The independent film ‘Beginners’ boasts some big name stars and a face that might be familiar to many Bermudians.Lisa Young only has two lines in the film, but the chance of appearing on-screen with Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor was too big an opportunity to miss.The 40-year-old Bermudian, whose stage name is Lana Young, had only recently moved to Virginia from Los Angeles when she learned she’d landed the role in 2009.“My scene was going to be with Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor. So I thought, what a send-off from Los Angeles,” Ms Young told The Royal Gazette.Mr Plummer, 81, is a veteran of the silver screen and has starred in more than 100 films. The actor is probably best known for his role as Captain Georg von Trapp in the family classic, ‘The Sound of Music’. Noted Scottish actor Mr McGregor has appeared in such films as ‘Trainspotting’, ‘Big Fish’ and ‘Star Wars’ episodes II and III.In ‘Beginners’, Mr McGregor learns that his elderly father, played by Mr Plummer, has terminal cancer and is gay.The film follows their relationship. Part of the story takes place in a hospital; Ms Young played the role of Nurse Two.“On the film set for ‘Beginners’, the day started out with hair and makeup at 5.30am,” said Ms Young. “In walks Ewan McGregor and plops down next to me. As a true Bermudian, I said, ‘good morning’. We started chatting right away. He was easy to get along with, and I am not intimidated by that [celebrities]. We talked about drama school because he went to drama school in London, as did I. We talked about the similarities of our training and some other things.”She met Mr Plummer later on set. She immediately went up and introduced herself and told him she was from Bermuda.“When he heard I was from Bermuda he was all over me,” said Ms Young. “Apparently, he used to come to Bermuda in the 1960s to do theatre at the old Bermudiana Hotel. All day long it was ‘Miss Bermuda...’ from Mr Plummer. He was my best friend for the whole day. It was just an amazing experience to work with such high-profile, professional actors. I felt right at home and it was very enjoyable.”Ms Young was invited to the film’s Los Angeles premiere but she already had plans to come back to Bermuda to see her family. The film received four out of four stars at the Los Angeles Film Festival. She has not yet seen the film in its entirety but was happy to learn, through Facebook, that her scene had not been cut.“The interesting thing is when you have [a small role] there is always the chance you can end up on the cutting room floor.”She now runs an acting school for children and adults in Charlottesville, Virginia called Hollywood Theatre Lab. Ms Young continues to act and does voice-overs. For several months she hosted a television programme on a Virginia cable station, ‘What’s Going On C’ville’, but it is now in hiatus while she restructures it.Her acting career started in Bermuda as spokesperson for Cable & Wireless.She then trained at the Arts Educational School in London, England, where she received a master’s degree in acting.Ms Young adopted the stage name Lana in 2004 when she joined the British Equity and Screen Actors Guild as ‘Lisa Young’ was taken.Her on-camera credits include a co-starring role on ‘Zoey 101’ and several commercials. She was also the leading lady in Bermudian filmmaker Lucinda Spurling’s docudrama, ‘The Lion and The Mouse’.“It all started here in Bermuda but when I moved to Boston in 1998, that is when the professional stuff really started happening.”Things really got going when she moved to Los Angeles in her 30s she considers herself a late bloomer.“In Bermuda, I was doing as much local theatre as I could but I didn’t really get started as a professional actress until I left. I arrived in Los Angeles at 35 years old. The message would be, ‘Your dreams are always accessible no matter where you are in life’. Within that period I did a couple of movies and several commercials. I accomplished quite a lot in those years for someone who started so late in life.”Ms Young advised anyone looking to get into the business to pound the pavement and keep trying. Despite her achievements she continues to utilise the internet, posting her resume and other professional information.“You always have to make yourself known wherever you are,” she said. “But you have to remain optimistic and you have to be friendly. That is why I left. Los Angeles was a really tough town. At this stage of my life relationships and quality of relationships were really important to me. I learned that really fast being in Los Angeles you are not going to get that there. You have to be laser-focused and it has to be all about you. I realised that I needed more out of life.”She next takes on the role of Edith in ‘Plan 9’, a remake of ‘Plan 9 From Outerspace’. Brian Krause from the television show ‘Charmed’ is behind the film, which is due out next year.“I am working in Virginia and I am the go-to person because I am one of few professional actors in that area, as opposed to a commodity in Los Angeles where my head shot could be up on a wall amongst thousands of people who have no experience. It doesn’t matter what my resume says there.”Ms Young will once again turn her skills to teaching the Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) summer acting camp. She said the camp, which will be held in August, has been revamped to give young people who are interested in acting more time to act. Bermudian filmmaker Bayard Outerbridge will teach the technical side of filming.“I think it is going to be really successful,” she said.Useful websites: www.biff.bm/film-academy; www.hollywoodtheatrelab.com; lanayoungonline.com. Ms Young is also on Facebook.