Following a recent panel discussion organised by Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland the young Irish actor Clinton Liberty took some time to speak with Aaron Kavanagh about his career, the industry, and his upcoming film, Feed.
On the panel, you mentioned how the Irish film industry has helped you, even with international films, to get seen. Do you find now that you’re doing international work, people are aware of Ireland?
A hundred per cent. Anybody who’s seen my work and is interested in what I’ve done on an international scale – i.e. House of the Dragon – they then look back to what I’ve done before House of the Dragon, and in discovering my past body of work, you have no choice but to come across something like Normal People, Holding, or Red Election, which were all shot in Ireland, under Fís/Screen Ireland. So, when they see the work that’s been done internationally, they have no choice but to look back at the Irish roots that I come from.
For years, there was an issue that, in Ireland, only stage acting was taught to actors. For students, do you think screen acting is becoming more apparent?
Oh, absolutely. My cousin went to The Lir Academy in Trinity, where there’s a mixture of screen and theatre, so it fosters both disciplines. But, yeah, it’s becoming more available and more accessible, and it’s something I’m really proud about, and it’s becoming more representative of the current Ireland we see today. So, yeah, that’s one thing I’m really, really happy about.
Apparently, Ireland has some of the most prolific cinema-goers in all of the EU. Do you think…?
I was just in the cinema, yesterday! [Both laugh] By myself!
Do you think it’s possible for Irish film to be profitable within the Irish market, or do you think there’s a necessity to bring Irish cinema to international markets?
No, I don’t think there’s a necessity to bring Irish cinema international. I think, harking back to what I’ve said before, as long as you’re able to represent the society of Ireland the way it actually is now, which is exactly what is happening at the moment, with training being accessible to everybody… When people see themselves – because, as you know, our art is a mirror to society – so, when people see themselves reflected back to them, you have no choice but to be interested because it’s the places that you’ve grown up in, it’s the grounds that you’ve grown up in, it’s language, and the buildings, and the areas, and I think that’s why things like Holding and Normal People were such massive successes. Not just in Ireland but all over the world because there’s a funny thing with cinema: When you bring it to an authentic place as possible, it actually resonates all over the world, in a weird way. So, yeah, I think the more we represent our society in Ireland, the more the world will come to Ireland and the more we’ll be able to bring the world into our lives.
That is another interesting thing, too, is the proliferation of contemporary Ireland in cinema. For years, I think Irish cinema was always quite reflective. It looked to our history to tell stories – which are, obviously, very important stories. I’m not trying to dismiss that, of course. I think cinema is a really good time capsule and an indication of era. I think it can really build empathy and understanding of different cultures and places. What do you think is the significance of modern-day Ireland, at just capturing the zeitgeist by pointing a camera at it? What do you think people can get from that?
It’s just a plethora of different cultures that are meshed into one. Because, as you know, today’s Ireland is very different to the Ireland we know of old, and it’s amazing because of its progress. There are people from different ethnic backgrounds that are born in Ireland and are very Irish, and that’s something that’s beautiful because it’s bringing all of the world’s spices and shaking it up in Ireland. So, I think there’s that; there’s the different diversity. There’s the diversity of matter and topic that we see in the film industry. I think that’s something that’s very interesting and is a pinpoint to focus on within the film industry.
Do you think the geographic limitations of Ireland are actually kind of beneficial for that melting pot? I think of other big cities – like London or New York, for example – and people went into different boroughs, areas, and neighbourhoods, but I think in Ireland, because everything is centralised into city centres, it allows more of an ability for those from different cultures and backgrounds to actually mix and make something new and interesting.
Absolutely, Aaron. You hit the nail on the head. It’s true. We’re like a small village! We’re, like, seven degrees from anyone in the world, you know? So, your aunty might know his uncle, and his uncle might know his grandfather, and it’s a beautiful way because it allows us to, as you said, be this melting pot of talent, and what emerges is something beautiful that the world gets to witness and see. Whereas, it’s quite different in bigger cities, where it’s almost different countries within the same city or country. But Ireland is a beautiful place. We have the opportunity to be able to mix with different people with different ethnic backgrounds, as well as our grassroots Ireland in different counties. So, it’s beautiful.
Do you find that the characters that you’re portraying now are, in anyway, reflecting on you as a person? Do you find that you have a better understanding of who you are through the characters you’re playing?
That’s a beautiful question, Aaron, and I was only just talking to my mam and my sister about this the other day. Absolutely, yes. So, I played a character last year called Addam of Hull in House of the Dragon. Addam is a shipwright, he’s the sort of lowest of the low in society, and he wants to build his way up, and what I admired about this character is that he never gives up hope. No matter how destitute he is or his surroundings are, he never, ever gives up hope. And the funny thing is that, House of the Dragon being the biggest show in the world – the biggest TV franchise, ever – for me, I was in a really tough place when I booked the show.
I remember I was at my barbershop, I had no money at the time, I was in a bad relationship – I was just in the lowest of the low – but I never gave up hope, and when I officially got the job, which has fundamentally changed my life and my career, it’s also a testament of the character Addam, who… – Spoilers! Sorry for anyone who hasn’t seen season two! – …gets a dragon, and it’s sort of life imitating art, art imitating life sort of dance, and I think it’s absolutely beautiful.
Now that you have experience in the big studio system with HBO, how do you feel about Ireland’s industry, which is much more reliant on public funding? How do you find the two contrasts? Do you think there are better opportunities for, for example, culturally relevant films that aren’t reliant on making a billion dollars?
Yeah, absolutely. I think there’s an advantage and benefit to every film, small or big. A small film could send an important message; a big film could definitely send an important message. So, I don’t really think in terms of scale anymore; I think in terms of authenticity, as seen in Kneecap, that has completely taken the world by storm. So, for me, I think in terms of authenticity, and, in Ireland, there’s nothing more authentic than Irish storytellers. So, the world is our oyster.
Do you have any advice or wisdom for anyone who is trying to get into screen media in Ireland? Be that acting, screenwriting, directing, or anything else.
Yes, I would say that if you can see it for yourself, it’s possible. I don’t want to be clichéd, but never give up hope; it is definitely possible. Another thing is, go to a lot of forums, go to a lot of talks, go into a lot of meetings that you see about anything within your industry because there is where you get a better understanding of who the individuals within the industry are, and you then get people used to seeing your face and trusting your face, to trust you with a job.
That goes across the board, from being an actor, to being a first A.D., to being a director, writer, it doesn’t matter. Get your face seen at these forums and these industry meetings and then, obviously, if you want to have training, go for it, but other than that, yeah, just practice, practice, practice, work, work, work, and try and go to as many things as you can, because that’s what I did. I went to as many meetings as I possibly could, and it yielded something positive.
Thank you very much for your time. The final thing I’ll ask is, what can people expect from you in the future? What can they see you in?
Well, eh…
Well, that you’re allowed to talk about. [Laughs]
Yeah, that I’m allowed to talk about. [Laughs] Well, they can definitely see me in Feed, and Feed is a vampire horror story movie about a female vampire called the Dearg Due, who has been buried for centuries and centuries, and it follows a group of young social media influencers, as they, basically, end up in the feeding grounds of this vampire, and the film follows who is going to survive at the end of the film from this absolutely awesome monster. That’s going to be coming out this year – September, I believe – so, I’m really excited about that.
Words: Aaron Kavanagh
