He has starred opposite Pierce Brosnan, fought with Jackie Chan, and recorded a duet with Imelda May. Next up for actor/musician Niall McNamee is a starring role in the Indie feature film Love Without Walls, featuring a soundtrack of his own original compositions.
Niall’s two loves of acting and music combine in a movie, which takes a look at the harsh reality of homelessness and how, through a series of misfortunes, you can quickly go from a comfortable existence to nothing.
Starring alongside Niall is Shana Swash. Sister of Joe Swash, she played teen Demi Miller in EastEnders, who shocked viewers by giving birth at the age of 13.
They play a young married couple, Sophie (a photography student) and Paul (an aspiring singer-songwriter, who, when they can’t pay their London rent, turn to friends and family for support, before finding themselves lost in the underbelly of life on the streets.
Inspired by the film’s writer and director Jane Gull’s own experience of ‘sofa surfing’, Love Without Walls shows the harsh reality of existence without a fixed address.
Yet with an underlying theme of hope, the movie also portrays that, through love, humour and humanity, this young couple find brightness in the darkest places.
Director Jane Gull first approached him at one of his gigs, but nearly didn't get to meet him as he was paranoid she was the police coming to close down his 'socially distanced' gig and spent the evening trying to avoid her.
“I didn't know her,” laughs 29-year-old Niall.
“I think it helped because the pub gig was very similar to some of the scenes in the movie.
Niall recently had a number of stage roles where he combined acting and music, including playing Neill McCormick in Chasing Bono - the stage version of the film Killing Bono, Fran O’Toole in The Miami Showband tour and starring in Good Vibrations at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre.
Although born in Leicester, Niall, whose parents are from Monaghan and Louth, has a strong Irish accent after spending most of his early childhood there.
A Dundalk Town supporter, his Celtic roots extend to his musical influences and throughout his years as a young actor, he supported himself performing Irish folk songs.
His own material showcases his deep love for storytelling whilst pushing into contemporary rock and pop territory.
Within the movie, Niall’s original songs are performed and recorded live. These include Step By Step about young love, optimism and melancholy, and China In A Box, a song he penned in response to his relationship with former The Libertines singer Imedla May.
He first met the Irish singer in London back in 2018, but the pair’s relationship turned romantic during the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020.
Despite a 19-year age gap, they have gone from strength to strength and even survived collaborating together on Imelda’s last album, 11 Past the Hour.
“Imelda pushed for us to do Don't Let Me Stand Up On My Own together. We were early on in our relationship, and I thought this might not be the best idea. But it was.
“It was amazing singing with Imelda and being on tour with her. If I ever record a duet, I'm certainly going to get her to sing it. There's no better singer in the world,” he gushes.
“We're really good together, me and Imelda, and we're good together because we're sensible about working together.”
Love Without Walls, whose cast also includes Paul Barber (Only Fools and Horses), Sheila Reid (Benidorm) and Belfast actress Amy Molloy (The Fall), was shot in East London and Southend.
Niall got a first-hand insight into homelessness when he volunteered in a soup kitchen run by a friend in Covid, before filming began.
“It was something I wanted to do regardless of the movie. My dad's always said it was a bit touch and go with our family for a while - and as someone trying to make it in an industry that isn’t nine to five, I was always aware that it wouldn't be far away from me.
“I feel very grateful not to be homeless and I don't think it's a mark on anyone's character if they become homeless. Much has to go wrong to end up on the streets, but it can happen so quickly, as you see in the movie.
“I was already contributing to a couple of charities, but I doubt anyone will watch that movie, walk out onto the street and not give some coins to someone who is struggling.”
Niall put his everything into the role, growing a beard, working out and even injuring himself on set.
“There was one moment when I was climbing over the gate and I got pushed down and you see me wincing. It looked like great acting, but I pulled something in my back and couldn't stand up for two days after that,” he confesses.
“By the end of the movie, because I'm such a scaldy boy, they had to write into the script that I had sunburn, hay fever and a bad back - because I did.”
He also lost “a tonne of weight” in order to make his performance look authentic.
“I didn't have sugar or carbs for two months leading up to filming. The first scene we filmed was the last scene, then two days in we went right back to the start where I'm clean shaven.
“I realised the only way I could drop that weight and look fresh and healthy two days later was to do a water and food fast. So I didn't eat for two days leading up to the first day and didn't drink water the day before or on the day of filming.
“Perhaps it was a bit overkill, but I wanted to get it right.”
“Was it harder than fighting with Jackie Chan?", I asked Niall, referring to his role in the 2017 action thriller The Foreigner.
“That was mad. It was my first ever movie. I was working on a building site the day before when my agent called to say they were collecting me in the morning to go to the gym to work on a fight scene with Jackie Chan.
“I spent two weeks in the gym fighting Jackie Chan on behalf of the IRA. I didn't think that sentence would ever exist in this world,” he laughs.
On the day Love Without Walls is released, Niall will be releasing his six-track EP of the same name, which was recorded in Belfast.
Then, towards the end of the year, he will release his album, Glass and Mirrors, whose title is taken from another song in the movie.
He’s not ready to step away from the stage or the screen yet though.
“I try to organically mix the two together as much as I can, so there’s a lot coming. It’s still a bit of a juggle, but I love being fully busy all the time,” he adds.
This weekend Niall will be in the north of Ireland, performing at Sound of the Shore Musical Festival, Lough Neagh on June 3 and an acoustic gig at Belfast’s American Bar on June 4.
:: Love Without Walls is released in cinemas on June 9.
