A WEE COUNTY actor has landed his biggest role to date as he appeared in Amazon Prime’s show The Rig.
Kyle McGuinness appears alongside Martin Compston in the hit series, which tells the story of a crew trapped on an oil rig by mysterious supernatural forces.
Speaking exclusively to the Advertiser, Kyle reflected on growing up in Clacks and how he got to where he is today.
He said: “I grew up on Springfield Road in Alloa and, when I was younger, I was involved in Forefront Stage School and then Sauchie Theatre Academy.
“I stopped acting when I was about 14 years old due to a bit of bullying and acting didn’t seem like a cool thing to do at my age.
“I started pursuing other things – basketball, martial arts – things that I still do now. I got back into acting in 2020 after a decade in the construction industry as a sales manager.
“I decided I still wasn’t fully happy so I decided I was going to go back into acting. It’s what I always wanted to do."
Since making a return to the industry, Kyle has been involved in big-budget productions over the past few years.
His first major TV role came in Sky Studios’ The Rising in which he features as a member of a biker gang.
The role involved some choreographed fight scenes and Kyle thanked his background in martial arts in allowing him to carry out such a role.
Following this, he has appeared in a Bollywood production called Bell Bottom and starred alongside Vanessa Hudgens in The Princess Switch 3.
Throughout 2021, Kyle was involved in filming The Rig in a studio in Leith and on an offshore oil platform.
“I went on as a background artist to gain experience working alongside some big guns,” he added. “I knew it was going to be a six-month run getting to see how people like Iain Glen and Martin Compston work.
“It was a massive help for me and my confidence getting to learn off of these guys and I really have The Rig to thank for that."
For any young actors considering leaving the industry, Kyle said: "When you're truly passionate about something and believe you are meant to be involved, external factors will always play against you.
"Stay true to yourself and use this fuel to take you higher and work harder to get what you want.
"I now see obstacles as tests. Be yourself and stay strong and you'll pass every test."
Kyle could not name his upcoming productions, but teased he was working on several scripts at the moment that he is looking forward to see come together.
He is also working alongside his business partner Ryan Cruise to launch Production Hoose, a company which will focus on social media marketing.
The Rig is available to stream on Amazon Prime now.
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