IFTA-winning actress and Clontarf-native Ruth Bradley (Love/Hate, Stardust) has swapped the decks of Julian Fellowes’ ‘Titanic’ for seaport city Vancouver as she films the upcoming pilot ‘Beauty and the Beast’.
As reported on IFTN last month, Bradley has been cast as Princess Grace in the ABC pilot, starring alongside Darius Campbell of ‘Pop Idol’ fame, who will play beast Shiro.
During a break from filming, IFTN caught up with Bradley to discuss her varied career. Unlike many Hollywood actors, who take confidentiality agreements so serious they barely confirm their name, Bradley was especially apologetic as she admitted she couldn’t divulge behind-the-scenes details of ‘Beauty and the Beast’, but was more than happy to discuss her previous work.
First on the agenda was ‘Titanic’, the Julian Fellowes-penned drama currently airing on TV3 on Sunday nights. “Each episode is better than the last. The story evolves so much from the first episode to the second to the third, I loved that angle on it, because we all know about the Titanic, this is a different way to tell the story. It focuses on relationships. My character has a great story to tell. And of course Julian Fellowes is a great writer, I'd never worked with him before,” says Bradley.
Bradley auditioned for her role after falling in love with her character, Mary Maloney, who fellow cast members have dubbed as the ‘likable’ one in the four-part series.
Bradley says she wants to gain experience in as many different genres as she can; she has nailed down crime with Irish gang-land drama ‘Love/Hate’; has donned period costume in ‘Titanic’, is embarking on another fantasy adventure with ‘Beauty and the Beast’, (having previously played Emily Merchant in sci-fi fantasy ‘Primeval’). All that was left to conquer was horror, which Bradley has attempted in her first monster movie ‘Grabbers’, due for release later this year through Element Pictures.
‘Grabbers’ has been screened at Sundance Film Festival, where it was “really well received” according to Bradley. She continues: “I always want to try something new, I’m always looking for a constant challenge. In acting you can never stop learning.” With one scene where her Garda character gets “hammered” drunk playing a pivotal role in ‘Grabbers’, Bradley had to learn how to act drunk, without the aid of real alcohol, much to her disappointment.
“’Grabbers’ was a brilliant script, something I had never seen before. It's probably something you wouldn't expect, it's really uplifting even though it has monsters and drink! There's a real sense of warmth about it.” ‘Grabbers’ was filmed in Northern Ireland in late 2010 and early 2011, written by Kevin Lehane and directed by with Jon Wright.
Although currently on location in Vancouver, fans will be expecting Bradley to make a welcome return to Ireland for the season three premiere of ‘Love/Hate’. Although she played her cards very close to her chest regarding the fan-favourite Irish drama, Bradley did praise her Irish co-stars and colleagues. “Ireland is so full of talented actors and writers. For such a small country we really pack a punch. With the likes of Stuart Carolan (creator of ‘Love/Hate’), [Ireland] is so rich with talent, I’m very proud to be Irish. I love filming in Ireland. I feel very comfortable at home, travelling is a huge part of this job so it's nice to come home when I get to visit my mam and my sister.”
It has not been confirmed when ‘Love/Hate’ will return to our screens, but you can catch Ruth Bradley in ‘Titanic’, now airing on TV3 Sunday nights at 09.00pm. ‘Grabbers’ is due for release later this year, here’s a clip.
