John Lewis Christmas advert child stars now - Hollywood film roles and BBC shows
The launch of the highly-anticipated John Lewis Christmas advert means one thing - that the festive season is officially upon us. Whether the department store features strange and misunderstood monsters, to fun huggable penguins and men on the moon, John Lewis always manages to wow their viewers each year.
And today is no exception, as their 2023 campaign celebrates the joy of old and new traditions. This advert, the first by Saatchi and Saatchi, aims to capture the spirit of Christmas inspired by the unique ways the celebration of the season has changed.
John Lewis are known for their amazing Christmas adverts (PA)The story will show how the unusual and unexpected, over the conventionally ‘perfect’, can also lead to a joyful time together for everyone. At the heart of the campaign stars an energetic and mischievous Venus flytrap, a wannabe Christmas tree named Snapper, who brings an unexpected twist and radiates joy to Christmas celebrations.
It focuses on a young boy who lovingly nurtures a plant from seed, in the belief he is cultivating a perfect Christmas tree. After a tear-jerking moment, the Snapper grows too big for the living room and is cast out into the cold. But, he is embraced back into family life giving out presents that the family finds a new joy in gathering around their unconventional ‘Christmas tree.’ Amid the new release, let's rewind and look at some of the past John Lewis adverts and the kids involved...
The Long Wait - 2011
Lewis starred in the 2011 John Lewis Christmas advertWho can forget the adorable little boy that firmly put John Lewis at the top of the tree when it came to emotional Christmas adverts. Slow Moving Millie covered Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths for the ad, where the little lad is impatiently waiting for the countdown to Christmas to end.
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And while you might think it's so he can get his hands on those goodies from Santa, it's actually so he can give his mum and dad his carefully chosen gift. We were all struggling not to cry watching John Lewis' 2011 offering, but what happened to its child star? Lewis McGowan, from Hamilton, near Glasgow, was chosen from 250 other children to star in the John Lewis advert, which was filmed over five days in London.
Lewis became a Hollywood star (Splash News)
The young actor appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean (Zuma Press)At the time, the youngster reportedly said: "I had great fun but it was hard work." The young actor has been very busy with small roles in a number of TV shows, including Doctor Who and Houdini and Doyle.
And a couple of years ago, he had his biggest role yet appearing alongside Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie Dead Men Tell No Tales. The schoolboy played a 12-year-old version of Henry Turner, who is the son of Bloom's character in 2017. He also appeared in TV series The Alienist and short film In The Fall in 2018.
Monty the Penguin - 2014
Sam, played by Rhys, and Monty the penguin (PA)Everyone remembers Monty the loveable penguin, but there was another star in the 2014 advert. Going with the animal theme that year, John Lewis focused on Monty the Penguin and his adorable relationship with a little boy.
Even though Monty had a firm friend in the youngster, all he dreamed of was finding love. In a shock twist ending, it turned out Monty is an imaginary friend and a stuffed toy but under the Christmas tree is a female penguin, destined to be his perfect companion.
The theme tune to the advert was a Tom Odell cover of John Lennon's Real Love. Rhys Edwards was given £2,500 wages for the commercial, but clashed with his parents on how to spend his earnings. The young actor wanted to buy a £369 drone but his parents wanted him to save the money for when he is older. Mum Lucie said: "We had to be strict about that. All the money is in the bank for when he’s older."
Man On The Moon - 2015
Orli Star Knill-Goldstein was looking through the telescope (Publicity Picture)One of the most memorable of all the John Lewis ads, Man On The Moon saw a little girl communicating with a man living on the moon. Each night, the schoolgirl watched the lonely old man through her telescope as Aurora sang a cover of the Oasis track Half The World Away.
Desperate to get the man's attention, the little girl eventually sends him a special delivery of a telescope with a handy air balloon so he can see earth for the first time. The strapline for the advert was "Show someone they're loved this Christmas" and it cost a rumoured £7million to film. Frenchman Jean Masini, who played the moon resident, became a huge star in his native country.
While child actress Orli Star Knill-Goldstein had already starred in a big budget film - Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children - and got to visit director Tim Burton's home. Dad Trevor Goldstein, who is an actor and ex-Dreamboys star, said: "The advert did get her in a position where she got some big auditions – massive stuff.
"She loved it. She has never been fazed by the attention. Kids at her school would come up and say, ‘Were you in the advert?’ and she would say, ‘Yes’, and walk off. She doesn’t watch the ad. She loves the filming and that’s it. She doesn’t seem to have any interest in becoming famous."
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Moz the Monster - 2017
Moz the Monster was the 2017 John Lewis Christmas Advert (Internet Unknown)Back in 2017, we were introduced to a little boy who was terrified of the dark. Elbow performed the Beatles track Golden Slumbers for that year's offering, which told the story of the scared lad who found a monster living under his bed.
But this was no horrifying monster, as the youngster quickly became friends with gentle giant Moz. They spent all night playing and having fun, so the little lad was noticeably exhausted during the day.
We were all under the belief that only one child was the star of the show, but the role was actually given to a set of twins. Only one of them actually auditioned for the big role but when bosses heard he had an identical twin they got them both involved. Ethan and Tobias got their first on-screen project together - and look to have a bright future ahead in acting.
An Unexpected Guest - 2021
The spaceship in the advert (PA)In this advert filmed two years ago, a boy called Nathan sees an object fall from the sky whilst on a bus. He then gets off the bus and runs towards the object into the forest where he spots a spaceship and an alien named Skye.
The pair bond and hang out together, but Nathan then runs away before showing her his Christmas jumper that lights up. He then goes to show the staples of Christmas; Christmas trees, mince pies, and light-up displays. Noticing an electromagnetic pulse he sprints back to the forest where Skye is about to leave.
Skye is elated when Nathen gives her his jumper and she kisses him goodbye before going back on the spaceship. The advert features a cover of the Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder song "Together in Electric Dreams" by London pub singer Lola Young.
Rafiella Chapman and Jordan Nash starring in the advert (PA)Raffiella Chapman played Skye and at just 15 years old, Raffiella has already been in on the big screen. She played Claire Densmore in Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children as well as roles in BBC Film’s Homebound and BBC/HBO’s His Dark Materials. She has worked with stars Mark Wahlberg and Chiwetel Ejiofor in Infinite, and recently completed filming on her breakthrough lead role of Vesper in Vesper Seeds.
Jordan Nash, 15, played Nathan, and is best known for his lead role as Peter Pan in the fantasy drama Come Away. Here he starred opposite Angelina Jolie and David Oyelowo. He also played the lead role of Terry in the hit BBC/Netflix drama, Call the Midwife, and having a guest appearance on the comedy Breeders with Martin Freeman.
The Beginner - 2022
The 2022 advert in partnership with Action for Children (John Lewis)In last year's advert, viewers saw a man learning to skate for the first time, but always trips up and falls over. His wife then calls, telling him they have something to look forward to, which is that they are going to adopt a young girl called Ellie.
Ellie was in the care system, and has a passion for skateboarding which is what she uses to bond with her dad. The campaign was in partnership with Action for Children and Who Cares Scotland? to raise awareness of children in care. The advert features a cover of Blink-182's song, "All The Small Things" performed by Postmodern Jukebox featuring Mike Geier (under the stage name Puddles Pity Party.
John Paul Hurley in the John Lewis advert (John Lewis)John Paul Hurley plays the father and one of the lead actors in the John Lewis ad. The actor, who is from South Yorkshire, has starred in the likes of The Reckoning, The Lost King and Peaky Blinders.
In 2007, he won best actor at the European Independent Film Awards in Paris for his role in the short Laid Off, which was filmed in Glasgow. In addition to his many appearances in popular TV dramas, he has also written comedy 'Ecclesiastical Supplies' which was staged in Glasgow in 2015.
Ellie is played by rising actor Brooke Hart who has had a number of film, commercial and theatre roles. In 2017 she starred in the NSPCC Say Something campaign and she also played Paige in the National Theatre production of Love.
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