Greg Young is an Irish actor, writer, filmmaker, musician and podcaster.
He made his screen debut at the age of sixteen in the comedy The Nutters, portraying Eoin, the Country Mouse visiting his cousin in Finglas. It was a viral hit, and Greg reappeared in the subsequent Christmas Special. Around the same time, he made his directorial debut with the Short Film Better Paths (there are currently plans to remake it as a feature film, now titled Better Seasons).
Other roles he might be recognised for are What I Stand For, Mr Peterson or 7 Days (2021) (which he also wrote and directed). Expect to see him in the crew lists of several other productions.
He's also co-hosted the Actors' Life Podcast with friend Bobby Calloway (and he himself was the fifteenth interview).
He also runs the production company SWEET PEACE Productions
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He's openly on the autism spectrum.
Tropes associated with his work:
- Actor-Inspired Element: A gag in The Nutters had Eoin scripted to dress up in a cowboy suit before the Wild Teen Party. Greg suggested an Elvis Presley costume, which he ended up wearing.
- Attention Deficit Creator Disorder: Will be acting in one project, producing another, directing the next and possibly doing sound in between. Sometimes all at once.
- The Cast Show Off:
- He sings on-screen for Nightscapes.
- He speaks French for the film Pardon?
- Cast the Runner-Up:
- Greg was initially in the running to play Jack in What I Stand For, but ended up in the role of Ed Kinney instead.
- The short Accidental Suspect had its lead actor drop out due to last minute complications. Greg was on the crew, and filled the role of Joe last minute.
- He was a production assistant on The Troubles: A Dublin Story, and got picked to have a small part as a man getting threatened by the IRA.
- He auditioned for the role of Craig in the film SCARLET that went to James Stephen Walsh. Sean Brien ended up creating a character called Robert for him to play that didn't exist in the original script.
- Creator Couple: His girlfriend Dana Lee Al Qattan is an actress and filmmaker in her own right, and the two have collaborated numerous times.
- Dawson Casting:
- He was twenty playing a recent high school graduate in 7 Days (2021).
- He also played a high schooler at 23 in the film Pardon?
- Directed by Cast Member: He directed himself in 7 Days, and had a small role in his Fatal Deviation parody Deadly Divergence.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: A gifted songwriter as well, he wrote songs for his films An Rogha Cheart and Peak.
- Dyeing for Your Art:
- He's willing to part with his facial hair if the role calls for it.
- As he would be shooting a sex scene in the short 5 Seconds and spending a lot of the film shirtless, he went on a twelve week program to get in shape.
- Family Theme Naming: He's actually Greg Young V in his family.
- He Also Did: He produced the music video "Way Above the Skyline" for singer Adam Dunne.
- Irony as She Is Cast: In The Nutters Christmas Special, Eoin tries to sing "Deck the Halls" and Jake responds with "that's rotten". Greg is an accomplished musician, and a very gifted singer.
- Jack of All Trades: Actor, writer, director, producer, guitarist, singer, sound person, clapper loader, editor, podcaster...
- Playing Against Type:
- Plays a mugger with a Dublin Skanger voice in the short Widespread.
- He plays a villain (albeit a comedic one) in Deadly Divergence.
- Plays a mugger with a Dublin Skanger voice in the short Widespread
- Production Posse:
- He has produced three films for Sean Brien - Takbir, SCARLET and the upcoming Here They Come.
- He produced for Bobby Calloway in Fallen (2021). Bobby is also the producer of the upcoming Life on Pluto, which Greg will be directing and the two will star in.
- He has produced three films for Sean Brien - Takbir
- Real-Life Relative: His father has a Voice-Only Cameo as Eoin's father in The Nutters Christmas Special, and appears on-screen in Deadly Divergence along with his little brother Hayden.
- Suddenly Shouting: His raison d'etre is usually to find a way to shout really loudly in one of his scenes. His interview for the Actors' Life Podcast even had a montage of the amount of improvised shouting he's done in various films.
- Typecasting: Often finds himself as the Only Sane Man or responsible characters.
- Unbuilt Casting Type: Before he was typecast as responsible characters, his first role in The Nutters means he's more of a Naïve Newcomer in a Wretched Hive. It almost seems like a parody of his later roles.
- You Look Familiar: He stars in two films in the Deadly Numbers Anthology Film; 7 Days and Disembodied Hitman.
- Younger Than They Look: He's often assumed to be a few years older than his actual age, thanks to his thick beard and tall height. In the short Dyadic, he played a college professor at the age of eighteen! He didn't turn twenty until 2021. That being said, he looks closer to his age if he goes without his beard.
- What Could Have Been:
- A significant subplot for his character had to be cut from The Nutters after Greg had to leave before filming was done; Eoin was scripted to accidentally buy cocaine, get high off it and end up interrupting an Almost Kiss between Jake and Lauren. In the finished film, he just goes to bed early and disappears until the ending.
- He co-wrote and planned to produce a series with his Nutters co-star Adam Douglas titled Unknown Enemies - intended as a gritty Teen Drama described as "13 Reasons Why meets Love/Hate". It was put on hold in 2019 to allow for rewrites, and put on hiatus indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are plans to revisit it in the future.
- He was a contestant on the pilot episode for the RTÉ talent show Last Singer Standing. He reportedly reduced Nicky Byrne and the entire audience to hysterical giggles by bluntly saying he thought his performance was "shite".
