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Stay Close: Bishop's Stortford teenager stars in Netflix thriller with Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt, Richard Armitage, Sarah Parish and Eddie Izzard

12:13, 27 January 2022

updated: 14:13, 03 February 2022

Bishop's Stortford teenager Tallulah Byrne is currently starring in Netflix thriller Stay Close.

The 15-year-old appears in a top-notch cast of household names including her on-screen mother Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt, Richard Armitage, Sarah Parish and Eddie Izzard.

A gripping eight-part series about dark secrets, Stay Close has been in the Netflix network's top three since its release on New Year's Eve, and Tallulah appears in seven of the episodes.

Tallulah Byrne, front left, as Laura Shaw with her Stay Close family: Cush Jumbo as mum Megan Pierce-Shaw, Daniel Francis as fiance Dave Shaw, Dylan Francis as Jordan and Bethany Antonia as Kayleigh
Tallulah Byrne, front left, as Laura Shaw with her Stay Close family: Cush Jumbo as mum Megan Pierce-Shaw, Daniel Francis as fiance Dave Shaw, Dylan Francis as Jordan and Bethany Antonia as Kayleigh

Based on the 2012 Harlan Coben novel of the same title, the lives of a suburban mother-of-three with a fiancé and a murky past, an ex-photojournalist in a dead-end job who lost the woman he loved and a detective still haunted by a cold case from 17 years ago are disturbed by a terrible event from the past.

Showbusiness is in Tallulah's blood. Her dad is Irish singer William Byrne, who moved to England when he landed the title role in West End musical Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and toured the UK and Europe with the show in the 1990s. She is also a cousin of Golden Globe-nominated composer Brian Byrne.

Although Stay Close is her first TV role, she has already followed her father into the West End, playing Tomika in School of Rock in 2019. She was also cast in The Braille Legacy at Charing Cross Theatre in 2017.

Tallulah on location with James Nesbitt and Dylan Francis (54508676)
Tallulah on location with James Nesbitt and Dylan Francis (54508676)

Filming for Stay Close took place in and around Manchester from February to August last year.

Tallulah said: "It was really nerve-racking as I've never done anything like it before, but everyone was so nice and welcoming, and the whole experience was amazing. All my friends are very excited about me being in it.

"My favourite scene was when we did a TikTok dance. It was fun as the whole [screen] family was in the scene as well as Eddie Izzard, in character as lawyer Harry Sutton."

Tallulah is a regular on stage at her school, New Hall, performing lead roles in drama productions. The teen is one of the Chelmsford independent boarding and day school's Special Talent Award holders, in recognition of significant potential and proven commitment to drama.

Tallulah in Shakespeare in Love. Picture: Rob Purbrick (54508672)
Tallulah in Shakespeare in Love. Picture: Rob Purbrick (54508672)

She recently played Ned Alleyn in the school's production of Shakespeare in Love and previously shone as one of the von Trapp children in The Sound of Music. She has secured the role of Nancy in its next production, Oliver!, in May.

Andy Williams, head of drama at New Hall School, said: "Tallulah has received some lovely reviews in her roles here and we're immensely proud of her screen debut.

"In class, I'm struck by her spirit of learning and thirst to do better. She also encourages others and is very gracious and generous with her time and skill. We eagerly await news of what the future will bring for her."

Tallulah with her school's head of drama Andy Williams
Tallulah with her school's head of drama Andy Williams
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