BELFAST-born actress Séainín Brennan has been cast in her first film, Wild, a romantic drama which begins filming this month.
Wild is based on the true story of Mary Reynolds, a young Irish woman who, in 2002 and against heavy odds, became the first Irish winner of the Chelsea Flower Show gold medal, which is considered the Olympics of gardening.
Brennan will play Dr Jaqui Finch, a beautiful and fashionable doctor, in the film scripted by Vivienne DeCourcy on her feature film directorial début.
The role contrasts to the characters she played in two BBC prime time dramas.
The first, in 2012, saw Brennan named Woman of the Year in the Arts for her breakthrough performance in political conspiracy thriller Hidden.
Her most recent role saw her play Liz Tyler, a bereaved grieving mother and abused wife, who seeks solace in the arms of serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), in The Fall.
The series set in Brennan’s hometown of Belfast, which also aired in Ireland on RTE, concluded last month and is set for a second series next year.
Outside of film she has received critical acclaim for creating the role of Regine in the world premiere of Frank McGuinness' version of Ibsen's Ghosts at the Bristol Old Vic, and for her portrayal as Helen Woods in Scenes from the Big Picture, directed by Conall Morrison.
Brennan last tread the boards in Dublin in the sell-out run of "Death of a Salesman" at the Gate Theatre, which was directed by award winning Broadway director David Esbjornson.
Audiences may be more familiar with her portrayal as Victoria Beckham’s former nanny Rebecca Loos in "Macbecks", directed by David Bolger, at Dublin's Olympia Theatre and the Cork Opera House.
Wild was picked up internationally by Radiant Films, and is funded by Green Earth, the Irish Film Board, RTE and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.
The film will be produced jointly by Green Earth in the U.S. and Treasure Entertainment and Crowe’s Nest in Ireland.
Other cast in the movie are Emma Greenwell (Shameless) and Tom Hughes.
Shooting for the movie will take place in Ireland and Ethiopia over the coming months.
