Ellar Coltrane: I learnt to act in peace

Ellar Coltrane was able to learn the craft of acting without the exposure of fame.

The star found fame with Oscar-winning movie Boyhood, which was shot over 12 years and finally hit cinemas in 2014.

Because it didn't garner attention until it was released, 20-year-old Ellar had the luxury to learn about movies without press intrusion.

"I think if the movie had come out when I was ten, it would have been a different story. But I got to learn how to act, and how to collaborate on a story - and I didn’t have to deal with all of the exposure. It was still hard, but I was definitely more prepared than I would have been if I were younger. You know, Ethan [Hawke] was 13 when his first movie came out, and I know that was hard," Ellar told WWD.

Ellar stars as main character Mason in Boyhood, with the movie following his journey from childhood to college. Ethan stars as his dad and Patricia Arquette, who won various best supporting actress gongs for her role, plays his mother.

There have been rumours that a Boyhood 2 is in the pipeline, but Ellar is also focused on other parts at the moment.

"There are a couple of indie projects I’m working on, just with a good friend, Kevin Ford, who’s a writer and a director, although I’m not sure when all of that is going to be happening. One is sort of like romance, a nonsexual romance, and about the value of friendship.

"I think [it will be filmed] downtown Los Angeles. I guess that’s kind of part of the story as well, an interesting backdrop - the decay of LA downtown - there are all of the relics of 30s and 40s Hollywood. That world has fallen apart, but there’s this whole other culture and eco-system that’s taking its place," he divulged.