‘The Almond and the Seahorse’ Auteur Celyn Jones Talks Welsh Pride and Directing Rebel Wilson in Her First Dramatic Role
K.J. Yossman Actor, writer and director Celyn Jones (pictured above, left, and below) is the triple threat no one saw coming. Originally from Wales, where he still films a lot of his projects, Jones built his career first as an actor of both theater and screen before pivoting to writing features such as “Set Fire to the Stars,” which starred Elijah Wood, “The Vanishing” featuring Gerard Butler and “Six Minutes to Midnight,” which he co-wrote with Eddie Izzard co-wrote and stars both Izzard and Judi Dench. Jones’ latest project, “The Almond and the Seahorse,” also represents his directorial feature debut. Jones co-wrote the film, which is about two couples dealing with traumatic brain injuries, with Kaite O’Reilly (on whose play it is based) and co-directs with Tom Stern (“Changeling”). He also stars in it alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg (“Melancholia”), Trine Dyrholm (“Queen of Hearts”), Meera Syal (“Yesterday”) and Rebel Wilson (“Pitch Perfect”). The film, which premieres at the Zurich Film Festival on Monday evening (Sept. 26) also represents a significant first for Wilson as it is the first time she appears in a dramatic role.