PROUD papa John Rorison is devoted to his film star granddaughter Lilly who has become a little Hollywood star.

Lilly, 13, first hit the big screen playing young Diana Prince in 2017’s Wonder Woman before returning with more amazing horseriding stunts as a teenage Diana in Wonder Woman 1984 last

year.

And John is the talented Springside actress’s biggest fan. If he is not accompanying her to film shoots around the world along with wife Ayley, he is talking to her via Facetime.

But he didn’t expect to catch up with an old friend last week when Lilly called him for a chat from Berlin, where she is shooting her new film, action thriller, Retribution.

Lilly is filming alongside Hollywood heart throb and action man, Liam Neeson in the German capital.

And Liam has ties with John and Springside where he trained at the village’s boxing club 31 years ago when he was making ‘The Big Man’.

Liam trained alongside Springside Boxing Club back in 1990 with head coach Johnny Mullen and local fighters including John, or Jock as most people call him.

Irvine fighter Rab Affleck was hired to advise the team on fight scenes but when director Davis Leland saw him in action, he liked him so much that he ended up taking a lead as Cutty Dawson in the hit

film that co-starred Billy Connolly.

It launched Rab’s career and he went on to star in Layer Cake alongside Daniel Craig, Dr Who and Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York.

So when Lilly announced she had landed a role as Liam Neeson’s daughter in his new thriller, Retribution, John was delighted. But he didn’t expect a Facetime call with his old boxing pal.

John said: “What a surprise, I was sitting watching TV and I got a video call from my granddaughter who is filming in Berlin.

“She passes the phone on to someone and it was a man asking how I was getting on, when I looked up, it was Liam Neeson. We spent a good 10 minutes talking about his time training for the Big Man at Springside Boxing Club.

“You know, he took time to ask after everyone he met at the club and I can say he was a true gentleman.

“I did laugh and told him it was amazing he was still doing action movies at 69.”

In Retribution Neeson plays a banking executive whose life is thrown into turmoil when a bomb is placed inside his car with himself and his family inside.

Lilly stars alongside up and coming Avatar star Jack Champion and Made for Love actress Noma Dumezweni in the thriller.

It’s being hailed as the new Speed and should be released in 2022.