In Conversation With Bronagh Gallagher The Arts Show


In Conversation With Bronagh Gallagher

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This programme contains some strong language and some scenes which some

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This programme contains some strong language and some scenes which some

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viewers may find upsetting. This programme contains some strong

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language and some scenes which some Ever since she lit up the cinema

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screen as Bernie, the backing singer in Alan Parker's seminal

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movie The Commitments, Bronagh Gallagher was determined, driven.

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Destined to make a life for herself on stage and on camera. The Derry

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born actress is picky about the parts she plays. She has worked

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with Hollywood A-listers like John Travolta, Glenn Close and Dustin

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Hoffman. Her remarkable career Music has been a passion since

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childhood. Well-established as a singer-songwriter, she is currently

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touring and promoting her second album. And loving the challenge of

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singing her own songs to live So what makes the down-to-earth

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girl from the Creggan estate such an enduring star? In an Art Show In

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Conversation special, we take a closer look at an amazing journey

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from Derry to Tinseltown. Broadway Hopefully, this year will be a

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great success for the reasons that it was given to the city, that it

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will leave a legacy of production. Yet any Joanna of business, that it

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shows what talent we have. That it boasts the economy in some way.

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And we had your own mum, who was my speech and drama teacher. She

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remembers you well. My parents would always try to find

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alternative things for us to do in the city. We were all more or less

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involved in arts and artistic staff. My parents would take us to the

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gallery and any shows that came to town.

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Saw this girl is Creggan born and raised, finds these like minded

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people in Derry, why not just stay there? I grew up and the Bogside,

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went to school in the Creggan, and there was a wonderful film crew

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working in the area. They made a fantastic award-winning film and I

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was babysitting at the time when the movie was being done. They were

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approved -- they were approached by a young director, who was making a

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movie, and my name was put forward. I was then offered a part in

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another film. I said I could not because I was going to the National

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Theatre, but someone spoke some sense into me. People speak about

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The Commitments as being your big break. But there was a substantial

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body of work. I was working about one year before, starting when I

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was 16, about four films, two on television, and some work for the

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BBC. Your big break his The Commitments, is that fair to say?

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My goodness, absolutely. How many opportunities to actors get?

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Working with Alan Parker, one of the world's biggest directors. How

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did that come about? We finished conditions, -- finished the

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auditions. As Alan Parker walk past, and one actress knocked a drink

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over another, then one of them hit me, and we were laughing and

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giggling. As he walked past, he saw that. We did not realise he was

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looking at us. And that was it. He told us that was the clincher. We

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just look like friends. And we still are friends. It is all about

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chemistry. CHEERING.

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I looked in the mirror and did not recognise myself. I do not know if

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I could get my dress off. There will be plenty of volunteers.

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When I -- after their audition, I was trying to get that particular

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Dublin accent. You have been missing rehearsals.

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You can see why! My mother is pregnant, my dad is in the hospital,

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I am the only one bringing money in. It is difficult, but hard having

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three backing singers when only two shore up. You are not dumping me.

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It was such an ensemble cast. And you were all starting to sing,

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MUSIC: "Destination Anywhere". It was one of the first major

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feature films to be shot in Dublin. The cast and crew, everyone was one

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and Parker is a great leader, and it was a great movie. We knew at

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the time it was special. following year, we have the

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television drama, You, Me & Marley. The character you play, she seems

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to be as wild as the rest of them. It is so talented.

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Do you think our children will be as small as us? Probably at first.

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And probably joy riding. They will not.

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It is about how education is the key. And it is what you make it

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yourself. If I went to university in England,

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although I am not going to. But if I did, would you get a job near me?

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I was always told us a child to get my education. Get that behind due.

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Because it is a freedom. If you have your exams and career behind

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your belt, you can go anywhere. you feel at 18, 19, you were trying

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to maintain links with Derry, but also being pushed further and

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further, because the opportunities for work were happening further

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away? When I look back now, I just seemed to keep going. I worked a

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lot. It was relentless. Covered a lot of ground, a huge theatre

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queues, with Theatre de Complicite. Some of my favourite work I have

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done. And international directors, the Japanese director, going all

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over the world. These huge theatre jobs. I was delighted to get work.

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I had then move to Dublin and was there a lot. What was driving you?

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Was it this year love of driving -- this year love of acting? Standing

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in front of the crowd? I was so thankful for the work. But I was

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not in the position where I could slow down. Let us move to Los

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Angeles, shall we? You are going to appear in 1994 in probably what has

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become a cult classic. Pulp Fiction. I know, it is mad.

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Deep -- do they use the same gun to peer Stuart years that is used to

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peers your nipples? That is against the problem idea. Every one of my

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peer since was done with an eagle. I arrived the night before from

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Ireland and then I was watching John Travolta up. I was pretty star

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struck. I was a fan of his movies. And he was so friendly and so nice,

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a really lovely man. Speaking about his Irish and Italian background.

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And his children. He became my friend. You are in probably one of

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the most famous movie scenes. Yes. The adrenalin needle going straight

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into her heart. How much of that was choreographed? Very

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specifically. My character was not supposed to be in that scene.

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Quentin Tarantino improved at a little, because he wanted it to be

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worth my while to be there. The rehearsal was for me to get in

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there and mess it up. He said something else, but we shall use

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that term. He said, getting there! What they were doing was so

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brilliant, I thought, if someone is that of their head, you would just

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sit there and look. That might be funnier, but I played its straight

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as a close to chaos. SHE SCREAMS. SHE COUGHS.

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Say something. Something. You spoke about being star-struck

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meeting John Travolta, but you were then in a scene with Dustin Hoffman

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in Last Chance Harvey. It is an incredible scene, ordinary dialogue,

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romantic comedy. Improvised. In the airport? Yes. We improvised it. It

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was his idea. Are you American? That is right.

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Don't you be messing her around. will not. She is not here, she has

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left for the day. You might still find her at last. I think it starts

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about lunchtime at this -- at the South Bank. Yes. Go and get her.

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You are improvising with Dustin Hoffman. Is there a moment where

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you pinch yourself? He makes you feel so welcome. He is a legend.

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There is this all consuming energy. He knows he is Dustin Hoffman and

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his charming with that. There are some people that have that

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incredible security and wealth. You can go to someone's �15 million

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house. But at the end of the day, they are just people. Is there a

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craft? Do you discuss it, speaking about how you are getting into a

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part or why you chose it? If you have the luxury or rehearsal, or

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the person is open to talking to you, not using the method, very

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much so. After Glenn Close short the C D -- after Glenn Close shot

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has seen, she came and sat down with myself and another actress.

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That was all right. It was more Did you get a call from George

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Lucas, asking to be en Star Wars? No, I rang him. I rang my agent and

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said Star Wars. I would love a part in Star Wars. It was one of those

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flukes. I thought I could be anything and it could they get a

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costume? The man who cast a Star Wars had come to see occasion Chalk

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Circle which was the first show I had done in the National Theatre

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the night before. I wept at and met them and they said what about a

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fighter pilot? I said, that is me. Whoever was supposed to play that

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part had pulled out. I remember them putting the costume on and

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they had to shrink the costume. I Captain. Tell them we wish to board

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at once. We are all due respect, the ambassadors for the Supreme

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Chancellor wish to board immediately. Yes, of course.

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does not want to be in Star Wars! It was a blast, it was hilarious.

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Instead of the past trying up, they open at and you evolve into a woman

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who is making the roles like a mother, a wife and I am thinking of

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the street. Come in at have a cup of tea. I do not want tea. You are

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not my father, mother, brother, sister. I will not come in. When

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you get the opportunity, and this opportunity came up. I had a quiet

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period before that. You get the script like that and you just go, I

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have to get his part. I have just lost the man I Love. You know what

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I mean. I do not need you and my mother running around. I was only

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trying to help you. Are you doing that for me? Yes. You have to be

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careful that you do not get too much in your own head because then

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you performance cannot come out because you are to psyched up. The

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greatest piece of advice I was given about acting was to tell a

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What? What are you doing? Let me see the scar. You bastard. How

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could he do that to me and the kids? You bastard! Telling that

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story in the flicker of the eyes. The look says it all. The script

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was so fantastic. For her to have that challenge as a character at to

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realise he has a scar and he has a scar on his tummy and that is my

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husband. He has faked his own death. The rules are there read. The roles

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and are varied. We had some harrowing scenes coming up in the

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later stuff. I am thinking of sinners, a tremendous row -- the

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role. It is based on real-life stories. Unbelievable. We can do

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without the noise, thank you. How is she doing? What is she doing

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with her feet up? They will be no screaming. If you die it will be no

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more than you deserve. I liked the reaction of that film and the

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structure it shock within the Church and expose the criminality

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of what was going on. The money that was being made. I think it was

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the first time I have heard that people really pointed the finger,

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did you know these children were being sold for huge money to people

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who could not have children? These girls were shipped off to England

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or whatever and the shame. They were out cast from their families.

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They have taken my baby. What did you tell them? That I let you want?

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No. You promised. And eight never made you. I panicked. Marriage.

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Never trust a woman who can add up faster than you. That is what my

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father used to say. As an actor, if you have an opportunity to tell

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those stories, it is a great privilege. I take that very

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seriously. These things did go on and they have never really been

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dealt with. Is that why you you would choose a role like the

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Protestant mother in Holy Cross., because you believe it is your duty

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as an actress to tell these stories to a wider audience? If you are

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given an opportunity and you know the piece of writing is coming from

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someone's research point of view and to represent people in the

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community, I have no problem with that. As long as I know what I am

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Phone the police, please. No, they will go away if we stay up here.

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They think there is nobody here. They will go away, I promise. They

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will be gone by the time the police I think she Holy Cross was such a

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horrendous experience for anybody that was involved on either side of

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it. It was so badly handled that it got into the press. It was only

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9/11 that took it away from headline news was that it was out

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of control. I wanted to understand what both communities felt like.

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Leave it! Are you OK? Give it a few more night. This is your home.

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is what you look forward to go to after work. Home is where you take

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things for granted like a night's sleep. Do you do much research? How

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do you go into a -- another mindset? I went up and met them. I

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think it was the community centre and I spoke to people there. What

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did they say to you? They felt misrepresented and they were not

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lead in a political way. They did not have representation or a

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spokesperson. Again, it is tribal. Look what you have done to her! She

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is just 10 years old. Does she look Pool are you? Represent yourself.

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You are bowling along with a hugely successful music career. Music is

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Eight years ago, I released my first album. I to the small band

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out on the road and learned a lot about the rock and roll world. It

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was hard going. If I had a wonderful reaction to the album.

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Then, I decided a couple of years ago I wanted to do it again. I

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wrote 10 more songs and got my dream band together and made it and

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Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

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Do I get the feeling now that you are taking acting parts now but the

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passion is the music? I do both and I love it. Again, the theatre is

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also a huge passion and I have worked a lot in the theatre. A lot

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of people would not know the work I have done. It is live performance

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and interaction with the audience. With a film, it is very technical

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but it is great as well. Looking back, you have built an impressive

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career, couriers. They must have been sacrifices? Have there been

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any regrets about what you could have done? No. I really believe

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that everything happens for a reason. One door closes, perhaps

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opportunities you would have liked to have done and then it does not

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happen. Then you really are getting. But it reminds you there is no

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sense of entitlement. Humility is a great thing. I also realise that

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something came in their and that was meant to happen. Were you

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annoyed at losing out on War Horse after you played a role in the

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theatre was Mark it was an incredible experience. We took the

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show from the National and it has been running in the West End for a

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number of years. It was an amazing couple of years. It was hard graft.

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I do not at all regret any cinematic loss. I do not feel any

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connection to that at all. I know the people who had seen the play

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will have it in their hearts forever. A lot of the time it does

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not work on film. Spielberg sent a message to me and said they had

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seen the videos. They said I looked too young. I was delighted! We are

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very lucky to do what we do. I constantly remind myself of that.

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In our game, there is such huge unemployment. A lot of people break

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the hat and the same for music. What is really cool to me at what

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really is sexy is people who keep going. You do not sit in a back

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crying into your pint and saying I could have done that. Just keep

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going. If you have a will and an ability and stuff to do, do your

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