IFTN spoke with IFTA nominated actress Sarah Carroll to find out more about her role in banking drama ‘The Limit Of’, which released in cinemas nationwide last week.
While taking a break from acting, Sarah was approached by Irish filmmaker Alan Mulligan with whom she had worked before on his short-film ‘Trust’. Upon agreeing to star in ‘The Limit Of’, Sarah went into several months’ preparation for the project alongside Irish actor Laurence O’Fuarain.
‘The Limit Of’ follows the story of James Allen (O’Fuarain): a successful, controlling, thirty-something banker living alone and working in Dublin city at the tail-end of the recession. When a family tragedy occurs at the hands of his employer he decides to take action which forces him to face a terrible childhood secret. Meanwhile, his mysterious co-worker Alison (Carroll) has her own agenda, which puts her on a collision course with James, triggering a dark spiral of deceit, revenge, and murder.
Sarah was nominated for an IFTA award for Best Supporting Actress in 2018 for her performance in the film.
IFTN journalist Nathan Griffin caught up with Sarah after the nationwide release of ‘The Limit Of’ on April 5th.
IFTN Interview with Sarah Carroll – The Limit Of
IFTN: How exciting is it to finally see ‘The Limit Of’ out in cinemas?
Sarah: “It’s been a long journey to this point so it’s fantastic to see the film hitting cinemas at last. The input from everyone has been incredible, but really it’s been Alan Mulligan's determination and drive for this film that’s kept it moving in the right direction. It’s a triumph to get an Independent movie to this point.”
IFTN: How did you first get involved in the project?
Sarah: “I had shot a short film with Alan a few years previously so when he began writing this project, luckily he had me in mind for the role. He approached me at a time when I was taking a break from acting to grow my family, but knowing him and his aspirations for this film was enough to lure me back in.”
IFTN: Did you feel the shorthand you previously developed working with Alan help in the preparation and production stages of this film?
Sarah: “Yeah for sure. Alan and I had a good working relationship from our previous project so that familiarity made it really easy for us this time around. We understood each other's process and above all trusted each other with it.”
IFTN: How did you approach the role of Alison?
“Throughout the writing process, Alan and I would meet for coffee and chat about Alison and the script as it developed. After a number of meetings, I think Alan began to worry I wasn’t ‘getting’ Alison as a character, but I showed up the following week armed with my notepad packed with scribblings and ideas I’d been putting in there for weeks. I had developed Alison’s back story and motivation for her decisions and Alan was thrilled with the direction I had taken her. The trust was restored!”
IFTN: Your performance saw you nominated for an IFTA, how was that experience?
Sarah: “It was pretty incredible, to be honest. I hadn’t even considered I could be nominated so it came as a total surprise when my best friend called me up to congratulate me. When I looked at the list of nominees it was surreal to see myself listed next to three instantly recognisable names in the business.”
‘The Limit Of’ released in cinemas nationwide on Friday, 5th April.