Sam Keeley owes a lot to his secondary school guidance counsellor.

“I was told to go for acting because I was going to drop out of school otherwise,” he laughs. “I wanted to be a singer-songwriter, so you can only imagine my Leaving Cert results.”

It’s a good thing he took the advice seriously. The 23-year-old actor from Tullamore, Co Offaly, has acted alongside Bradley Cooper, Chris Hemsworth and Robert Sheehan and is now preparing for the release for his biggest film yet, Monsters: Dark Continent, this November.

Sam is familiar to Irish audiences as Philip in RTÉ’s Raw and Conor in What Richard Did. He was working at Xtra-vision when he was offered his first role, playing a boy racer in The Other Side of Sleep, which was filmed in his hometown.

“It went a bit mad after that,” says Sam. “My second role was in Misfits, playing Robert Sheehan’s brother, and I’ve been working since then.”

He co-starred opposite Jack Reynor in the critically acclaimed What Richard Did, whose star is also on the rise after a lead role in the latest Transformers film.

“Jack and I have been friends for years, even before the madness kicked off,” says Sam. “When What Richard Did was released, we were at Boland’s Mill for a party. We climbed up to the roof of the factory with a case of beers, which was not the smartest thing to do, and had a very pretentious, clichéd moment where we said it’s there for the taking and we should go for it.”

Sam plays a soldier from Detroit in Monsters: Dark Continent and he describes the role as his first step towards leading-man status. The film is a sequel to Monsters, which was released in 2010 and depicts the aftermath of an alien invasion.

“I’m nervous because it’s the first time I’ve carried a film on my own. I’m in every scene,” he says. “I’m proud of it though.”

In Daniel Day-Lewis style, he stayed in the American accent full-time.

“I didn’t go full method, but I played an American and the accent had to be perfect,” says Sam. When you see actors slip up, you’re not watching the performance anymore, you’re waiting for them to slip up again. It’s my job as an actor to be convincing.”

Great to be Irish

Sam, who has starred alongside actors such as Sean Penn and Chris Hemsworth, believes the American film industry likes the Irish.

“The Irish passport is the best one to have. We’re loved all over the world and known for the arts,” he says. “There’s a lot of talent out there at the moment, be it in film or theatre.

“It’s still hard to break into the industry,” he continues. “Hollywood has such control over the film industry and in order to have a chance you have to be able to play Americans well.”

Sam is managed by his dad Brendan, who competed in The Voice of Ireland in 2012. He credits his parents for supporting his ambitions.

“They knew I wasn’t the academic type and I wouldn’t go down the road of studying,” says Sam. “I didn’t do very well in school. I studied drama for six months in DIT and that’s when I landed The Other Side of Sleep.

“The college gave me an ultimatum – stay in college or work. I chose to work and I’ve gone with my gut since.”

Sam is based in Dublin but makes frequents trips home in between visits to LA for work.

Staying grounded

“If you want to be grounded, come home. I’m proud of being from Offaly and everyone has been really supportive,” he says. “My girlfriend Antonia has also been great. We’ve been together seven years and it was a tough change going from a normal relationship to long distance. She’s my rock though – if I didn’t have her I’d be in trouble. She keeps me more grounded than anyone.

“The longest we’ve been apart is eight weeks – Skype becomes the best thing ever.”

Sam’s next big role is opposite Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller and Emma Thompson in a still untitled film about a chef and his team. Does he ever get starstruck?

“It’s a professional environment and you have to work with these people, but I still get starstruck,” he admits. “I acted opposite Chris Hemsworth and I think he’s great, so that was a big deal for me. It’s only once you meet these people you realise they’re normal.

“If you’re around people who can further your career, remember you have two ears and one mouth. Use them in that ratio. You should always listen to what’s going on around you. You’ll learn more from being on a film set and being around those people than you ever will in a classroom,” he adds.

This Tullamore man’s career looks promising, but Sam is unsure about what’s ahead.

“I have various visions of what will happen, but who knows,” he says. “I’d like to have more choice in projects I can pick and make the jump to bigger movies. It would be great to have that luxury. I’m just going to follow my instincts.”

Remember, you saw him here first.