Irish actor Colm Meaney has returned to home soil this week to shoot scenes for Irish-American co-production ‘The Yank’.
Meaney, who has appeared in numerous acclaimed Irish productions such as the ‘Playboy of the Western World’ in the 80s and The Barrytown Trilogy of the 90s with ‘The Commitments’, ‘The Snapper’ and ‘The Van’, is currently filming in various locations around Co Clare after flying in from the US on Monday.
The production is presently based in Miltown in Clare, with Meaney acting out scenes in the Westbridge Bar, the Cliffs of Moher and many other Clare landmarks. The Co Clare towns of Doolin and Quilty are also being used for filming.
‘The Yank’, a co-production between Dublin’s Zanzibar Films and US-based Wet Ears Productions and Rampage Entertainment, is a comedy which sees an Irish-American travel to Ireland to find love. The tale was inspired by writer/director Sean Lackey’s real-life visit to Ireland some five years ago.
Irish-American Lackey is currently shooting here with other cast members Niki Spiridakos, who plays the female lead Vanessa, Kevin Farley (The Jadagrace Show) who plays Fred Finnegan and Cody Dove (Therapy Group) who plays Stephen.
Filming initially began in Cleveland, Ohio in August, before making its way to the west of Ireland, where Clare locals have been drafted in as actors for authenticity. Filming will move to the Guinness Factory in Dublin next week.
Producers say they are “proud” to film in Ireland, with Edwina Forkin producing for Zanzibar with Allen Kellogg (7 Nights of Darkness), Spencer Jay Kim (Dreaming on Christmas) and Dave Thomas.
‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ and ‘Modern Family’ actor Fred Willard also stars in the feature as well as Nicole Forester (Jack Reacher) and Irish actress Charlotte Bradley (Titanic: Blood & Steel), who plays Meaney’s wife.
Meaney, meanwhile, can currently be seen in US drama ‘Hell on Wheels’, in which he plays railroad investor Thomas ‘Doc’ Durant in 19th century America. The series begins on RTÉ Two tonight (September 7) at 10.15pm.
‘The Yank’ is set for a spring 2013 release.
