Bearsden actor's short film hopes

Daniel Kerr, who won a Bafta in 2013 at the age of 12 for his portrayal of a young Paul Ferris in the film The Wee Man, worked on his new creation “Norm” during lockdown.

He filmed it over three months and has now launched a GoFundMe site to raise the money needed to enter it in upcoming film festivals.

Daniel (21) told the Milngavie & Bearsden Herald: “The primary reason for doing this film is the very personal feelings I have about my weight and body image.

"When you allow these feelings to creep into your head it stops you from doing things that are otherwise completely normal.

"I would refrain from going on holiday for the fear of taking my top off. I would be extremely judgmental of other people and compare my size with total strangers.

"I realised that I had to do something about it, so I combined my love of acting and writing to make a film.”

The film follows central character Norm who decides that in order to be acceptable he needs to go on a five-week intensive diet. But it becomes clear his methods are not the right way to go about it.

Daniel, who has also appeared in Doctor Who and Doctors, said: “I think there’s a lot in us that we can find in the central character. Maybe more than we would like to admit.

"He’s clearly a very damaged person where appearance and image are everything to him. Now I don’t think that’s the way everyone is but I do think we indulge in it more than we should.”

He added: “I also think it’s important that more Scottish talent is fostered in Scotland. So many productions come here to film: Batman, Indiana Jones, Outlander.

"We’ve got a new massive studio being built, so hopefully it’ll start that movement for the Scottish film industry. What my film can do for that I’m unsure but if it helps in any small way then that’s fantastic.”

To donate to Daniel’s project, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/norm-short-film-festival-fund