IFTA-winning actress Ruth McCabe has been cast alongside Judi Dench and Steve Coogan in Stephen Frears’ upcoming feature ‘Philomena’, IFTN can exclusively reveal.
The veteran actress is the first Irish cast member confirmed for the feature, which will begin production in Northern Ireland on November 14.
McCabe will play a Catholic nun called Mother Barbara, who works in the unmarried residency which persuades Dench’s character to give up her baby boy for adoption.
The Baby Cow production is based on the true story of Irish woman Philomena Lee (Dench) who went in search of her adopted son after 50 years with the help of English journalist Martin Sixsmith (played by Coogan).
McCabe’s character however, is based on a fictional nun from the script written by Coogan and Jeff Pope.
As exclusively revealed on IFTN last month, filming will take place just outside Belfast for over three days, before the production moves to London. Filming is currently underway in Washington.
McCabe will shoot her scenes both in Northern Ireland and England.
Her previous roles include Samson Films’ ‘Run and Jump’, which is currently in post-production; and Chris O’Dowd’s ‘Moone Boy’, also a Baby Cow production.
She won an IFTA Award in 2003 for her role in ‘Any Time Now’, and again in 2011 for ‘Single-Handed’.
‘The Van’ and ‘The Snapper’ helmer Frears will shoot ‘Philomena’ in the Northern Ireland countryside from November 14-16. The production is expected to wrap in London on January 7.
