A GAME of Thrones actress is to star in a film by a Southampton artist.

Hailed as a ‘rising star’ by the industry, Hattie Gotobed, 14, has acted alongside Brad Pitt , had roles in five feature films and played Ghita in series five of the cult Game of Thrones TV series.

Now the Ringwood actress will portray a young woman debating the meaning of life with an older man, played by Dean Kilbey.

Representing the differences between the analogue and digital eras, the project is the brainchild of Bursledon video artist James Paddock.

An exploration of the social and cultural networks human beings form, Shells will also aim to address the social stigma around mental health and feature the voice of Nigel Bradshaw, best remembered for his role as Dennis Cruickshank in Prisoner: Cell Block H.

And with a grant of more than £18,000 from Arts Council England, it represents an important step in James’ career.

Although he has made work since finishing a course at Winchester School of Art this is his first professional project and will be shown first at the Tec Hub in Eastleigh’s Sorting Office.

And the theme of mental illness is a subject that’s close to James’ heart, having suffered from “horrendous” mental health issues for the last few years.

But James said the project has been “very therapeutic”, with the installation also showing famous people who have suffered from mental health problems.

Having put an advert out for local actors to feature in his work, James was thrilled to be able to work with Hattie, Dean and Southampton actor Sam Dunning.

He said: “Hattie was absolutely fantastic to work with. She knew exactly what to do and she’s such a natural. It just became part of her.”

The two films will be shown alongside each other using high definition projectors. The project has been managed by Southampton artist Kye Wilson.

Arts Council England’s south west director Phil Gibby said: “At the Arts Council we believe that art and culture enhance every part of our lives. They bring us joy, and help us to make sense of our own experiences and to empathise with others.

“So we’re very pleased to be supporting Shells through our National Lottery funded grants for the arts programme, a project that will explore new ways of presenting often un-discussed fundamental issues.”

The money will pay for the actors’ fees, buying and hiring kit, a cameraman, insurance and marketing and touring the work, as well as artists’ and project manager fees.

The installations will go on display at the Production House in The Sorting Office studios in Eastleigh town centre from April 19-24.

James Paddock is an associate of the Digital Arts Programme Eastleigh.

Tec Hub launched in April 2014 as part of Eastleigh Borough Council’s portfolio of creative clusters that includes The Point, the West Wing and The Sorting Office.

It aims to support digital and creative start-ups such as gaming and media companies, IT, video and film, app and web designers by offering space to work.