INTERVIEW OF THE MONTH – GERARD BYRNE (CLASS OF 1987)

Friday, December 5th, 2014 at 4:07 pm | News & Events

Gerard Byrne graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting in 1987. He is currently starring in ‘TicTac’ at the Theatre Upstairs, written by GSA Grad Thomas Beatty (Class of 2014) & directed by Marnie McCleane Fay (Class of 2013). He recently appeared in Brendan Behan’s Borstal Boy to be directed by Conall Morrison at the Gaiety Theatre. He is a very experienced actor having worked in both stage and on screen for many years appearing in several productions at the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s National Theatre, including Blinded by the Light, Frauds, Strange Occurrence on Ireland’s Eye, Observe the Sons of Ulster marching towards the Somme, Macbeth, Tarry Flynn, The Shaughran, Arrah-Na-Pogue and The Picture of Dorian Gray. For a number of years he played the role of “Malachy” in the RTE series Fair City.

1. Did you always want to work in the film/acting business?

Yes, for as long as I can remember. I have no idea where it came from, because there is absolutely no theatre or acting history in my family. It was a desire though, that I didn’t think I would realise. I remember mentioning it to my career guidance teacher, who reacted as though I had just confessed to murdering my whole family! She didn’t know what to do with it and in fairness, there weren’t the training options that exist today. So thereafter, for the most part, I kept it to myself because it didn’t seem realistic, or even make sense! I never acted in school and even at college, I hovered around the Dram Soc desk, but was too…eh, insecure I guess, to join! I entered my 20s, pursuing other career options, and despite my burning desire to act, assumed I would never become an actor.

2. How did you start off in the business?

As one can probably deduce from the first question, I was a late starter. I was planning to emigrate to Germany. I have a degree in German, and had already lived and had lots of friends there. I loved it and it was going to become my home. Then, my father had a severe stroke, which delayed my departure. Around this time, I saw an ad in the paper for the Brendan Smith Theatre Academy, which I’d never heard of, but I did know that he was the brains behind the Dublin Theatre Festival. I was working for a shipping company by day, but this was an evening course. I finally decided to bite the bullet and join. I was 24. I remember being, on the very first evening, absolutely terrified, but also exhilarated and somehow even….liberated! I LOVED it! I had never in my life stood on a stage, but this definitely felt like…HOME. During my time there, I was asked to join a fringe company, founded by ex-students of the academy and this helped give me the belief, that I might have some sort of acting ability! Anyway, I completed the two year course by 1986 – the year Joe Dowling decided to found the Gaiety School of Acting – The National Theatre School of Ireland.

It would begin as a far more humble affair than it is now (a one term course, with just one main teacher – Joe himself – and a few guest speakers). But, it was the inaugural course and there was a lot, A LOT, of hype about it in the press. I knew that hundreds would apply and so I applied with absolutely no expectation of being accepted, but purely because I had not yet experienced an actual audition and felt that, that was a hurdle I needed to jump. But….I was offered a place! So, without the slightest hesitation, I left my day job, because, even though deep down I’d know it all along, now it was clear as day to me that I was finally on the road to becoming a professional actor. I got lucky. While still at the Gaiety School, I had the chance to audition for the Passion Machine Theatre Company, which was one of the best and most well known companies at the time. The play, THE BIRDTABLE, was written and would be directed by the then unknown Brendan Gleeson. I guess he liked me, because I got the part and there followed a long association with the company. It was working with Passion Machine that put me, and indeed Brendan, on the map so to speak. And happily, he and I have remained close friends ever since and because of his enormous success, he has been a kind of mentor to me throughout the course of my career.

3. Any tips for aspiring actors?

Wow! Tough one! In terms of practical career tips, I think everyone eventually manages to carve out a path that works best for them. But if you mean a tip in terms of ‘on the job advice’, I have found over the years, that acting is a continuous learning-curve. I have gained so much, both personally and professionally, by paying very close attention to my acting colleagues and theatre/screen practitioners in general. And I don’t just mean older, experienced actors/practitioners.  I mean people of all ages, who are completely dedicated to their craft. I have learned to recognise, in the broadest sense, that there is a very fine line between confidence and arrogance and though it sounds obvious, I have learned that acting is never, ever a ‘one man band’! So, I quess my tip would be, always, always ‘be ON’. What I mean is, once you cross the rehearsal room threshold, you are at work. So, BE at work! And that means leaving all other aspects of your life, outside the door. Just because you may not be in a particular scene, doesn’t mean it won’t speak to you/your character in some way. Certainly in my case, sticking to this approach to the best of my ability, I believe, has over the years, made acting for me a vastly more rewarding career.

4. What did you like most about being at The Gaiety School?

Without question, the people! My fellow actors. We were a motley crew, whose ages ranged from 18 to 36. Indeed, one or two were already professional actors, who had never formally trained. At the time, training options simply didn’t exist. The Abbey school was no more, and going to Britain to train was not a viable option for most and certainly, for a culchie like myself, it never even occurred to me! It’s sounds funny and strange now, but it was years later that I first met Irish actors, who had gone to RADA or similar institutions. So yes, Joe Dowling’s Gaiety School of Acting offered a beacon of light and hope to aspiring actors. But I digress! (SO unlike me!). I learned so much from this diverse group of people and from the course. Those early relationships formed the corner stone of my subsequent career. I have remained friends and worked with many of my fellow class mates and, though discretion forbids me from naming them, some of them are now household names! 

5. Favourite actor? 

Another tough one! There are a lot of Irish actors, whom I admire enormously and whom I would count amongst my favourites. But some are friends, some famous and some….both! So once again, discretion forbids! So, I’ll go international! Still – so many! But when I was a very young teenager, Jon Voight’s performance in MIDNIGHT COWBOY, was the first time I recall being emotionally moved by an actor, in a way that made me recognise acting as a craft. It remains my favourite film and so he still holds a place in my heart. These days….God! So hard to choose. Ok if I’m pushed, I’ll go with Tom Hardy.

6. Favourite writer?

Thomas Beatty, of course! Goes almost without saying! Writer of my current project TIC TAC, former acting colleague in BORSTAL BOY, recent graduate of The Gaiety School and…..all round Good Guy! I love ya Tom!

7. Favourite Film?

As I said above, MIDNIGHT COWBOY.

8. Who has been the most influential person in your life so far?

This might sound like a cliché but: my father. I mentioned his stroke above? Well, he was on the verge of retiring and, together with my mother, having worked extremely hard all their lives, primarily for the benefit of their children, they had made lots of retirement plans. It was to be their time. Then, the stroke hit. That made me realise, quite starkly, that life really is fickle and unpredictable. I did not want to wake up one day decades later and think..’what if?’ In a very real sense, it was the spur to realise my acting dream. And for his part, always a very pragmatic man who believed strongly in pursuing personal economic independence and all that that entails in terms of practical career choice, he never once pushed me in any particular direction and no doubt influenced by what had happened to him, he became my staunchest supporter in my career choice. And it never mattered to him, that he didn’t necessarily understand it. Plus, a propós of nothing, in a rural town, in erstwhile very-catholic Ireland, he was a rare atheist. As I grew older, I learned to respect that very much, especially given the historical and local circumstances. 

9. Earliest memory? 

Incessantly bouncing in my cot at the end of my parents bed, until my Da would eventually take me out and put me in the bed beside them! He was a tough, hardy man, with an occasional outburst of bad temper but he was a complete pushover, where his kids (and our dogs!) were concerned.

10. What would be your idea of the perfect day?

My perfect day is doggie-centric! (And it’s not a ‘would be’ – I’ve done it often). Take an early walk on the beach with my partner and our Labrador, Chica. Has to be an Atlantic beach, preferably in Connemara and preferably on a cold but very sunny blue-sky day. Come back to base and have a big F***O** brunch then, nap on the couch, with Chica right alongside me, head on my chest, calm and relaxed…breathing quietly together. Bliss! Actually, I often lie beside her on the couch anyway. Can’t beat it, especially when stressed or worried. She manages always to make me smile and realise that the world ain’t so bad after all! 

Gerard Byrne

 

Check out our other Alumni interviews here

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