Spielberg’s animal instincts

The veteran director chose unknown actor Jeremy Irvine on sight to star in his screen adaptation of War Horse, says Declan Cashin

NOT many young actors go from playing a tree on stage to being cast as the lead in Steven Spielberg’s latest blockbuster.

That’s what happened to then unknown British actor Jeremy Irvine, who plays Albert, the naive protagonist of War Horse, an epic, old-school adaptation of Michael Morpugo’s 1982 novel (and also an acclaimed stage play) about a young boy’s bond with his steed, Joey, and their separate experiences of fighting in World War I.