Northern screen action performer in Sky's 'The Bounty Hunters'

Belfast’s Aki Yunus is launching his acting and screen fighting career in Sky One’s new six episode series, The Bounty Hunters, starring Jack Whitehall and Academy Award-nominated Rosie Perez, which screens on Wednesday nights at 10pm.

After missing out on Game of Thrones to Jason Mamoa, Aki and his Belfast-based screen acting teacher and agent Peter Ferris realised it was time for a new plan.
One of Peter’s past students, Matt Stirling, is now one of the leading screen action performers, having fought Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in 'Fast and Furious' and doubling for the lead villain in James Bond’s 'Spectre' and now as a character in 'Star Wars'.

Matt advised Peter to introduce Aki to Andreas Petrides and the British Action Academy who train action performers and stunt men.

Andreas is one of the top stunt co-ordinators and choreographers in the world who is constantly working on top films and TV series including 'Star Wars - The Phantom Menace', 'Red 2', 'Sherlock' and 'Gladiator'.

A few years on, and Aki Yunus and another of Peter’s students from his Belfast masterclasses, Rory McAuley, are now the highest qualified screen action performers in Northern Ireland.

Aki ws born in Libya and grew up in Northern Ireland so with his Libyan family ties and his  Belfast accent, when discussing with the top casting directors in the world, Peter has described as potentially  the “Ultimate Bond Terrorist Screen Villain” This unique mix has landed Aki a role as a dangerous Jihadi  terrifying Jack Whitehall in the new comedy series, 'The Bounty Hunters'.

Peter says: “I teach all my actors that to succeed in this business you have to find your niche….what makes you stand out from other actors in an audition?.... and in the mid eighties during the height of the Troubles when I was at drama school in London, mine was my Belfast accent that led to roles in film and TV. Then the casting directors start to see you as a talented actor and then your accent doesn’t matter or define the characters that you are seen for and your career takes off like my characters in 'Heartbeat' or 'Grange Hill' or films such as 'Skulduggery' with David Thewlis, or the careers of Northern Irish actors such as Liam Neeson and Jamie Dornan.

“I am so proud of Aki,” says Peter Ferris, “He stuck at it, he listened and took advice and now the film industry is starting to see the talent that I saw in Aki when I taught a masterclass all those years ago in 2008 for Victoria College and RBAI.”

“Aki has worked so hard not just in my masterclasses but so much at the BAA screen fighting classes….he and Rory stayed at my home when they were attending the courses over the years in London and they could hardly walk each day when I picked them up from the station. This proves that dedication works and also who you know and luckily all of my students and friends in the film industry over the past 30 years are family and they accept and look after my new students as new members of extended family.”

That is how it should be.

Peter Ferris and his acting students have been supported and encouraged at The Dockers Club by Brian McCann who is not only a founder of the Dockers Club but also the treasurer of the actors' union, Equity, Northern Ireland