Cork actor Éanna Hardwicke selected as European Shooting Star

Cork actor Éanna Hardwicke, known for his roles in the TV series Smother and Normal People and the film Lakelands, has been chosen as one of the European Shooting Stars of 2024.

Organised by the European Film Promotion (EFP) agency, Shooting Stars was established to promote acting talent across the continent.

The prestigious title has been held by the likes of Elaine Cassidy, Clare Dunne, Aisling Franciosi, Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Negga, Fionn O'Shea, and Andrew Scott.

Cork actor Hardwicke is one of 10 of the selected  up-and-coming actors to be presented to the film industry, press, and public as part of EFP's European Shooting Stars programme at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.

His fellow Irish actor and former Shooting Star honoree Moe Dunford is among the 2024 Shooting Stars jury.

In selecting Hardwicke, the jury said: "Immediately after graduating from The Lír Academy in Dublin, Irish actor Éanna Hardwicke plunged into the film world and starred alongside Jesse Eisenberg in the feature film Vivarium; with Seána Kerslake and Ayoola Smart in the TV series Smother; and with Isabel Huppert in Laurent Lariviere's feature film Joan Verra.

Highlighting his work as the lead in Lakelands the panel said: "For his role as a Gaelic footballer in the nominated film Lakelands directed by Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney, the jury recognises Éanna's 'star quality' and lauds his performance, which is 'nothing short of gripping, skilfully revealing layers of sensitivity beneath a seemingly tough exterior'."

For his role in Lakelands, Hardwicke won the Galway Film Fleadh's Bingham Ray New Talent Award, in addition to an IFTA nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Film.

Earlier this year, Hardwicke received acclaim for his performance in the BBC true-crime miniseries The Sixth Commandment. The rising star also has a busy 2024 ahead of him, where he will next be seen in the Amazon Studios miniseries A Very Royal Scandal.