'Gran inspired me to act and now I'm in the leading role'

James McCardle, left, stars alongside Fionnula Flanagan, right, in Four Mothers

When James McCardle read the script for new comedy Four Mothers, it instantly put him mind of the woman who opened his eyes to the acting world.

His gran, Betty Feeney, sparked the Glasgow actor's lifelong love of performance with her stories of seeing Frank Sinatra play in the city.

The 35-year-old has traded his west of Scotland drawl for a Dublin accent in the new production from Irish filmmaking brothers Darren and Colin Thornton.

But aptly for a film that will begin previews on Mother's Day, he has taken inspiration from home into his first leading role.

"I'd love to have been able to take my gran to see it," he told BBC Scotland News.

"She'd recently passed away when I read the script. She came from Govan, at a time when Sinatra would come to Glasgow and they'd do Noel Coward plays or Greek tragedy at the Citizens' Theatre and we'd go.

"That was where I was introduced to this world first, so I think it is for her."

McCardle said he took inspiration from his four female co-stars

The film, which opens nationwide on 4 April, follows McCardle as Edward, a gay Irish writer who finds himself at the mercy of his own elderly mum, played by Fionnula Flanagan, and three other mothers, abandoned for the weekend while their sons go off to enjoy themselves at a Pride event in Ibiza.

The Thorntons drew on their experiences of caring for their own elderly mother for the film, which screened at the Glasgow Film Festival earlier this month and won the audience award at the London Film Festival last year.

McCardle, who has also appeared in Mary Queen of Scots and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, said the brothers had created a script which found moments of levity despite the heavy subject matter.

"You read a lot of scripts that are trying to be funny, and they don't make you laugh but I was howling with laughter at this one," he said.

"And then next page, you're crying. It's not twee, it's bittersweet.

"We are a nation of carers now but we've never really seen that represented. Anyone who has cared, or been cared for, will realise that in those darkest moments there's always something funny or absurd that you shouldn't be laughing at."

Opposite Flanagan and Dhearbhla Molloy, Stella McCusker and Paddy Glynn, who play the other three mums, McCardle was not short on inspiration.

"I learned a lot from them," he said.

"They take what they do seriously but not themselves seriously."

'Inspiration to young people'

McCardle's most recent televised role was in the ITV drama Playing Nice, alongside former Rada classmate James Norton.

He has also received recent acclaim for the stage play Angels in America which has had a run in London and on Broadway.

Four Mothers came with the additional challenge of picking up a Dublin accent, but he was able to lean on friend Andrew Scott in an effort to sound authentic.

He said: "The Irish accent has been notoriously butchered on screen and they're quick to tell you.

"That was a pressure, but I just got obsessive.

"Even in Glasgow, there are very different accents so they were very strict about what they wanted."

McCardle grew up in the city's Darnley area and planted the seeds of his future success by becoming involved in youth theatre as an early age.

It was an experience that he continues to hold dear.

When the PACE Theatre company launched its plans to redevelop a disused building in the centre of Paisley as the first dedicated theatre for children and young people, McCardle was one of the first to back it.

Although delayed by the contractors going into administration, they say James's ongoing support has been "invaluable"

The theatre's CEO, Grant Mason, said: "We know that his achievements to date are an inspiration to our young people, many of whom will recognise shared background and experiences.

"But he's also been incredibly generous with his time with our young people, offering invaluable advice and mentorship."