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Tadhg Murphy talks Theatre, Television, Future Film work and the upcoming ‘Ballyturk’, ‘Guerilla’ & ‘Will’
2017-01-20 9:45:00 : Katie McNeice
Tadhg Murphy, 'Black Sails'
The Irish actor steps in from freezing weather in Berlin to take our call, having shot outdoor scenes earlier in the day, adding to a growing portfolio of theatre, television and film projects under his wing.

He tells us he is has dashed from his German base to Ireland, Wales and London in the last number of months, keeping up with friends and juggling the shooting of Sky Atlantic’s ‘Guerilla’ with TNT Shakespearean drama ‘Will’.

The ‘Vikings’ and ‘Black Sails’ actor can’t help but flush with enthusiasm for his upcoming performance in Enda Walsh’s ‘Ballyturk’ in The Abbey Theatre next March.

He also describes his work inside the different worlds of Oscar-winning John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) and Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth: The Dark Age) as well as the lessons which have shaped him as an actor.

IFTN: Guerilla and Will–what’s the timeline been on each of those and was there any crossover between the two?

I was working on both of those at the same time. ‘Will’ is actually still filming at the moment but I finished up on ‘Guerilla’ maybe a month and a half or two months ago. I was actually going between Ireland, Wales, Berlin and London because of where those projects were shooting. It was a busy time on both shows. I got to work with some really great directors  

Shekhar Kapur on ‘Will’ and John Ridley on ‘Guerilla’. They are two brilliant directors and and both brilliant in their own way.

The tone of both shows is totally different. I play a writer in ‘Will’–he’s one of Shakespeare’s rivals and he’s got an inflated sense of self, so he’s a good craic kind of character to play, whereas In ‘Guerilla’ I play a Northern-Irish gun runner who is supplying arms.

IFTN: They sound like they couldn’t be more different

The guy from ‘Will’ my hair is really curly and really tight whereas I’ve a long seventies-type job in ‘Guerilla’. Both had really good people, nice casts and nice scripts and it was a great experience. I’m ready to get back into theatre with the new play now and hopefully get back into more film and TV. There are a few things in the pipeline.

IFTN: On 'Guerilla', it’s going to Sky Atlantic which is huge in and of itself, but what was it like working with Writer/Director John Ridley considering he’s got the Oscar under his belt for ‘12 Years a Slave’? Can you describe your experience of the script?

This is a guy who’s very specific with his shots–very specific. He wants it exactly as he sees it in his head. He’s quite a stickler for the picture, which I love. In terms of the writing he was so generous about changing lines and you could talk to him about absolutely everything. He’s a really open guy and is all about the collaborative work between everyone.

He wasn’t like a fascistic kind of deal when we got in there. He’s very open, kind and everything was done with good humour but when the moment comes he’s very intense, you just want to nail it and get it right, and he does have a very specific idea of what picture he wants.

IFTN: On ‘Will’ then, you’ve already said it is so different but it also seems to be such a different take on Shakespeare. You’ve got a background in theatre yourself, but how do you feel film audiences are going to react to it?

I have no idea! [laughs] That is one thing I’ve learned is that you have no clue how people are going to respond. I’ve only seen the trailer for Will and obviously know everyone in the cast and have hung out with them quite a lot. They are such a good bunch of people. It’s been such a pleasure to work on that show and I hope that translates to audiences because it really is good fun, it’s very colourful and there’s a lot of stuff going on alongside some great performances.

IFTN: You’ve got so much stuff under your belt including ‘Vikings’ at home and have wanted to be an actor since your early teens. What are the key lessons or key training you’ve picked up–anything which stands out that helped you get into these bigger roles as you got older?

I have had a couple of mentors for want of a better word. Actors which are older than me and which I would have admired, I would have gone and watched them. I was fortunate enough to have met some of them. A lot of them are still in my life and I can call them to bounce ideas off them. Essentially watching them work and getting the opportunity to talk to people like John Cavanagh–people whose careers I wanted to emulate. I got a lot of inspiration and a lot of information out of people like John.

For me that was always the best training, subjecting yourself to these people and then getting to work with them, getting out there doing the work yourself and learning as you go. It’s all a learning process isn’t it? The whole thing just changes all the time so of the important things is being able to change and adapt in character and in working in different ways. I think that’s really important. Everything should also be collaborative

IFTN: You’ve got an IFTA nomination under your belt for ‘Boy Eats Girl’ and we’ve mentioned TV and theatre. Do you have any other plans to return to film as well?

I do, definitely. I think it’s started for me in the last two years that I’ve done more and more film and TV so I’d like to stay in that medium for a while as I’m really enjoying it. Having said that, I love theatre. The ideal thing for me is to do a play, a show and a movie all in a year but I guess that’s everyone’s ideal!

‘Ballyturk’ written and directed by Enda Murphy runs in the Abbey Theatre from March 3rd-11th. Murphy stars alongside  IFTA-nominated ‘Survivalist’ actress Olwen Fouéré (Beast) and Mikel Murfi (Jimmy’s Hall).  

Book Tickets to 'BallyTurk' from The Abbey Theatre





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