Downpatrick jockey’s link to top movie

Downpatrick jockey’s link to top movie

11 January 2012 - by CIARA COLHOUN

CINEMA-goers this weekend should keep their eyes peeled for a Downpatrick jockey who scooped the role of a specialist extra in the new epic adventure War Horse.

Gerard Tumelty is no stranger to local headlines through his career as a professional jockey, but his part in Steven Spielberg’s new film, due to be released this weekend, has proven an entirely new challenge.

Gerard, who is 26, has been living in Swindon in England for eight years, having moved there to improve his career prospects as a jockey.

He travels hundreds of miles every week to attend race meetings where he has developed a reputation as a skilled jockey.

This skill was put to the test in a different format last summer when Gerard was asked to be a specialist extra in the Spielberg film.

Over three weeks in July, he joined other professional jockeys on set in Redding to create authentic scenes from World War One.

Gerard says the experience was great fun and involved him galloping across fields on various horses, jumping over tents in battle fields and a lot of “waiting about.”

“We were dressed in uniform, but to be honest I have no idea what nationality I was playing,” he said.

“We just did what we were asked to do. There were some scenes that had lot of horses in them and we would be asked to gallop into the set over and over again or to catch other horses until they got it right.

“It was unbelievable to see how it was done and amazing that one day of filming seemed to only get a few minutes of footage.

“It must take so long to make a film like that, particularly if there are horses involved.

“It was more or less like stunt work, although we didn’t fall off.”

Despite being within a few feet of Steven Spielberg during filming, and enjoying an occasional chat with the master director, Gerard says he did not take the experience too seriously.

“We just messed around the whole time,” he said.

“We enjoyed great craic with the main camera man and were very impressed to be so close to Steven Spielberg, who is a legend. It was just a great experience.”

Gerard is now looking forward to seeing a screening of War Horse, which tells the story of a young thoroughbred foal Joey during the chaos of the First World War.

“It seems like it is going to be a great film and I am definitely going to see it once it comes out this weekend,” he says.

War Horse will open at Downpatrick’s Eclipse cinema this weekend.