taking. I had my first dressing room, with make-up and costumes, and the regular cast members were really welcoming. Guy Henry, who plays Henrik Hanssen, was very funny off camera, even though he plays a moody character. He would make me laugh all the time, sometimes on purpose and sometimes accidently.”

Did Jack perform well?
He admits he was nervous before each take, but thinks he came through the experience very well. At school, other pupils have been asking him about it and taking an interest. Jack said: “I
became friends with the director; we would sit and talk about how my character was feeling before every scene, and it always seemed to come out really well.”

I’m sure there are some areas for improvement!
Firstly, Jack can’t cry on demand, and is trying to figure out how to do that. He is also not a particularly good singer. “I’m okay,” he said. “But I don’t have the voice of an angel, put it that way! I’m also not good at an American accent, so I’m taking it off my CV. A lot of my accents end up sound a little Indian!”

When did Jack begin acting?
At the age of four, he would dress up and act out characters from the children’s television show, Lazy Town. Over the next few years, he became known for donning fancy dress, with the Mad Hatter, Doctor Who, Batman, Knights and Captain Jack Sparrow amongst his favourite characters. He briefly attended Act Too, before he started performing in shows by Brooklands Dance School, run by his mum Casey. His roles included Jareth, King of the Goblins in Labyrinth, and Bert in Mary Poppins.

No acting school then?
Eventually, Jack went along to CTA (Celebrity Talent Academy) in Kings Cross, London. He has been going there for about five years, attending every other Sunday. After his family paid for the first year, he was handed a continual scholarship by the academy, as one of its most gifted pupils.

What does he learn at CTA?
Through the academy, Jack has attended workshops on commercial, film and television acting, as well as training on producing, director and filming. Every year, they hold a showcase, and acting classes are given by well-known performers. Jack said: “I was meant to go to one with Dylan and Cole Sprouse (American brothers who have appeared in numerous films and TV shows) but mum had the details all wrong and we turned up a day late!”

Has he done well in the showcases?
In 2011, Jack went to LA as the London representative for CTA at a showcase for young actors around the world. He performed a stand-up routine in front of 2,000 people and was presented a trophy as first runner-up in the Actor of the Year category.

What’s up next then for young Jack?
Just a couple of weeks ago, Jack had an audition for the Christmas special edition of Doctor Who. He said: “I was jumping around the house when I heard I had an audition as it’s one of my favourite shows. I was sent the script about two days before the audition but I can’t give anything away. The audition went very well and I really hope I get the part, as it’ll mean that I meet a Doctor. That is why I set out on acting, to be in Doctor Who. I’m going to do it, even if I have to exterminate all the other children in the audition!”

Doctor who? Never heard of it! Anything else?
Jack has also auditioned for a role in a new company of young players who will perform at a new indoor theatre at
Shakespeare’s Globe, called the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. He has made it through to a second round of auditions. Also, in recent days he has auditioned for a role in a new Ridley Scott film, Exodus.

Must be hard for a kid to have to face so much rejection?
Jack said: “If you can’t deal with rejection, it’s not the business for you. When I don’t land a role, I walk away thinking ‘I’ve done my best’ and that’s what you have to do. I had an audition for a new comedy, and I would have played a crazy little boy opposite the comedian Greg Davies. I thought it went really well, but it wasn’t to be. You have to just keep going.”

But he could sink like a Stone? You get it, Stone!
Yes, because Jack’s surname is Stone, that’s why it makes sense and helps the joke work. Anyway, yes, like many actors of all ages, his role in Holby City may well be his first, and his last. But the boy himself has strong belief. “My mum and I always had faith that something would happen”, he said. “There was a period of time when people, even my classmates, used to say ‘why do you bother carrying on?’ I just used to say ‘because I’m an actor’. I’ve proved the people who doubted me wrong.”