An actor with Down’s syndrome has made history by landing a major role in a new Disney film.
Noah Matthews Matofsky, from Shoreham, is the first actor with the condition to star in a Disney feature film, the new live action Peter Pan And Wendy.
The 15-year-old stars as Slightly, the leader of the Lost Boys in the remake, which features Jude Law as Captain Hook.
Noah landed the role in 2021 and spent six months filming in Vancouver and Newfoundland in Canada.
A student of Shoreham Academy, Noah was chosen out of thousands of young actors and kept in regular contact with the school while he was away filming.
The school said it supported the Year 10 student throughout, ensuring he could balance his schoolwork while appearing on set.
While it is his first acting job, Noah is no stranger to the limelight, having previously starred in school productions of High School Musical and Cinderella.
He credits drama lessons at the Shoreham Academy for inspiring his love of acting and is looking forward to taking on more exciting roles in TV and film in the future.
“I loved being on set and I loved how the film was made. I can’t wait for you to see it – you are all going to love it," said Noah.
Melanie Edwards, director of inclusion at Shoreham Academy, said: “The inclusion team could not be prouder of Noah and all that he has accomplished so far.
"It fills us with joy that he is such a delightful student and he absolutely enriches our school. He was our star before he was Disney’s.”
The latest remake of JM Barrie’s classic novel, which became available to stream on Disney+ from April 28, stars Alexander Molony as Peter Pan and Ever Anderson as Wendy.
Noah "threw himself in" to the action scenes and said he particularly loved a tricky stunt which sees the pirate ship overturn.
“It was an amazing experience, I had my own trailer and made lots of fantastic friends,” he told The Sun.
“We all learned sword fighting, which I loved. I had lots of lines to learn very quickly, but it was exciting and I really enjoyed it.”
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