Actor who went back to working at Starbucks after starring in movie wins an Oscar
An actor who went back to working at Starbucks after starring in a movie ended up going to the Oscars as the film won an award.
James Martin was one of the main stars in An Irish Goodbye, the short drama film about two brothers who are brought together following the death of their mother.
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The movie must have been decent enough since it got nominated for an Oscar for 'Best Short Film', and you'd expect someone who starred in such a well-regarded film to be heading for Hollywood.
Not James, however, as after filming wrapped he went back to working at a branch of Starbucks in Belfast, while the actor also works as a chef at an Italian restaurant.
The actor, who has Down's syndrome, said it was 'nice' to keep humble and keep serving customers, which he'd 'been doing a long time'.
However, while he's staying humble in-between acting gigs James did end up having the entire crowd at the Oscars singing him 'happy birthday' when he ended up on stage.
James, along with co-star Seamus O'Hara and An Irish Goodbye directors Ross White and Tom Berkeley, stepped up to accept the academy award for Best Short Film.
While on stage Berkley announced to the audience that it was James' birthday and the assembled crowd broke out in song after a bit of prompting from the people on stage.
Ivan, father of James, said his son was pretty confident that An Irish Goodbye would do well at the awards, with the actor telling his dad 'don't you worry, I just have a feeling we’re going to get nominated'.
It turns out that James 'went to the Oscars quite convinced he was going to win', with his dad saying the actor 'just had this belief' that things were going to turn out well for him.
Meanwhile, the Best Actor award went to the much beloved Brendan Fraser for his performance in The Whale, with the actor met with rapturous applause following his win.
Fans of Fraser have dubbed it the crowning moment in the 'Brenaissance', the actor's career resurgence following a difficult period in his life.
Viewers were also curious about Morgan Freeman and the glove he was wearing on his left hand, which was identified as a 'compression glove' that the superstar has been wearing since a car crash in 2008.
Someone who didn't have such a good night was Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel, who looked a bit foolish after trying to ask Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala her thoughts on whether Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine.
Topics: Oscars, Academy Awards, Film and TV, Starbucks
Joe Harker