GLASGOW binman Gary Maitland will be swapping Castlemilk for Cannes next week as he heads to one of Europe's most prestigious film festivals to promote the movie in which he stars.
Director Ken Loach's new film, The Angels' Share, is one of the top contenders at Cannes and Maitland – who has previously had bit-parts in two of Loach's other films – is tipped to be one of the movie's stand-out stars.
However, the 28-year-old council worker says he is not going to swap his day job as a binman for the gamble of being a full-time actor just yet.
He told The Herald: "Cannes is going to be extreme. The film is going to be getting promoted and it's going to be hectic, but it's something I'm really looking forward to."
If the film wins big at Cannes, he said, the aftermath is going to be "unbelievable". He added: "I can't imagine even going over there, but to win it, that would be massive."
Maitland admits watching himself on screen is still weird. "I was nervous at first. I thought, 'I hope I don't mess this up', but I think I've done not too badly.
"To have people saying to me, 'I've seen the poster or billboard for the film' is excellent. You feel good."
Maitland was first spotted by Loach at a youth drama group, which led to a small part in 2002's Sweet Sixteen and then another role in the film Tickets a few years later.
Then, out of the blue, in January 2011, the South Lanarkshire Council worker received another call from the director asking him to "have a chat".
In the film, Maitland plays Albert, the gang's unwittingly funniest member.
Working with Loach, he says is "laidback and enjoyable". He added: "He's always on the go but always thinking. There's always a surprise. You don't know what you're going into next. We didn't know a lot of the stuff in the plot until the actual day we were filming."
It was an easy role to play, he added, because the banter involved in the dialogue was similar to that between his own friends and colleagues. "So I can relate to the character," he said.
"Like the Buckfast thing [in the film]. Obviously I've tried it.I've drank it. And I know how severe it can be."
He says his colleagues are delighted for him, as is his family. "My brother phoned the other day to say he'd seen me on the side of a bus – it's crazy. And my mum is very proud. She and my dad always said I was good at drama.
"After Sweet Sixteen, they said I should have pushed acting and got an agent and done some other stuff.
"I don't know why I didn't, maybe I should have. But I had a chance at my job and I took it as I needed to be getting income.
"If you want to do acting, you need to have the time. It's not guaranteed you're going to be constantly in work. But I've had a good think and, after this film, I'm definitely going to try to get some more acting work."
He has no plans to stop work at the moment but does plan to get an agent. "I'll just take it from there," said Maitland. "If something came up, then great. But I'm just going to see what happens."
If things don't work out with acting in the future, Maitland says he's still happy doing what he's doing. "But I'm hoping..." he added. "I'm going to try my best."
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