Film star pitches in to help Otto's acting (From Oxford Mail)

Film star pitches in to help Otto's acting

6:30am Tuesday 14th July 2009

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THE star of the smash-hit British film Love Actually is to dispense some of his closely-guarded trade secrets to Otto Baxter whose media profile is rising by the day.

Since he was first featured speaking about his desperate wish to lose his virginity, the 21-year-old from Steventon, who has Down’s Syndrome, has been on a whirlwind adventure.

The past few months have been filled with high-profile appearances and offers of free trips to Amsterdam brothels.

Mr Baxter, an actor who has appeared in productions of Romeo and Juliet and The Canterbury Tales, was followed by a film crew as part of a BBC Three documentary — Natalie Cassidy’s Real Britain — which aired in March.

Since then he said his world has erupted.

Not only did the BBC decide to commission a further documentary dedicated to Otto and his search for love, which will air next week, Otto has been offered acting lessons from Mr Nighy — and plastered over eight pages in an American’s glossy men’s magazine.

His mother, Lucy Baxter, said Otto first met Bill Nighy when they were both at the Raindance film festival and he had since offered to give the aspiring actor acting tips.

She added: “Otto was there because he had starred in a film called Love and Kisses.

“Mr Nighy said to him ‘I’ve seen your film’, and Otto said straight back, ‘and I’ve seen yours’ and they got talking from there really.

“We haven’t got an exact date but it is on our list of things to chase up.

“Since March Otto has received an awful lot of media interest.

“There was a large piece in an American men’s magazine called Details, it’s like their version of GQ.

“The first weekend it was online, the editor said there had been 119,000 readers.

“Someone claiming to be from Zoo magazine also called up and said they would be willing to put up the money for Otto to lose his virginity.

“Otto declined.”

The BBC documentary which will air on Tuesday, July 21, follows Otto on a recent trip to Las Vegas, where he visits a casino and a strip joint.

Mr Baxter said: “It was a lot of fun. I went to some casinos and won some money.

“The I went to some strip joints which were fantastic.”

Ms Baxter said since Otto went public with his quest to have sex, the family had sought advice on how he would legally go about visiting a prostitute.

She added: “When he was in Las Vegas he could have gone to a prostitute, but he decided against it.

“He decided that if he did get a girlfriend and they had done something similar he wouldn’t like that at all so he didn’t.

“I personally would not like it if Otto went to a prostitute — what mother would?

“I want Otto to have a loving fulfilling relationship, but this is about human rights.”

l Otto will be appearing in Love, Lust and Las Vegas at 9pm on BBC Three on July 21.

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