‘Lord Of The Flies’ Star David McKenna On Bringing Piggy To Life In A World Of Chaos & His Dreams Of Making It To London’s West End

David McKenna was on vacation with his family in Tenerife when they got wind that the BBC was looking to cast a host of young actors – no experience necessary – for an upcoming TV adaptation of William Golding’s dystopian classic Lord of the Flies . The then 10-year-old McKenna, who had been in a local drama club in Belfast, Northern Ireland, from the age of four, was keen to give the open casting call a go and sent in a tape from the family holiday. “There were no scenes or anything,” recalls McKenna. “It was just to see a bit of your personality. We had to answer questions like ‘Who would you want to be with if you were stranded on a tropical island?’ and I said, ‘The West End cast of Les Mis .’ I thought nothing of it and went for a nice, wee dinner that night and then a couple of weeks later, Nina Gold’s office called and said I’d got a recall.” Related Stories News British TV Journalists Of Color Bemoan DEI "Backlash" & Describe "Apartheid Newsrooms"