THROWBACK
Remember these kids from the cute John Lewis adverts? This is what they’re up to now…
PEOPLE look forward to seeing the new John Lewis advert every Christmas.
Often the heartwarming mini movies have kids stealing the show, but have you ever wondered what the young stars are up to nowadays?
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Here, we track down some of the John Lewis kids to see what they’re up to now...
The Long Wait - 2011
This was the first year John Lewis used its advert to tell a whole story.
The advert showed a little boy waiting for Christmas as he was so excited to give his parents the present he bought for them.
The star of the advert, Lewis McGowan, has been very busy since then. He has grown up and looks completely unrecognisable.
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He's had roles in TV shows including Doctor Who and Houdini and Doyle.
And his biggest role yet was appearing alongside Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017.
Lewis, from Hamilton, near Glasgow, was chosen from 250 children to star in the advert.
And he was just seven years old at the time. 10 years later, the 17-year-old has branched out into the world of big screen acting,
He played a 12-year-old version of Henry Turner, the son of Bloom’s swashbuckler Will, in Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge and also starred in TV series The Alienist.
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Most read in Fabulous
Monty the Penguin - 2014
The tale of Monty the Penguin captured the nation’s hearts in 2014.
The advert followed the close friendship of Monty and a young boy, who decides to find a female penguin for his pal at Christmas.
Schoolboy Rhys Edwards played the lead role of Sam.
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He said at the time: “I’m the king of Christmas adverts! I’d really like to be in the John Lewis Christmas advert every year from now on. I do miss everyone from John Lewis.”
Rhys started acting at five with child talent agency Daisy & Dukes. He previously played the role of the boy in the DFS Christmas advert and he was in a McDonald’s Christmas spot.
The young actor, from Hertfordshire, even made an appearance in a Christmas special of Call The Midwife.
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The Man on the Moon - 2015
The advert with the line, “Show someone they're loved this Christmas”, tugged on heartstrings.
The 2015 campaign told the story of a little girl who spots a lonely old man living on the moon through her telescope and highlighted the prevalence of loneliness at Christmas.
The girl finds a way to float presents over to the man on the moon on balloons so he can enjoy Christmas Day too.
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Starring alongside elderly Frenchman Jean Masini was adorable six-year-old Orli Star Knill-Goldstein.
She starred in Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children and went on to star in TV mini series Vanity Fair in 2018.
At the time of the adverts release, her dad wrote on Facebook: “All very low key! Just a normal day!”
Buster the Boxer - 2016
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The 2016 advert began on Christmas eve with six-year-old Bridget bouncing on her bed.
She was watched by family pet, Buster the Boxer. Bridget’s mum and dad buy her the trampoline and hide it in the garden to surprise her on Christmas Day.
But after dark, a cast of wildlife animals emerge to play on the trampoline - while Buster watches.
On Christmas morning, Bridget, played by Summer, from London, runs out into the garden but Buster bounds past her and starts bouncing on her trampoline.
It seems like this was Summer’s only role - but she was a true star in our eyes!
Moz the Monster - 2017
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The 2017 advert was about a cuddly blue monster called Moz who befriended a little boy called Joe. Joe was struggling to sleep due to his pal Moz the monster being under his bed.
They stayed up together all night until Moz realises Joe needs to sleep at night so leaves him a present of a night light under the Christmas tree.
It featured the tagline “For gifts that brighten their world”. The advert role was given to two boys, twins Ethan and Tobias who were seven at the time.
They come from London, and their onscreen parents were played by Mia Austen and Kevin Mathurin.
The advert was their first on-screen project. Just one of the twins auditioned for the role, but when the production team heard he had an identical twin, both were brought on board.
The Boy and the Piano - 2018
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John Lewis’ 2018 advert featured its first celebrity star, Sir Elton John.
It took viewers on a journey through the performer's life, including tours, travelling on a private jet, playing at his local pub and performing at a school.
It culminated with a four-year-old Elton unwrapping his first ever piano, a gift from his grandmother at Christmas. The tagline was "Some gifts are more than just a gift".
Freddie Henderson played the youngest version of Elton John in the ad.
The four-year-old said: “I was, just you know, running down the stairs, into the lounge, standing there until they said - cut!”
Emma Henderson shared a picture of her son Freddie, on Facebook, originally posted by Sir Elton John.
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Posting a picture of the youngster on Instagram, Sir Elton wrote: “What a pleasure it was to be part of the wonderful @johnlewisandpartnersChristmas advert.”
Ms Henderson then shared it with the caption: “When @eltonjohn posts a pic of your child's face! #fabulousfreddie @freddiesteddiego.'”
Drama school pupil Freddie was picked out from more than 1,000 hopefuls after auditioning for the advert. It was his second job after featuring in adverts for electronics firm Bosch.
Excitable Edgar - 2019
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This ad told the story of little girl Ava and a Christmas-loving dragon who attempted to get involved in holiday celebrations.
The baby fire-breathing dragon became a festive hazard and caused mayhem for the folk of his medieval town.
His friend Ava rushes to his house with a beautifully wrapped gift and brings him to the Christmas feast.
In front of the terrified townsfolk he unveils his special treat: a delicious Christmas pudding, and with a little puff he lights the pudding.
Ava was played by an actor from Glasgow named Ruby Dailly, who was 10 years old at the time.
John Lewis said that Ruby was ‘good at taking direction’, and praised the ‘very talented’ young actress, saying she had a ‘firecracker personality’.
The young girl won the opportunity to star in the ad ahead of thousands of other youngsters. It was her debut appearance on screens.
You can watch the 2021 advert at the top of this story - and find out more about it here.
In other news, these are the most popular Christmas baby names revealed… and JACK is top of the list.
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