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Robert Gilbert: hand-picked for a glittering film career
CHERRY-PICKED as one of the hottest drama graduates in the country and with a role in a Hollywood film, Robert Gilbert is fast becoming one to watch.
CHERRY-PICKED as one of the hottest drama graduates in the country and with a role in a Hollywood film, Robert Gilbert is fast becoming one to watch.The 21-year-old dazzled stars such as Greg Wise and Meera Syal with his powerful performance in the prestigious Spotlight Showcases contest – walking away with the best male actor runner-up prize and 1,000.
The graduates – the cream of the UK's young acting talent from 22 drama schools – had just three nerve-jangling minutes to impress in front of casting agents, directors and a judging panel drawn from the acting world, and just four winners were picked.
Previous winners of the Spotlight Showcases have included icons such as Albert Finney, Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent.
Robert, who used to live in Monument Street, in Peterborough's city centre, performed Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, created by Aaron Sorkin, and Judas Kiss by David Hare.
Now living in London, the recent Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts graduate, who did a B-Tec National Diploma course in acting at Peterborough Regional College and starred in a string of shows at the Key Theatre, said he was delighted to have been recognised and hoped it would open more doors in the fiercely competitive industry.
He said: "It was very nerve-racking, but they helped us through it and introduced us to people.
"It was quite quick – we had a couple of weeks to learn it and one day of rehearsals.
"The showcase is all about exposure and getting as many people to see you as you can."
Exciting times lie ahead for Robert, who is set to film a big-screen adaptation of Gulliver's Travels, starring Jack Black, on August 6.
Head of client relations at Spotlight, Pippa Harrison, said: "We're thrilled to announce these four winners.
"The judges had an unenviable task as all the performers were so strong.
"It's very exciting for them to have been recognised in this way at the start of what we hope will be long and successful acting careers.
"I'm absolutely sure we will be seeing a lot more of them. The Spotlight Showcase 2009 winners are certainly the ones to watch."
Spotlight was founded in 1927 and has since become known for its casting directories.
Today, more than 30,000 performers appear in the print and internet versions of Spotlight, including actors and actresses, child artists, presenters, stunt artists and dancers.
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