A talented Liverpool youngster is "still pinching himself" after he landed a major role in a new ITV show.
Sonny Lackey is set to make his television debut in The Family Pile. The sitcom premieres at 9.30pm on Tuesday and tells the story of four sisters who are selling the family home after the death of their parents.
The 14-year-old from Melling is part of a star-studded cast that includes Sherlock's Amanda Abbington and Coronation Street's Alexandra Mardell. Sonny plays Amanda's onscreen son, Connor, in the the show and he told the ECHO how the whole experience still hasn't quite sunk in yet.
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He said: "I still can't believe it. I just wake up and pinch myself because I feel like I'm just in the longest dream ever." Sonny's first TV credit has come early in his acting journey as he only started classes in 2019.
The Maricourt Catholic High School student erupted with joy when he found out he bagged the part after a long audition process. He said: "It was a feeling I'd never felt before. I was just doing laps around our table."
The rising star shares a strong bond with his mum, Sandra, who was overjoyed to be able to tell him he got the part. Sonny laughed as he revealed his mum couldn't resist winding him up when she delivered the big news.
He said: "When I came in from school, my mum said to me, 'Sorry kid, but it was actually bad news'. I said 'you're joking'. And she went 'It's bad news for your mates because they're not gonna see you over the summer because you got the part'."
Sandra beamed with pride as she said the role has helped lift the whole family after a difficult period. The 57-year-old told the ECHO: "We lost my mum and dad within a few years. We have gone through a lot but we're all buzzing after this news. We can't believe it. We're just an ordinary family with no acting experience and we're all living off it."
Sonny was recommended for the part through his acting school, Harmony Casting, based in Seaforth. It was the first TV part he auditioned for and Sonny joked the process took some getting used to.
He said: "I didn't even know what the characters catalogue of clothing was. I sent the audition off when I was wearing a North Face tracksuit with socks and sliders."
However, Sandra thinks it was this authentic charm that eventually helped him win the role. She said: "He's just always had that way about him that people see him and they love him. He is Sonny by name and he is sunny by nature. He's never moody but he's a teenager now so you can interview me next year and I might be eating my words."
The youngster is determined to not rest on his laurels after his onscreen debut. Sonny heaped praise on the valuable advice he received from his The Family Pile castmates and is now keen to continue his development as he seeks to emulate acting heroes like Brad Pitt and Robert De Niro.
He said: "Getting into acting is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm doing my GCSEs now and I've picked drama so I'm still hunting for knowledge. I'm just making my way up at the staircase at the moment."
The Family Pile airs on Tuesday, January 17 at 9.30pm on ITV
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