Dundee-born actor Callum O’Neill is no stranger to the limelight after starring in hit Pixar movie Brave.
However, while the Stobswell boy has wowed Hollywood voicing Wee Dingwall in the family animation, he has never performed in his home town.
But that is something that is set to change this month when he trades the Celts of Brave for the Ancient Greeks in Dundee Rep Ensemble’s performance of Hecuba.
“It’s going to be really, really nice to be at the Rep,” the 41-year-old actor said.
“I keep pinching myself. I’ve never performed in Dundee, which is kind of surprising, being in the business as long as I have.
“Being from Dundee and having never played Dundee Rep, it’s always been there. I’ve performed on the West End but never the Rep.”
Callum’s first encounter with the Dundee theatre was when he went to a production of the Gingerbread Man when he was about seven, but he admitted the Rep did not form an intrinsic part of his childhood.
In fact he only decided to become an actor after working in corporate finance for nine years.
“I was 26 when I got into amateur dramatics and within one year of doing that I went to drama school,” he said.
“I was called either brave or mad.”
Callum specialises in voice acting, but is now busy in rehearsal for the start of Frank McGuinness’ version of Hecuba, which starts its run next week.
“The whole process is entirely different to Wee Dingwall and Brave,” he said.
“For that you were sitting in a studio looking at the character thinking ‘What voice can I give this?’
“With Hecuba you’re looking at the text. It’s a lot more. All of us have looked back at the original texts to see what’s there, what the original context was, to help us.”
The Rep Ensemble is performing McGuinness’ version of Euripides’ tragedy which tells the story of Queen Hecuba’s grief and loss after the Greeks enter Troy in the wooden horse.
Hecuba is married to King Priam of Troy, but during the Trojan war she sees the death of her husband and most of her 19 children. She sends her son Polydorus into the safekeeping of the king of Thrace and guards her daughter Polyxena tightly.
When Hecuba finds out the Greeks intend to sacrifice her daughter she pleads for her daughter’s life. Callum will play two contrasting characters Odysseus and Agamemnon, something he is relishing.
“This is Frank McGuinness’ version of something written around two-and-a-half thousand years ago,” he said.
“The personalities are there already. Odysseus was also known as Odysseus the Cunning. He’s a very slimy character who will do everything to get what he wants.
“Agamemnon on the other hand has a big ego and sees himself as the king of kings in Greece but he has compassion, unlike Odysseus.
“I love switching between the two, going from one who’s just downright nasty to the other, who doesn’t want any competition but has compassion for Hecuba.”
Callum said it has been “amazing” to work with the ensemble.
“Everything’s great,” he said.
“The ensemble all know each other really well. They are such a nice company, very, very supportive.”
Hecuba runs at the Rep from October 17 to 26 and tickets are on sale from Dundee Rep box office at 01382 223530 or online at www.dundeerep.co.uk.