Gerard McCarthy | Actor Writer Coach

Actor Writer Coach

Gerard
McCarthy

Bio

BIO

Gerard was awarded Sir Kenneth Branagh’s Renaissance Scholarship to train as an actor, he later studied screenwriting at the New York Film Academy. From 2019 until 2022, he was an associate at Guildford School of Acting where he taught screen acting on the BA, MA & MFA Acting Courses.

His film & TV credits include: Belfast (Focus Features); Go Dog Go (DreamWorks); Where’s Wally? (DreamWorks); Call The Midwife (BBC); The Fall (BBC/Netflix); Vikings (MGM/Amazon Prime); Titanic: Blood and Steel (Netflix); Puppy Love (BBC); A Nightingale Falling (MB Media); Belonging to Laura (Samson Films); Grace & Goliath (Cinemagic) and Hollyoaks (Channel 4).

Theatre credits include: Daniel in My Night With Reg (Turbine Theatre); Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde (Opera Garnier, Monte Carlo); David Holthouse in Stalking The Bogeyman (Southwark Playhouse / New York Rep.); Tony in Beautiful Thing (Nottingham Playhouse and Curve, Leicester); Bruce in Blue/Orange (Brighton Theatre Royal); Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare’s Globe); George Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life (Bridge House Theatre); Jonathan Harker in Jonathan Harker and Dracula (Theatre At The Mill); Tristram in The Miser (Lyric Theatre, Belfast); Carnival Boy in Carousel (Perth Repertory Theatre) and the West End productions of Mamma Mia! (Prince Edward Theatre); Saturday Night Fever (Apollo Victoria Theatre); Cat (The Play!!!) (Ambassadors Theatre) and Tina - The Musical (Aldwych Theatre) in which he originated the role of Tina Turner's husband, Erwin Bach.

Radio credits include: Torchwood: Before The Fall (Big Finish); The Trials of St. Patrick (Augustine Institute Radio Theater); Quicksands (BBC Radio 4) and The Translator (4OD).

Workshops include: Nell Gwynne (Shakespeare’s Globe) and Bananaman - The Musical! ( Tristan Bates Theatre).

Gerard has written a number of episodes of Hollyoaks (Channel 4). Recently, his debut film Just Johnny has been exhibited in film festivals worldwide and picked up Best Short Film Awards at Giffoni Film Festival, Seattle Film Festival & Providence Children’s Film Festival. He currently has TV projects in development with various production companies in the UK, Ireland and Los Angeles.

In The Press

TESTIMONIALS

RACHEL TUCKER

Olivier Award nominated Broadway star of

Come From Away, Wicked and The Last Ship.

Hope Street (BritBox/BBC); Informer (Amazon); Holby City (BBC).

Curtis Brown

"I used to loathe doing self tapes, mostly because I never seemed to book the jobs! I had eventually gotten to a point in my career where I was getting quite a lot of of TV & film auditions but, frustratingly, to no avail.

After one session with Gerard, everything changed. I started getting recalls and then I started booking the jobs.

Not only did he advise me on what I could be doing better with my technical set-up, showing me how important good lighting is without spending a fortune on fancy lights, but also where I should position myself on camera to help make my tape more engaging, eye catching and professional for the directors and casting directors watching.

Not long after sitting down with Gerard and reading the scenes, he very quickly got me listening rather than acting everything. I was amazed because that's exactly what I thought I was doing, but he showed me how much better the scene was when I did absolutely nothing but listen to my scene partner.

For the first time ever, Gerard made me act on screen without feeling an ounce of self-consciousness. This was a new and very exciting feeling for me. Eventually, I forgot the camera was even there, and now I've never looked back!"

"Having Gerard as a tutor was one of the highlights of drama school. Gerard was not only there to help open my eyes to the beauty of performing on screen, and show me how to grow in it, but he was also a tutor who was there for me, willingly answering questions I had on how to navigate entrance into the industry I love. I am thankful to Gerard for being a vital part of my acting journey."

NEDUM OKONYIA

GSA Graduate 2022.

Independent Talent Group

"Gerard was the first screen acting tutor I had. Having had no previous experience in front of a camera, his guidance and care was hugely beneficial for me. The taping and screen acting skills that he developed with me have helped me hugely when auditioning for film & TV jobs."

LUCCA CHADWICK-PATEL

The Magician's Elephant (RSC)

Olivia Bell Management

"I can honestly say that working with Gerard was one of the highlights of my actor training. He teaches in a way that is creative and engaging, whilst tailoring himself to the needs of every individual student. His knowledge of screen acting is invaluable and I actively make use of the things I learnt from him whilst working in the industry today."

MATTHEW McGIVERN

Hollyoaks (Channel 4).

Global Artists

"Gerard gave me so many tricks and tips to get me started. Within one week we did everything from setting up my camera, doing a slate, and how to approach text for a self-tape. My week with Gerard started my passion for TV and film."

BETH CRAME

GSA Graduate 2021.

Cieka Bailey Associates

"Gerard was my screen acting teacher at GSA. My goodness, what an eye for detail he has when it comes to translating story and emotion through the camera! Many of his teachings have aided me tremendously with my own professional work in the industry."

TIJAN SARR

Shadow & Bone (Netflix).

Hatch Talent

"Gerard has coached me on several self-tapes for TV & Film auditions and really guided me through various techniques to create a controlled and focused performance on screen, which was a totally new concept for me having solely acted in West End musicals for several years."

CARL MAN

& Juliet, Wicked,

Starlight Express.

Revolution Talent