Q: Carlyle has worked with Ken Loach and Michael Winterbottom in the past, do you think he was attracted to this film in the same way as he was with those earlier pictures?
Carlyle responds to that stuff, I mean you constantly hear him talking about honesty and truth, he thought there was an honesty and truth in the writing of ‘The Mighty Celt’.
Q: Tyrone McKenna, who plays Donal, was an unknown…this being his first film, did you use any techniques to direct him?
I’ve done this in ‘Pulling Moves too, but I am always attracted to people who are the real deal as opposed to the stage school or working actors. My touch would be understating it, I’d say ‘don’t be showing us too much to believe it’.
Q: How important was it for you to tell the story in the way you did; would you have been able to do a traditional Hollywood happy ending?
It was never that type of film, I think I can go between writing a commercial film and writing a personal film, essentially it’s what story you want to tell.
Q: Would you be attracted to making that kind of film, where everything is all sewn up?
I don’t really think its that happy a story in the Celt. What would have been “happy” is that if Celt and Tyrone went on to win the Greyhound Derby, but as you know what happens in the film, it’s not that. But at the end of the day there is always a sensibility that we are making films that people have to go and watch, I don’t want to make something that is going to put people off.
Q: What has been the reaction from audiences both at home and Internationally?
Internationally, I think people are very interested in the film. One of the savvy choices too was bringing in the likes of Gillian Anderson and casting her in this role because audiences respond to her.
At home, so far so good. The reviews from the press screenings have been good but, to be honest with you, I never think things are going especially good after premieres and you never know what to think. But so far, it has been good. People have enjoyed the film.
Q: Your next writing project is the horror feature ‘Shrooms’ to be directed by Paddy Breathnach, can you tell us a bit about that?
I think we’ve got something there. We think if the film is realised and if it goes well, it could be a film that plays anywhere. It will be a film that we’re hoping will be big in America and big internationally.
Q: ‘Shrooms’ is a horror, do you find it easy to cross genres like that, from comedy with ‘Man About Dog’ to drama in ‘The Mighty Celt’ and now to horror?
I think it’s very important to do that. I don’t want to get type cast as somebody who only writes Irish stories. ‘Shroooms’ is set in Ireland but it’s an all American cast and, in the famous horror tradition, it has a non-linear filmmaking style to it too, so that’s another new thing that has come to the fore.
Q: And finally, what advice would you offer somebody who has watched you rise through the ranks?
The main thing would be never to lose heart. To be true to yourself, no matter what just keep writing. This whole game is about people saying no so don’t be so hurt if they do. Just be relentless and don’t give up, ever.
‘The Mighty Celt’ is released across Ireland from the 26th of August 2005, presented by BBC Films, a Treasure Entertainment Production in association with the Irish Film Board and the NIFTC and distributed by Eclipse Pictures.
By Tanya Warren
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