Best Supporting Actor IFTA winner Gary Lydon talks to IFTN on his role in ‘The Clinic’, his early theatre training, and how it felt to win the award.
Gary Lydon picked up the Best Supporting Actor IFTA in 2007 and 2005 for his role as counselor Patrick Murray in RTE drama ‘The Clinic’. The London-born actor, who received his early training in the Wexford Theatre Co-op, has played major roles in many TV drama series including 'Pure Mule', ‘Belfry’, ‘Amongst Women’ and ‘On Home Ground’.
His movie roles include Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s ‘Ordinary Decent Criminal’ and ‘Nothing Personal’, Deborah Warner’s ‘The Last September’, the Irish zombie pic ‘Boy Eats Girl’ and Niall Heery’s award-winning ‘Small Engine Repair’, which saw him act alongside Iain Glen (Tara Road, Resident Evil) and Steven Mackintosh (The Jacket, Underworld: Evolution).
IFTN: What have you been up to since your IFTA win in January?
Gary Lydon: I filmed the fifth series of ‘The Clinic’, that finished at the end of July. In the fifth series, for my character Patrick it’s kind of a culmination of the last five years. Not to say that the character is finished or anything – it’s just explained a bit as to why the character is the way he is.
You missed picking up your award the first time you won in 2005, how did it feel this year picking up your award?
To be honest I was really nervous. I didn’t realise that category was coming up so quickly, I thought it might be further down the bill, so I was a bit unprepared for it! I had an idea of what I was going to say if I won, but I thought I’d be able to work on it during the ceremony, but it was the third or fourth award so I was a bit caught on the hop! It’s a bit different when you’re just acting at least you have a character to hide behind.
I was really nervous, I didn’t say what I meant to say but I was saying to Liam Cunningham, I met him shortly afterwards, that it is a great honour to be recognised by your peers, it’s the ultimate honour that your fellow professionals think that your good, it really is.
Do you think winning the IFTA helped raise your profile as an actor in the industry?
Possibly, yes, within Ireland. I think it’s good as well to have a celebration at the end, because Irish film and television is kind of coming on a lot. I’ve been involved in quite a few good programmes, like ‘Pure Mule’, and it’s good to have been there, when the independent sectors were getting going.
‘The Clinic’ also won Best Series this year. Was the awards night a big one for the cast and crew?
It was, there was a few of us there, Gemma Craven was also nominated and Leah Arnold was nominated. It is quite like work as well in a way though because it’s a TV show and you have to kind of perform in a way, if you win you’re part of the show, so you have to be on the ball! You want to relax as well and chill out with your friends who you’ve been working with for years too. It’s a double-edged thing.
It is great to have that evening, and it’s great for me to be able to vote for people as well, to say ‘I think you’re good’.
As a member of the Academy, do you think it is important that the winners are voted for by their peers?
I think it is yes, it is more meaningful. It’s like football players picking their favourite player – you’re the player’s player kind of thing, the other actors think you’re okay.
Awards are great, but this X-Factor culture, it’s not good to be thinking too much about who’s the best, because everyone is good.
You were in ‘Small Engine Repair’ earlier this year, how did you find working with Iain Glen and Steven Mackintosh?
They were great, it was a really good film and it was really well produced.
Is film something you would like to get into more?
It is, yes definitely. And theatre as well, I started out in theatre with Billy Roche in Wexford.
Was that where you learned you craft?
Yes, it was professional theatre, we went to London and played in the Royal Court in London.
What attracted you to the role of Patrick in ‘The Clinic’?
It was a very interesting role to get into. It’s a very interesting acting discipline to do those scenes, when you’re being a counsellor it’s kind of minimalist, and there’s a few things going on. There are Patrick’s own issues, but he has to be seen to be a professional counsellor, so he kind of lets out the little things about himself - you have to show that on screen, but not show it to the client. It’s quite an interesting acting challenge.
Would you do any research for the different subject matter that you’re dealing with?
I would’ve done a bit of research, a couple of counselling sessions and studied a couple of books on it.
Do you use any particular method of acting to get into character?
Gary Lydon |
For ‘The Clinic’, generally you just do your homework and you know the night before what you want to do, you have to have that in the back of your mind. There’s no time, it’s a very tight schedule, it’s really tight, so after a while you realise that you’ve got to do your homework and be totally prepared. It’s like doing anything, and more so on that, because you come in, you read your lines a couple of times, you go off and ten minutes later your back in and your shooting. It’s not like on a film where you’d be waiting for an hour and a half to do your scene.
In terms of ‘The Clinic’, you have to be able to have the craic as well because we’ve known them for years and there’s a great cast and crew, but when it says turnover you’re there and ready.
Is there a good atmosphere on ‘The Clinic’ set? Are you like a little family now?
It is, it’s completely like that! It’s all the lads back again! But they’re great, they’re fantastic. Like Cedric Culliton for example, who does the camera, he’s been doing that for five years, and Joe, his gaffer, and his two sons work on the camera, it kind of varies. They’re unbelievable, just top notch, and they have to be there for every scene. When you come in, just for your bit, they’re still having the craic with you but they’re still doing fantastic work for every scene. Hats off to them, really.
What kind of directorial style do you prefer?
The best directors are the ones who know what to say at the right time, it’s like being a football manager, you have to say the right thing. Also someone who’s not too hands on either.
Can you see yourself remaining based in Ireland, or would you like to go overseas for work?
I would love to go overseas, but I have two young kids here, and you get to the stage where you think you have to settle somewhere. I think when they get a bit older, I have an agent in London, it would be better if I was on the scene. So I’m hoping to go to London in the near future and spend some time there.
What other projects have you got in the pipeline?
I am hoping to do a film project next year and I am itching to get back on stage.
What advice would you give to young Irish actors starting out in the business?
Besides forget about it?![laughs] Just kind of be true to yourself, and realise that you have to work hard, extremely hard, to be top notch, and that’s what you should be focusing on instead of trying to achieve some kind of fame. That you do quality writing first, you should focus on that as opposed to ‘I want to be famous’, this empty thing.
Gary Lydon – Selected Credits
The Clinic (TV, 2003-2007)
Small Engine Repair (2006)
Pure Mule (TV, 2005)
Six Shooter (2005)
Sinners (TV, 2002)
Fergus’s Wedding (TV, 2002)
On Home Ground (TV, 2001)
Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000)
Shergar (1999)
The Informant (1997)
Nothing Personal (1995)
How High the Moon (TV, 1994)
