A LOWESTOFT actor's latest film role is poised to receive the royal seal of approval next month.Former Benjamin Britten High School pupil Reece Ritchie is one of the stars of The Lovely Bones, which has been picked for the Royal Film Performance 2009 world charity premiere in Leicester Square, London.

A LOWESTOFT actor's latest film role is poised to receive the royal seal of approval next month.

Former Benjamin Britten High School pupil Reece Ritchie is one of the stars of The Lovely Bones, which has been picked for the Royal Film Performance 2009 world charity premiere in Leicester Square, London.

Reece, 22, already has an impressive list of film credits and television appearances to his name. He has starred in the films

10,000 BC and The Prince of Persia as well as TV shows The Bill and Silent Witness.

In The Lovely Bones, Reece plays Ray Singh, the boyfriend of a girl who is murdered and watches over her family and killer from heaven.

The film is based on the best-selling novel by Alice Sebold and is directed by Academy Award-winner Peter Jackson, whose previous hits have included the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

'It's incredibly exciting for the film to have won the Royal Film Performance, and, on a personal level, having the premiere in Leicester Square will be amazing,' said Reece.

And Reece is not the only one looking forward to their time on the red carpet.

Peter Jackson said he was honoured that the film had been chosen.

'On behalf of everyone involved, we are thrilled that members of the royal family and the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF) audience will be amongst the first people in the world to see it,' he added.

All money raised from the gala goes to the fund, which helps families connected with the film and television industry who are facing financial difficulties.

CTBF president David Murrell said: 'We are delighted to be able to premiere a film of such distinction for the Royal Film Performance 2009.

'This will be a truly world-class event attended by an internationally-acclaimed director and cast and members of the royal family.'

The stars of the film include Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon and Mark Wahlberg.

The glitz of a royal gala marks the high-point of a superb year for Reece, who has not forgotten his early days of acting in Lowestoft. 'I received a lot of help and encouragement at school and at the Seagull Theatre and would like to see more people get enjoyment from live theatre,' he said.

Earlier this year, Reece returned to the Seagull, at Pakefield, to perform on his home stage: he played an IRA terrorist in the thriller, Rat in the Skull. Theatre director John Hales said: 'We were lucky to have him, as his career as a profess-ional actor is going through the roof.'