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Northern Irish teenager lands lead role in Disney film

A teenage girl with long ginger hair. She is wearing pink lipstick and a black vest top. In the top right corner there is purple text that reads "The Cheetah Girls next gen". Disney+

Sophie is one of four new Cheetah Girls

Sophie, 16, from County Down in Northern Ireland, has just landed a lead role in a new Disney film.

The film is called The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen. It's a new version of The Cheetah Girls, which was a big Disney film released more than 20 years ago.

The movie is about four teenagers who travel to Africa to volunteer at a wildlife sanctuary, where they find their voices and take to the stage as the new Cheetah Girls.

Sophie will play Brooklyn, an ambitious teenager from a musical family who dreams of making it big, a character she said she "immediately connected" with.

A young girl with long ginger hair. She is holding miniature Irish tricolour flags in both hands. She is wearing a sparkly dress and fur coat. FAMILY HANDOUT

Sophie represented Ireland in the 2022 Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Sophie said her "life has changed overnight" since receiving the news.

Landing the role wasn't easy, with more than 300,000 teenagers from all over the world auditioning for the four lead roles.

She has appeared on both Britain's Got Talent and America's Got Talent, performed on the West End and represented Ireland at the 2022 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, the young version of Eurovision.

When Sophie found out she had got the part, she couldn't believe it.

"I just thought, there's no way this is happening because I'm just a typical Irish girl, and then suddenly I'm flying to LA for a screen test in a Disney movie", she said.

A composite image of four teenage girls. They are looking directly at the camera. Two have black hair, one has red hair and the other has ginger hair. Disney+

Leah, Carmen, Kaileen and Sophie are the new Cheetah Girls

Sophie is now spending the next four months in South Africa getting ready for filming.

She has been working with a coach to learn the character's American accent, and said watching a lot of American shows growing up has made that much easier.

Then there are choreography - or dance routine - rehearsals, studio recordings, script work, costume fittings and guitar lessons.

She said the hair and makeup trials were her favourite part so far.

Sophie said: "If you want something badly enough, if you work hard enough, and if you never give up, you really can get there."