Well Cannes you believe it? Rising UK star with five movies at festival

 
Role player: Londoner David Wayman is in five movies seen at the Marché du Film
Miranda Bryant30 May 2014

An up-and-coming actor from London is hoping to get his big break after five of his movies hit the market at the Cannes Film Festival.

David Wayman, 26, made his first visit to the event this month, and marked his debut with roles in five independent productions. The Marché du Film is the business end of Cannes, and one of the largest movie markets in the world. It features events for professionals including producers, directors, festival programmers and sales agents.

The films that Wayman appears in range in budget from about £600 to £2 million, and cover genres from zombie to romantic comedy.

They include a leading role in Bafta-winning British director Martin Gooch’s ghostly comedy Death, which has won awards across the world. Wayman stars opposite Paul Freeman of Hot Fuzz, Nick Moran of Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, and Leslie Phillips. His other films in the market were romantic comedy Art Ache — in which he plays the lead — The Wandering Rose, and two zombie movies, The Dead Inside and Nazi Zombie Death Tales.

He said he had not been aware of how unusual it is for an actor to have so many productions in the market: “I didn’t realise it was pretty rare until I got there. I was kind of in demand. It was my first time in Cannes and it was a real shock to the system. People don’t really sleep out there — it’s crazy.”

Wayman, who lives in Camden and grew up in Enfield, graduated from East 15 Acting School in Loughton five years ago. He has served as a rifleman in the Army Reserves, which helped him pay his way. “I had always wanted to be an actor but I thought it was a bit unrealistic. I was heading towards a career in the Army but then I got offered a place at East 15,” he said.

In the last two years he has been inundated with jobs and hopes Cannes, which ended on Sunday, will help further.

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