The cast of the Recoverist Theatre Project – part of Islington People’s Theatre – on their last day, when Saoirse Ronan (second from right) and Nora fingscheidt (third from right) dropped in. Director Nicola Hollinshead is pictured on far right

A GROUP of people recovering from addiction who had never acted before have been cast in a major Holly­wood film after an A-list star came to visit them.

The four-times Oscar-nominated Irish actress Saoirse Ronan and film director Nora Fingscheidt surprised the group of first-time actors on the final day of an Islington People’s Theatre project back in July 2022.

Nicola Hollinshead, who runs the project, said: “We were about halfway through the project, and it’s all going brilliantly, and I get a phone call from a casting director.

“The director saw that I had a project going on at that particular time, and they were looking to cast real people who had experience of rehab and who were good improvisers.”

Everyone was sworn to secrecy about the subsequent film The Outrun – about a young woman who struggles with her recovery journey – until this week.

Isabelle Roux, a 59-year-old mother-of-two from King’s Cross who has struggled with alcohol addiction, was one of six from the project cast in the film. She attended last month’s private London screening with her daughter, Fleur.

Isabelle Roux with Saoirse Ronan at the private screening of The Outrun

“We both cried,” she said after watching the painful journey Ms Ronan’s character goes through.
Ms Roux said the film “resonated” with her life, adding: “The film shows we are not to be blamed for addiction. It’s because of trauma most of the time. A lot of addicts are let down by their surroundings – instead of being supported, they are pointed at and blamed. This film gives a message: there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Also a member of the project, Joe Burnett, 41, a mental health facility coordinator from Finsbury Park, said Ms Ronan was “an absolutely delightful person” who put everyone at their ease.

Praising her acting, he added: “The ability to go from sitting between takes – and it takes a long time waiting for the lights to get set up and the cameras – to then suddenly, she’s in character, delivering the lines with such emotion, it feels so real. It’s just so authentic. It’s just incredible to witness.”

Describing the moment Ms Ronan and director Ms Fingscheidt – fresh from a Netflix blockbuster starring Sandra Bullock – turned up to watch the group’s final performance, Ms Hollinshead said: “The fact that they came and turned up and showed their support for the group was the best thing, you know?

“Six people got cast in an A-list film with a Hollywood actress, and they all got paid £1,000. It’s amazing!”