Tony Kelly’s new comedy feature film The Hurler is currently doing the rounds in cinemas nationwide. I play the character of Allan, a keen hurler who just so happens to be on Ireland’s worst hurling team. I had a blast shooting this in and around Waterford last year. It’s produced by Lovely Hurling Productions and Dicemen Productions.
When Ireland’s most notorious hurling star becomes the first player in history to fail a test for performance enhancing drugs he agrees to some charity work in order to rebuild his shattered reputation, coaching Ireland’s worst team.
The cast includes Tony Kelly, Elva Trill, Jon Kenny, David McSavage, Sophie Vavasseur, Karl Spain, Stephen Ryan, Shane O’Keeffe, Michael Power, Eddie Jackson & Marty Morrissey. Yes, that Marty Morrissey.
Locus Of Control is probably my favourite thing I’ve ever worked on. In terms of actorly ambitions, getting to play the lead in a feature is pure bucket list stuff and something I was so grateful to tick off. It was cool as shit to get to work on such a quality feature film and Sean Clancy has made something really weird, funny and unique. If horror movies about being on the dole ever become a thing, then this one is on the vanguard. First Dublin screening is next week on March 7th as part of the Silk Road Film Festival in Filmbase and it would be great to get a crowd in. You can all meet my cycling stunt double. Check out the very cool new trailer for the movie below.
Locus Of Control is the debut feature film from writer/director Sean Clancy. We shot it last September/October around Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal. I was very lucky to get the role of Andrew Egan in the film and if I get hit by a bus in the morning, getting to play the lead in a feature film is one big tick on my bucket list.
It has been synopsised thus:
Stuck repeating the same pattern of mistakes again and again, Andrew Egan reluctantly accepts a teaching job to support his floundering, stand-up comedy career. As an increasingly anxious Andrew grows accustomed to the droll institution and its occupants he suspects that one of the students may be his downfall and that the previous teacher may not have left of his own accord. His life slowly unraveling, Andrew’s lessons fall on deaf ears and he soon becomes part of a larger cosmic joke.
I described it as ‘The Shining’ on a Jobbridge scheme which was a joke but it is also a joke with an element of truth in it. Anyway, it’s about time there was an Irish movie that could be described as a ‘dole horror’ and this film definitely does that. It was a pleasure to work on and with such a brilliant cast, some of whom I’ve worked with before like Gus McDonagh, Peter McGann, John Doran, Ed Murphy, Aoife Spratt and Stephen Colfer and some I hadn’t worked with before like Seamus O’Rourke, Ciaran McCauley, Margaret Kilcoyne, Ciara Manning, Anthony Brennan and Pamela Devanney.
It’s a very funny, very dark, very odd film and an altogether accurate representation of being on the dole. It’s going to do great things for Sean and I can only hope to ride his coattails for years to come.
You can take a look at the trailer for the film right here.
Locus Of Control has its premiere on Wednesday October 12th at 6.30pm as part of this years Indie Cork film festival and we’ll be making a trip down to see it. If you want to see it, you can get some tickets right here.
