Approach to Acting with John Lynch | The Irish Film & Television Network

Northern Irish actor John Lynch has barely stopped acting since receiving a BAFTA nomination for his haunting performance in the 1983 Irish film ‘Cal’. Since then, he has built on his early success appearing in many Irish films including ‘In The Name of the Father’, ‘Lassie’, ‘Best’ and ‘Some Mother’s Son’. He has also starred in international projects such as ‘Sliding Doors’, alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, and ‘The Secret Garden’ with Maggie Smith.

Kicking off our interview, IFTN asked about the actor’s lesson plan for his forthcoming Masterclass, and it becomes evident he’s done a lot of research! “I’ve been reading a couple of books,” he says, “and I’ve been looking at Sanford Meisner especially, because he really believed in acting from the heart. That sums me up in a way because I operate very instinctively.”

So, can instinctive acting be taught or is it something that one is born with? “I think it is particular to each individual but I still think it’s useful for young actors to hear that we, as artists, don’t have to be precious or absolute about what our job description is. When I started out I felt that writers were another entity entirely - we had our job and they had their job. And that’s broken up a lot. I’m going to try my best to encourage anyone who’s there to write, to experiment with drama and to experiment with language. I think it’s a useful way to come at it.”

This comes as a direct result of John’s own branching out - in recent years he has turned his hand to writing and his debut novel, ‘Torn Water’ (2005), will soon be followed by ‘Falling Out Of Heaven’. Has this second career changed his approach to acting? “I’m far more patient with writers now,” comes the response. “I realise now how much effort is involved with getting a project off the ground. I think it’s a universal thing – everybody starts to look around themselves as they get older and I’m seeing that people spend a year getting a film together and two years working on a script – so much goes on before the actor gets involved. With writing you become a lot more three dimensional in how you approach the experience of filmmaking – you see everything from several points of view.”

Thus, as part of his Acting Masterclass, John will read an excerpt from his latest novel ‘Falling Out of Heaven’ and spend some time on examining the relationship between writing and acting, two professions which are inextricably linked. “It sounds a bit like a priest in a pulpit, I know,” he reacts quickly when this approach is discussed, “but I thought I could read a passage from the book, explain how I came to start writing and take the class from there. I thought it might be useful to elucidate how it is possible for actors to really spread themselves. Also, all good actors have to be able to take language apart so I’ll be encouraging all actors to look beyond acting which will help them enormously.“

John Lynch is a busy man. He is currently shooting ‘Ghost’ in London with director Craig Viveiros (Vengeance). The thriller is described by Lynch as “a very grim prison drama,” and the actor plays Jack, a man in prison for murder who decides to protect a young new convict. A mystery surrounds the young man that unravels as the film goes on.

Lynch says he chooses parts that interest him. “Jack, who I’m playing at the moment has huge problems with violence – rage issues,” he starts, “but the more interesting qualities of human behaviour seem to be in the extreme. Where the buses don’t run, if you will. I’ve played a lot of them because they fascinate me.”

‘Ghost’ will shoot for another two weeks before John flies to Morocco for an otherworldly role. He is taking a break from playing dark characters to play a altogether more heavenly part: “The BBC are making a huge religious drama, like they did with the Passion, that will run across Christmas week,” he tells us, “and I’ve been asked to play the angel Gabriel. And while he’s not exactly a comic figure he is serene and the bringer of good news. So that’s something!”

IFTN wraps up the interview asking the actor his opinion on the state the acting world finds itself in today – is it easier for Irish actors starting out nowadays or harder than it was for John and his associates? A pause comes before a careful response. “I think it’s weird, it’s changed a lot. It was a lot purer when I started. It seems a lot of people want to act now to be famous as opposed to when I started, and people just wanted to act to act. To do something.” Another pause, before divine inspiration comes in the form of a suitable simile, “a lot more people from a lot more places are acting. What I mean is, actors are coming from lots of different disciplines now. Take, for instance, Man United. Football players like Cantona are now trying their hand at acting – there’s a lot of that going on, people giving acting a go. I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old man but there are still people out there, who I work with, who are ‘real actors’ and you know them when you come across them.”

That said, would he ever consider making a film with the Frenchman? “Eric Cantona? I’d love to! How amazing would that be?!”

John Lynch’s Acting Masterclass will take place in Belfast’s QFT on Saturday, April 24th at 5pm. For more information and for booking enquiries visit www.belfastfilmfestival.org

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