Bolton School pupil stars in By My Side about divorce

Bolton School Year Seven pupil William Maher features in a short film about a child going through a difficult time after his parents’ divorce.

Entitled By My Side, it is  written and directed by Jake Metcalf.

The film follows a young boy as he struggles with loneliness and anxiety after his parents’ divorce. An unlikely friendship develops as the boy begins to notice strange personalities in his right-hand – much to the distaste of his mother.

Reflecting on his role, Will said: ‘It took four full days of filming on location and several months of rehearsals with the director beforehand.

“The real challenge was not blinking during takes and at some points resisting the urges to laugh with the cast and crew when something went wrong.

“It was also a challenge working with a knife although there was an assistant in charge of the safety precautions.

‘Acting is my passion. I have been at Stagecoach for six years and would love to go into acting as a career although I loved seeing all the behind-the-scenes work too and I also love creative writing and penning my own scripts.”