Rubbing shoulders with the A-listers

A local actor will be rubbing shoulders with some Hollywood heavyweights next month.

Jason Harvey in a scene from Retreat

Jason Harvey has been nominated in the best supporting actor at the National Film Awards for his role in Retreat.

Jason, who is originally from Condorrat but now lives in Kilsyth, is up against the likes of Michael Gambon, Simon Pegg, Ray Winstone and Steve Buscemi.

Retreat follows the story of a woman looking after a remote Highland lodge with her boyfriend who starts to believe someone else is living around the house.

Jason (43) has received critical acclaim for his performance as PTSD sufferer Wallace, having previously been shortlisted in the same category at last year’s British Independent Film Festival awards.

The indie thriller, which is also shortlisted for best feature film alongside Aquaman, was filmed three years ago and has been shown at several festivals including Screenplay on the Shetland Islands and RiverRun in North Carolina.

Jason, who has appeared in the likes of Still Game, Taggart and worked with Peter Mullan, has a few false dawns in his career, but hopes this will take it to the next level.

He said: “I gave up joinery last year to concentrate on acting full time and you have to keep plugging away.

“It’s weird being nominated for a film that no one has really seen outside the festivals, it was even a year after we had finished the production that I finally did.

“However, I hear it could soon be getting a release and hopefully the nominations will help not just me, but boost the careers of absolutely everyone involved – if one person gets a break then it can shine a light on the whole production.

“It is a public vote, and as someone like Simon Pegg has six million Twitter followers, I feel I have already won just from being in this company, and I’m also the only Scot which I’m very proud of.”

Jason is currently working on the first stage production of Steve Gooch’s award-winning play which will be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer.

The one-man show was a hit on Radio 4 as it told the true story of a Glasgow woodturner who was the first person to be found not guilty of murder on the grounds of insanity.

Jason said: “It’s a really exciting project, and I’m looking forward to doing 16 shows in Edinburgh, but I just hope they cast me for my acting and not because of my carpentry skills.”

The awards ceremony takes place on Saturday, March 27, with highlights being shown on Sky.

To vote for Jason visit www.nationalfilmawards.org/voting (registration required).