The skanner., July 30, 2014, Page 7, Image 7

Arts & Entertainment
It’s Gleeson
Season!
latest out as Father James
Lavelle in Calvary, a mod-
ern morality play written
and directed by John
Michael McDonagh.
C ELEBRITY
I NTERVIEW
by Kam
Williams
Kam Williams: Hi Bren-
dan, thanks for the
interview.
Brendan Gleeson: Not at
all, Kam. How are you?
KW: Fine, thanks. I’ll be
mixing in questions from
fans with my own.
Editor/Legist
Patricia
Turnier says: I have visited
the South of Ireland and
loved it, including the capi-
tal, Dublin. What does it
mean to you to advocate
for the Irish language, Gael-
ic?
BG: Yeah, people often
ask, why are you interested
in the Irish language when
it’s dying? If your momma’s
dying you wouldn’t want
her to die alone. So, I think
the Irish language is a great
gift, and it’s still hanging in
there, if people want it. It’s a
Brendan Gleeson (left) as Father James lavelle in
Calvary
tain, Kingdom Of Heaven,
Breakfast On Pluto, Troy,
Black Irish, The Tiger’s
Tail, Beowulf, Mission:
Impossible 2, Tailor Of
Panama, Country Of My
connection to a long, rich,
deep culture. There’s 2,000
years of it. And when it’s
lost, it’ll be gone for good.
Those doors are not going to
be open anymore. I value it,
One of the achievements of
this film is to make clear that
child abuse is a life sentence
Skull, 28 Days Later, Gangs
Of New York and several
installments of the Harry
Potter franchise. In just the
last year, he’s appeared in
Edge Of Tomorrow, The
Grand Seduction, and The
Smurfs 2.
Here, he talks about his
and it’s up to everybody to
wise up about it. It’s not
something I necessarily
want to revive as the spoken
first language of the coun-
try. I just think it’s fantastic,
and a great cultural gift to
have.
PHOTO COURTESY ASHLAND SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
D
ublin-born Brendan
Gleeson is a former
teacher who left the
profession to pursue a
career in acting, his first
love. His rise to
fame
began
when
he
appeared
in
Jim Sheridan’s
The Field, fol-
lowed by a
number
of
small roles in
such films as
Far And Away
and Into The
West.
He landed his first starring
role in I Went Down, which
was followed by an
acclaimed outing in The
General. But it was his role
as Hamish in Braveheart
that brought him to the
attention of Hollywood.
In 2009 Brendan was
nominated for Golden
Globe and BAFTA awards
for his work in Martin
McDonagh’s In Bruges
opposite Colin Farrell and
Ralph Fiennes. That same
year, he won an Emmy
Award for his portrayal of
Winston Churchill in the
HBO movie “Into the
Storm.”
His screen credits also
include Perrier’s Bounty,
Green Zone, The Guard,
Safe House, Albert Nobbs,
The Village, Cold Moun-
‘Comedy of Errors’ at Ashland
The Ashland Shakespeare Festival’s production of the Bard’s ‘Comedy of Errors’ is set during the
Harlem Renaissance. The classic story of two sets of twin brothers – each of whom have no idea he
is a twin – who then suddenly find themselves in the same town is considered one of
Shakespeare’s most hilarious comedies. The show stars Rodney Gardiner and Tobie windham, with
Omoze Idehendre and Monique Robinson. The must-see show runs through Nov. 2, at the Thomas
Theatre. Find ticket information at www.osfashland.org.
KW: Patricia also asks:
What message do you want
people to take away from
the movie?
BG: I don’t know. I think
everybody has their own
relationship
with
this
movie, which is the triumph
of it, really. Different ele-
ments of it access different
people in different ways.
From my point of view, I
would hope there’s a sense
that the struggle is being
carried on to maintain some
life in the world in whatever
way that manifests itself,
whether religiously, spiritu-
ally,
or
just
philanthropically, and that
people are worth it in the
end. But I don’t know.
There’s an awful lot of pain.
One of the achievements of
this film is to make clear
that child abuse is a life sen-
tence. That it’s not
something you can just get
over and forget after receiv-
ing an apology.
BG: As somebody who
believes the best, in spite of
all the evidence. [Laughs
heartily] I just came up with
that one. He’s someone
who’s committed to opti-
mism, despite all evidence
to the contrary. He insists on
it. And I think people need
to know that that kind of
struggle, and that kind of
beauty, and that kind of
optimism is possible in the
world, because we’ve got a
lot of cynicism confronting
us everyday making it easy
to feel that there’s nothing
worth believing in.
KW:
Environmental
activist Grace Sinden says:
Brendan, you have coura-
geously
tackled
a
controversial subject in Cal-
vary. Are you concerned
about any political blow-
back you might receive
from the Catholic Church as
a consequence?
BG: No, not at all.
KW: Editor Lisa Loving
says: This movie looks
incredibly heavy. Irish peo-
ple have suffered a lot
throughout world history,
have had front row seats to a
lot of other peoples’ suffer-
ing – like the Irish mariners
ensnared in the Trans
Atlantic Slave Trade – not
to mention the Potato
Famine, the Troubles, and
the discrimination against
Irish immigrants in the
United States in the 19th
and part of the 20th Centu-
ry. There were also the
horrible atrocities commit-
ted by Roman Catholic nuns
who ran the “homes” for
unwed mothers and the
orphanages in Ireland, and
the Church’s sex abuse
silence. Do you feel that the
Irish suffering serves as a
symbol of a universal aspect
See GLEESON
on page 11
KW: What was the differ-
ence in being directed by
John Michael McDonagh,
whom you also worked with
in The Guard, as opposed to
being directed by his broth-
er, Martin, who directed you
in In Bruges?
BG: Not a whole lot, to be
quite honest. They’re both
very calm, very assured,
very prepared, and very cin-
ematic in their thinking.
They’re also very actor-
friendly and collaborative.
So, I love working with
either of them, frankly.
That’s not to say that they’re
simply two sides of the
same coin. While they have
similarities in their working
style, their worlds are very
different.
KW: Patricia also asks:
How would you describe
your character in Calvary,
Father James Lavelle?
July 30, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 7