Peter Jeffries, 30, who recently moved back home to North Berwick after a nine-year spell in London, stars in The Unholylands, a film shot in the heart of Belfast’s student neighbourhood infamous for its lively parties and unpredictable antics.
The film follows two stepbrothers, Scott (played by Peter) and Michael (Ciarán McCourt), who attempt to throw one last epic house party before graduating from university and facing “the realities of adult life”.
Peter was able to keep his East Lothian accent to play Scott, the cheeky “Devil sitting on your shoulder” brother, while Ciarán takes on the role of the more polished, level-headed sibling.
Peter, who met Ciarán eight years ago when they first began acting in London, said: “Throughout our twenties we were going out, having fun, living that kind of ‘Unholylands’ lifestyle.
“We always joked it would be hilarious to do something that captured that, playing a heightened version of ourselves.
“Then Ciarán got cast in this, I reached out to say congratulations and a month later he actually said I think I would be great in this.
“When he put me in touch with the director, he actually said: ‘I think you might be too good looking to play the role.’ I said: ‘Thank you for the compliment but I would rather take the job.’”
Peter said playing the character was like playing a heightened version of himself(Image: Peter Jeffries)
The film, directed by Paddy Duffy, was shot over a month on location in the Holylands in Belfast, Peter describing the experience as authentically chaotic, meaning that there was no need for any “method actor mind tricks” to get into character.
They stayed in a “disgusting” student house that had been vacated only a week earlier and clearly had not been cleaned, Peter adding that one morning cast and crew arrived to find students still partying at 9am, with techno music blasting in the background as the actors tried to do their vocal warm-ups.
Despite the energy and humour of the film, Peter said that the pair initially struggled to get attention from festivals, with their “laddish indie movie not playing well to art-house sensibilities.”
All this changed once Jimmy Nesbitt became involved in the project, in true Irish style, by luck and chance.
While filming in the Holylands, Peter and Ciarán spotted Jimmy ahead of them in the queue at the Spar. Ciarán approached him for a photograph, which they later photoshopped with a bottle of Buckfast and sent to him on Instagram, getting his approval.
Jimmy Nesbitt features in the film following a chance meeting with the young actors(Image: Peter Jeffries)
The encounter sparked Jimmy’s interest and he later contacted Ciarán out of the blue, sending a text after a missed call on the Tube.
Peter said: “We had been kicking ourselves that we hadn’t asked him to be in it, so it was unbelievable when he asked to be a part of it.
“We were freaking out over the text, our WhatsApp group chat was totally buzzing.
“It just started snowballing from there and opening doors when his name was on board.”
Jimmy’s role helped the film secure a spot at the Belfast Film Festival, where it was met with a standing ovation and “massive laughs throughout”.
With no big budget or distributor, Peter and Ciarán took the independent route to get the film shown.
The pair began cold-emailing cinemas, and Peter even went on what he called a “walking tour” around Edinburgh to pitch the film in person.
After opening in more than 10 cinemas in Belfast and Ireland on October 3 with sold-out showings, the film is being screened at the ODEON on Lothian Road, Edinburgh.
Peter said: “People say the hardest part of making a film is getting it in theatres and that rang true.
“We have no marketer, just guerrilla marketing and word of mouth, but we want it to come to cinemas and people can have a laugh and proper night out.
“It has been amazing to see it snowball and people really starting to believe in it.”
After several years in London, Peter recently returned home to North Berwick – where he first took centre stage at age 10 as Dracula in the Law Primary School musical – to reconnect with himself.
He has also found success on stage with The Lie Club, a play he co-wrote and performed with his partner Rachel De Fontes.
The show sold out its run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, was extended twice and has since attracted interest from producers of US stage and screen.
Peter said: “Irish filming is booming right now, these young actors are becoming major superstars.
“I think there are similar ingredients in our culture, we have so much talent as well; why can’t we raise ourselves up to the same level?
“So this feels like a great way to hopefully see a bit of Scottish representation in a movie that’s doing well, and people think we can make our own and we can do well.”
Catch ‘The Unholylands’ at 5.30pm Tuesday to Thursday next week at the ODEON, Lothian Road.