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Meet the boy who stole the hearts of the nation in Supervalu’s now-viral Christmas ad.
When eight-year-old Cian Kearney went to school on Wednesday morning, he was like all the other children ready to start the day.
But when Supervalu released its new ad for the holiday season, starring Cork-born Cian in a role of tears, everything changed.
Around lunchtime, Cian transformed into a familiar face named Conor in homes across Ireland and beyond.
It has been called Ireland’s answer to iconic John Lewis advertisements of the past, with people like Ryan Tubridy and fans across the country hailing it as “magical.”
And when the video reached the two million view mark in just 24 hours, proud dad Gerard uncovered how they were at the center of the viral phenomenon.
He told the Irish Daily Mirror: “When we heard the news, Cian got the role, we thought it was lovely and we thought this could be a good thing.
“But the last 24 hours have been a whirlwind, it’s just mental. And it’s turned into a snowball and a snowball.
“And the people were lovely and there is a lot of love flowing.”
The emotional ad, starring the boy anxiously wondering if his grandfather will be coming home for Christmas, marks Cian’s first screen debut.
When asked if he feels like a star was born on the Dublin set when they filmed in September, Gerard, who has some on-screen credits, revealed that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.
“That was his first audition and part one.
“Honestly, during the audition process I was as proud as a punch anyway because my eyes were opened to something that I never knew was inside him.
“Before, I was an actor when I was younger and I had a similar experience to Cian when I was a little older than him.
“My first audition was for War of the Buttons and I got the role of Big Con. And I’ve been to a few things. But nothing important, I would never call myself an actor. “
Gerard revealed that he chose the role of the father in the ad, but joked that it was the brilliant son Cian who caught the attention of the creative team.
But full of pride, he said that no role he has ever played could compare to watching his own son flourish on screen.
“Watching him work with directors and having a conversation, I mean he stood his ground and that’s when I realized that he’s really good,” he said.
“He will always be a star for us. And I have a lot of confidence in him.
“I had a lovely experience when it was me, and as enjoyable as the experience was, and this is the truth, but it was nothing compared to the excitement of your own son doing something like this.
“And I would have thought I took it easy, and he’s really taking it easy, but my wife, my family and my whole family, the grandparents, we are everything that we love.
“It really is surreal.”
Reflecting on the inspiration behind the ad, as it continues to hit televisions this week, Shane Lynch, SuperValu’s Retail Marketing Manager, revealed the masterminds behind the story-based magic in real-life letters they received from customers about the Christmas of their dreams.
He told the Irish Daily Mirror: “We are a family business.
“Each Supervalu is run by a local person and their family, so in early September we got 100 buyers to write letters to their future selves about what Christmas was like.
“The letters we received were just amazing and about seeing the most important people in their lives, so we were inspired by that.”
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