ACTRESS Sinead Keenan says an at-home chat with the parents of murdered youngster Rhys Jones really made her realise just what she was taking on.
Little Boy Blue, which continues tonight, is a four-part factual drama based on the true story that shocked a nation.
Eleven-year-old Rhys was caught in the gunfire of a gangland dispute as he made his way home from football practice in Liverpool in 2007.
Sinead and Brían F. O’Byrne play parents Melanie and Steve, who gave the series their full backing.
“There is always a certain amount of trepidation when you are asked to play a real person who is still alive,” said Sinead.
“It was a bit daunting. You just hope to God you get it right for them.
“Brían and I went to Melanie and Steve’s house and spent a couple of hours with them.
“They are lovely people, caught up in something horrific. This is about somebody’s life, so it is more than an acting job.”
Dublin-born Sinead, known from Irish soap Fair City which has just started on STV2, says she became emotional the minute she saw the scripts by Jeff Pope who also wrote The Widower.
“There was a lot of crying when I read them. His scripts are very compelling.
“They are tough scenes to film. But then I’m also very cognisant of the fact I’m just pretending. That this is somebody else’s nightmare.”
A key moment sees them address the crowd at Everton’s Goodison ground, just as Melanie and Steve did for real.
“We knew we had three minutes to recreate the moment of appeal,” adds Sinead.
“As it turned out, it was extraordinary. There was no acting required whatsoever that day standing on the side of that pitch.”
Little Boy Blue, ITV, Monday, 9pm.
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