Audiences love a young actor who can deliver a terrific performance. Last year, Mckenna Grace received high acclaim for her role in A Friend of the Family, and Jack Dylan Grazer continues to make a name for himself with arguably one of the best performances in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

What do these actors have in common? They are surrounded by an excellent cast. Grace co-starred alongside Anna Paquin (X-Men, The Irishman) and Colin Hanks (Orange County, King Kong). Grazer received similar treatment with Fury of the Gods, as the cast was stacked with the likes of Zachary Levi (Chuck), Lucy Liu (Kill Bill Vol. 1, Charlie’s Angels), and Helen Mirren (The Queen, 1923), among others.

Luckily, Christopher Convery, who stars in the upcoming family drama Prisoner’s Daughter, also had a star-studded cast joining him in the feature film. Convery is no stranger to Hollywood, appearing in several big-name projects even if he didn’t have the starring role. Some of these include the massive Netflix series Stranger Things, the critically acclaimed HBO series Succession, and Gotham.

However, Prisoner’s Daughter may just give him the most room to spread his wings and take his talent to the next level. Across the hour-and-a-half runtime, Convery is tasked with portraying a character with many layers, which the audience slowly unravels throughout the movie. What may seem like the typical teenage archetype at the start of the film is actually far more interesting by the end, and Convery proved he could hang with the best of them in a film that has a firm focus on its three lead characters.

Convery Is Joined by Two Hollywood Legends
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Working alongside great actors in the industry can only help to elevate a performance, and Christopher Convery, who plays Ezra, took full advantage of the situation. With Brian Cox (Succession) playing Ezra’s grandfather, Max, and Kate Beckinsale as his mother, Maxine, the group who play an on-screen family spent plenty of time with each other.

To prepare for the role, which requires a wide range of emotions, Convery felt like he really had to get into the mindset of the character. “The role really drew me to the film. Ezra, he has so many different layers to him, and he’s really complex, and he goes through a lot in the movie. He’s really funny and sarcastic, but he does go through a lot.”

Related: Exclusive Prisoner’s Daughter Clip Finds Brian Cox Trying to Make Amends with Kate Beckinsale

Of course, Prisoner’s Daughter is, again, a family drama, and it doesn’t hold back in that regard. “It is a darker movie, and I really had to put myself in the shoes of that character and what they’re going through. I was able to connect to it, and I felt the role was really cool.” However, Convery didn’t want to play the typical angsty teen in the film, as the layers to Ezra gave the role a far greater appeal.

“Sometimes in movies or shows, teenagers or kids, there’s not much to them. But in this one, at first you don’t really know what’s going on, but you find out there’s so much happening in his life and so much he has to deal with.” Of course, both Cox and Beckinsale were along for the ride and wanted to help Convery in any way they could.

“It was truly an awesome experience working with Kate Beckinsale and Brian Cox. They’re so awesome, and we really got along well, we had so much fun. With Brian, he’s such an incredible actor, and truthfully when I was in scenes with him, the moments didn’t feel like we were acting. It genuinely felt like he was my grandfather. There was a part where he’s showing me a boxing scene, and he showed me how to actually put my hands up like opposition. And Brian was actually a boxer himself, so that was pretty cool advice.”

The relationship between the pair translates to the screen, as you can feel the emotion between the two characters and the longing of Ezra, who wants a father figure, and Max, who feels as though he let his time as a father pass him by. Beckinsale’s role can’t be forgotten either, as she delivers one of her best performances in years with Prisoner’s Daughter. She also wanted to make their relationship believable on screen, so much so that she bought Convery quite the gift.

“Kate Beckinsale was so awesome. There’s so much emotion in her performance, you really feel it, and she really elevated my performance as well. I don’t know if people know this, but she bought me a kitten as a gift at the end of the movie, which is pretty cool. I still have him, he’s a little kitten called Blue.” Bringing the whole cast together is Catherine Hardwicke, widely known for her work on the first Twilight film, spawning the massive franchise starring Hollywood heavyweights Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. This is her second project of 2023, after working alongside Toni Collette in Mafia Mamma earlier this year.

“Catherine Hardwicke is an amazing director,” explained Convery. “She has a vision for what she wants for the film, but she also really gives the freedom for the actors to explore the roles. So the whole experience, everybody involved, are just amazing people.”

Film Festivals, Red Carpets, and More
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Although Prisoner’s Daughter is just now seeing its release in theaters, the film actually found its first audience at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. For Convery, this was the first major film festival of his blossoming career.

“It was an awesome film festival. Toronto was really cool, and the whole red carpet was awesome. There were so many fans, and it was really great to meet them all and do interviews on the red carpet. It was actually the first time I, or all of us, got to see the movie. We hadn’t seen the finished cut, and it was in concert halls, and I think it screened a few times, and it was completely full every time.” The film certainly got a reaction from the crowd as well, according to Convery, “We heard everybody laughing for the movie, and at the end, everybody was crying. People were really connecting with the movie, and it was so awesome.”

Related: Brian Cox and Kate Beckinsale Are a Broken Family in Prisoner’s Daughter Trailer

However, that’s just one screening. On June 30, fans around the world will have access to Prisoner’s Daughter. When asked what he hopes audiences will take away from the film, Convery had a relatable answer. “The movie is perfect for everybody. It is a beautiful, dark, dramatic film. I think everybody in the world honestly, no matter who they are, can relate to this and especially the family dynamic. The family struggles and what they go through, no matter what, you can find something in that movie to really connect to, and I think everyone can connect to that family. I’m really excited for everybody to see it, and I think it will leave a mark on them.”

Diving Into the Music Scene

The WGA strike has changed the current climate of film and television for everyone. Although Convery certainly hopes the situation is resolved soon, it did give the actor time to look into music which he didn’t previously have time for. Over the past few months, Convery started a band, Thrive, which is already playing shows while they cover popular songs across genres.

“We started a few months ago, and it’s because the writer’s strike is going on. I wanted to start the band and do something with it. I was always a singer, and I wanted to do something with music, and I really loved rock and roll and alternative music. I got together with my friends two months ago, and we just had a lot of fun, but we were also very good [laughs]. We ended up performing in Las Vegas at The Space, and it was a completely full house and people loved it and the energy was wild.”

The WGA strike won’t last forever (hopefully), but Convery hopes to keep the music gig going alongside his day job. “I truly love music, and I love acting. So I would always find a way to balance it, but I just want to keep performing,” Convery explains.

Fans can see Convery alongside Brian Cox and Kate Beckinsale in Catherine Hardwicke’s latest film, Prisoner’s Daughter, releasing in theaters on June 30 courtesy of Vertical.