Despite An Oscar Nom, James Martin Is Returning To His Starbucks Job
What seems like a dream job to one person might be unappealing to another. And for some people, movie stardom might seem like a sweeter dream than Starbucks employment. But how often do you hear about someone who makes it far enough in the acting business to earn an Oscar nomination and then quietly returns to their day job?
According to the Belfast Telegraph, James Martin, who has Down's syndrome, began acting as a young teenager. He would go on to star as a drug dealer's brother in the TV show "Marcella" (per BelfastLive). He also portrayed a man who gets his sister to embark on a road trip to a concert in the BBC drama "Ups and Downs." The actor almost got a role in a Viking epic alongside Nicole Kidman and Seamus O'Hara but filming was canceled due to Covid, per Sunday World. However, he still got to work with Seamus O'Hara of "Game of Thrones" fame in the 2022 short film "An Irish Goodbye."
In "An Irish Goodbye," Martin plays a farmer confronted with his brother's intention to sell the land it's on following their mother's death. The siblings learn she had a bucket list and take it upon themselves to check off the items on it before anyone buys the farm. While the 23-minute dark comedy received acclaim and an Oscar nomination among other accolades, Martin said he is going back to his job at Starbucks.
For the love of coffee and good food
James Martin holds down two jobs – one working in a Belfast Starbucks and the other as a cook in an Italian restaurant, Scalini's. "I've been doing that a long time. It's nice," he said, per Daily Mail. He added that he enjoys "helping out the customers" and that he gets to make things like "garlic bread, meatballs, salads, and mussels." But the fact that he chose this path doesn't mean he sees acting as an acquired taste. Martin told Sunday World, "If you can drink coffee and eat chocolate cake, of course, you can act." According to the "An Irish Goodbye" star, anyone can. He cited Stephen Hawking, who was able to act in a variety of roles despite having a motor neuron disease, per Birmingham Mail.
According to the Daily Mail, Martin plans on attending the Oscars in Los Angeles with his girlfriend Louise Davies. The actor has a double reason to celebrate that night – it also falls on Martin's 31st birthday, March 13. He said he wants to attend after-parties and meet his hero Robert DeNiro. While Martin said he loves both his hospitality jobs has has "really good employers," it appears that he didn't rule out a future acting career. He said, "Probably this will open those doors for me down the line, it will be very busy. Let's hope so," per Independent.