Award-winning Birmingham actor Adrian Lester is bringing his first film as director home, creating opportunities for creatives across the West Midlands.
Funding for Lottery Boy is nearing completion, with Adrian revealing that his team is “pulling the last of the finance together” in the hope of starting production in Birmingham and London early next year.
Alongside Adrian, the tentative cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Dame Vanessa Redgrave and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, although the project remains in its early stages.
Soft-spoken and humble, Adrian plans to use Midlands talent both in front of and behind the camera.
“I’m a first-time film director, although I’ve directed for television before on Hustle and Riviera. I’ve been behind the camera, handling actors, times and budgets.”
He hopes to shoot much of the film in Birmingham.
“It’s a drama and adventure story about a homeless kid who has all the luck in the world bestowed on him, but he has to travel across the city to get it.”
Part chase thriller and part character study, the story follows a boy who discovers he is holding a winning lottery ticket but is too young to claim the prize, making him the target of gangs and people he once trusted.
“I’m putting the final pieces of the puzzle together,” Adrian said. “We’re hoping to open the door and make our own little pathway through production for people who are talented and have the passion to do the job.”
Championing Birmingham’s creative industry
Like fellow Brummie Steven Knight, Adrian is passionate about bringing more film and television production to the region. He remains closely involved in Birmingham community and youth projects, while his family still live locally. Birmingham is also where he met his wife, writer and actress Lolita Chakrabarti, sister of BBC News presenter Reeta Chakrabarti.
A champion of the arts, Adrian is an ambassador for Birmingham Film & TV Market (BFTM), which helps the city realise its creative potential.
Raised in Edgbaston, he spent his childhood around Summerfield Park and Dudley Road in Rotton Park before attending Archbishop Masterson RC School and Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College. His talent was nurtured at Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) and Birmingham Rep before earning a place at RADA.
“I remember where I came from and the pathway I walked to get into the arts,” he said. “Opportunities are created, and hard work turns those opportunities into more opportunities. Every job, I try and make myself better than the last one.”
From Olivier Award winner to film director
The 57-year-old father of two attributes his success to “hard work and luck”, although his career tells a bigger story. In 1996, he won an Olivier Award for playing Robert in Stephen Sondheim’s Company, directed by Sam Mendes, showcasing his talents as an actor, singer and dancer.
Nearly 30 years later, Adrian is earning acclaim for his performance in the RSC’s Cyrano de Bergerac, opposite Halesowen actor Levi Brown, alongside screen roles including The Day After Tomorrow, Mutiny in August with Jason Statham, and television credits such as Hustle, Poniesand Riviera.
Committed to giving something back to the city that shaped his career, Adrian hopes Lottery Boy will inspire the next generation while creating new opportunities for Midlands talent.
“We’ve all got a torch. Carry it and let it burn bright.”