Alex Etel was in junior school when he landed the role of Damian Cunningham in Danny Boyle’s Millions, the crime comedy-drama that introduced him to moviegoers worldwide. Born into a family without any theatrical background, Etel forged a tie with acting in October 2002 when he decided to participate in an audition call at his school. Six months later, after a series of auditions, his headmistress called him out in front of his class and introduced him as a future film star.
Etel did become a film star with his debut role in 2004’s Millions. His performance in the film adapted from Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s eponymous novel propelled him to stardom. As the lead actor, the movie’s positive reviews rubbed off on Alex Etel, earning him nominations for coveted awards. He was nominated for Saturn’s Best Performance by a Younger Actor, Critics Choice’s Best Young Actor, and Most Promising Newcomer from the British Independent Film Awards. He was poised to dominate the industry when he walked away from it; what happened to him?
An Overview Of Alex Etel’s Brief Acting Career
The Manchester native’s acting career began in 2004 and packed up at the turn of the decade. He was 9 when he debuted with Millions and bagged his breakthrough in the competitive industry. His acclaimed performance in the comedy-drama paved the way for him to land more roles that facilitated his quick rise to stardom. After Millions, he starred alongside Emily Watson and David Morrissey in Jay Russell’s The Water Horse (2007).
As Angus MacMarrow in the adventure fantasy based on Dick King-Smith’s eponymous children’s novel, Alex Etel bagged more nominations for prestigious awards. He was nominated for Saturn’s Best Performer by a Younger Actor and the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor. With these, he consolidated his growing reputation and landed another movie role in Julian Fellowes’ From Time to Time (2009).
He played Tolly in the adventure fantasy, which won Fellowes the 2010 Futurewave Youth Special Jury Award at the Seattle International Film Festival. Alex Etel was last seen in Gustavo Ron’s Ways to Live Forever (2010), a family drama wherein he played Felix Stranger alongside Robbie Kay and Emilia Fox. Before this, he played Harry Gregson in 8 episodes of Cranford (2007 – 2009), his only television role.
Why Did He Quit Acting?
The English former actor abandoned the profession without offering much explanation. Before disappearing from the limelight, he was billed to star opposite Guy Pearce in Jason Barry’s Easter Sixteen, among other projects. It was initially imagined that he suspended acting to pursue his education; given that he enrolled in Manchester College to study music technology in 2011. However, it has become clear over the years that Alex Etel has lost interest in acting.
Upon graduating from The Manchester College in 2013, the Millions actor decided to further his education at Leeds Beckett University. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in music technology from the institution in 2016, after which he became a freelance audio editor for PitStop Production. Since then, he has worked with several companies as a web developer. Alex Etel’s decision to quit acting isn’t logical to his fans, but people close to him might understand his reason. He once shared on his website that his decision to get into acting “came as a huge surprise to everyone because I never really liked the camera when I was little.”
Where Is Alex Etel Now?
Alex Etel’s acting days are over, but he has built a decent career outside the industry since he stepped away. The Damian Cunningham actor now works as a full-stack developer for Rootshell Security, an IT security company based in Manchester, England. He also works as a back-end web developer for Pixel, a freelance web developer, and a promotions manager at Jam Hard Events in Leed, United Kingdom.
Outside of those, he runs Void Manchester, an event company he owns alongside his record label Sinister Records. “Establishing my own record label was simply the result of having a keen interest in the music industry from a young age,” reads an excerpt from his LinkedIn profile. Beyond his career, Alex Etel’s personal life has also gone through changes. The former actor engaged his longtime girlfriend Laura Reid in September 2021. Check out what happened to Ronnie Neary actress, Teri Garr.
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