Jamie Forde has always wanted to be seen beyond his chair and now he is being seen for exactly who he is: a fine young actor with a remarkable career unfolding in front of him. Born with spina bifida, Jamie has used a wheelchair all his life, but he has never allowed it to define his ambition.
This weekend, all of Cork will be rooting for the Fairhill native as he heads to the IFTAs, nominated for his role as Robot in Christy, a film rooted firmly in Knocknaheeny and the northside. Whether he comes home with an award or not, one thing is already certain – Jamie Forde has proven himself, and this feels very much like the beginning.
When I spoke to Jamie, it wasn’t awards or red carpets that set the tone, it was his dog. “I have my bodyguard next to me,” he laughs. “I think he is half bichon and half poodle. I call him my bodyguard because he protects my legs at night.”
His warmth is genuine. There are no airs and graces about Jamie. He’s just totally natural. Although he remains down to earth, he eagerly admits his life has changed. “My life has changed massively, ever since Christy it has been mad. When that film came out I never expected it to get as far as it got and I never expected to be nominated for an IFTA. I am very grateful to Alan (O’Gorman, producer), and Brendan (Canty, writer-director), for that, so it’s down to them too at the end of the day. They gave me the opportunities.”
Christy has received 14 IFTA nominations this year, leading the film categories, an extraordinary achievement for a story so steeped in Cork life. Jamie still sounds slightly stunned by it all and is simply happy to be nominated. “I don’t really know. I am just grateful to be nominated for it because it’s crazy to think that I was only watching this with my mam on TV the year before last. Now to be nominated is unreal.”
Asked if he ever has to pinch himself to believe it’s real, he laughs. “100%. I can’t believe it.”
Jamie has spoken before about wanting people to see beyond the chair, beyond “the wheels”, so does he feel that is happening for him now? “I hope so and I think so because that is what I really want them to see. Not just the chair. I want them to see me, as a person and an actor for myself.”
A lot of Jamie’s story comes back to two people that he describes as his greatest supporters – his mam, Bridgit, and his sister Shannon. He speaks about them often and naturally, and credits his sister for getting him into acting. “It’s all down to my sister who got me into everything.”
He traces his success back to The Kabin Studio, to auditions in the The Hut Youth Project, to the short film in 2019. “I think it all really started when I was inChristy – the short film in 2019. Since then I have been in The Young Offenders twice, once in a Christmas special and also in the episode when they faked Billy’s death. It’s been a bit crazy since we did the short.”
Before that, there was encouragement and belief at home. “My sister Shannon then got onto Gary McCarthy, creative director of The Kabin, for me and it has been happening ever since. Then Brendan got involved in The Kabin. We did the audition in The Hut in Gurran for the short movie and I got the part of Robot from that.”
Success in acting has brought great confidence to Jamie. “Growing up my confidence wasn’t great, I was very quiet and didn’t really speak much, but now look at me, I can talk to anyone,” he says. “So I suppose that was all from the acting – you have to put yourself out there.”
The Cork premiere meant more than anything else according to Jamie. “We were all delighted with it to be honest. It was a home premiere so it was the most special of all. We really wanted the Cork people to love it and they did.”
Does he think it reflected life in Knocknaheeny and the northside? “Oh yeah it definitely did, everyone said it did. I am from Fairhill and it was very real and lots of people thought it was very real.”
The young actor has a steady and certain pride in his community on the northside. “I think as Brendan said it has ‘a real sense of community’, everyone knows each other and looks out for each other and it is definitely a great place to live.”
I tell him my mother-in-law was from the northside and that she’s one of the kindest people ever. “That’s not just your mother-in-law,” he laughs, “that’s just us norries, the way we are. That came out in the film 100%.”
Success hasn’t changed who he is, although he admits he does get asked for selfies. “I don’t want to be treated any differently. I am still the same person.”
.Jamie was in town with his mam when a young guy approached him. “His mam asked if he could get a picture with me because he had just seen Christy. I used to want to get selfies before and now when someone asks me I am delighted. It makes me feel very happy. I never thought anyone would be asking me for selfies.”
At home, he lives with his mam, sister and brother, and there’s a big, wider family with siblings, nieces, nephews and an uncle down the road. They are all overjoyed with his success and with the IFTA nomination. “When the nominations got announced they all were delighted.” But it’s the two chief supporters who are going to the IFTAs with Jamie. “My mam and my sister are coming with me, my two biggest supporters. Even though all of my family are my biggest supporters, my mam and my sister are the main two.”
He’s already looking ahead. “I’m working with Brendan and Alan on a TV show now called Robot. So hopefully that will work out as well. We are starting the workshops a couple of days after the IFTAs.”
The talented performer has two strings to his bow, acting and music , so which is his first love? “I am going into acting more now and that has taken over. I have an agent now too. But I still love rapping.”
There was also another dream realised when he appeared on Britain’s Got Talent. “Oh that was another dream come true. I watch that every year with my mam and I used to say to her, ‘Imagine if I was on that.’ I never thought it would actually happen.”
He explains how a New Year’s Eve gig in Dublin Castle led to a call from a producer who happened to be in the audience while on holiday in Ireland. “I was delighted because it has always been a dream of mine to be on it,” he says. Meeting Ant and Dec felt surreal. “I was thinking in my own head, can this really be happening or is it a dream?”
Asked about his dream role, he doesn’t hesitate before answering that it would be comedy, the kind he grew up on, from Mrs. Brown’s Boys and Father Ted to Adam Sandler films. “Well I’ve already been in The Young Offenders and Fr. Ted isn’t made any more, so I would have to say Mrs. Brown’s Boys, that would be unreal!”
Back to his big night and the sense of disbelief when he talks about the IFTAs. “To be honest I was shocked when I got an email to say that I was even being considered for an award. Going from watching the awards with my mam two years ago to being nominated, that is hard to believe alright. I didn’t know what planet I was on. I was flicking through my phone and an email came through. I just couldn’t believe it. I got an email before the nominations were announced to say that I was being considered for an award.
“A couple of weeks later the nominations were announced and I was one of them alongside Diarmuid Noyes, who was in Christy as well, so I was delighted that we were both nominated. The whole film is after getting 14 nominations so we are leading the way with all of the nominations.” Does it make him proud? “100% and for everybody who got nominated as well.”
When asked what advice he would give to a young person with a disability thinking about acting, he circles back to home and family once again. “My mam always said, ‘Never let anything get in your way and don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you love.” And that’s what I would say now too.”
The IFTAs take place on Friday 20th February at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre and will be broadcast on RTE One this Saturday 21st February at 10.50pm.
