Domhnall Gleeson - Biography - IMDb Domhnall Gleeson Jump to: Overview (2) | Mini Bio (1) | Trade Mark (3) | Trivia (10) | Personal Quotes (73) Overview (2) 6' 1" (1.85 m) Mini Bio (1) Domhnall Gleeson was born on May 12, 1983 in Dublin, Ireland. He is an actor and writer, known for Ex Machina (2015), The Revenant (2015) and About Time (2013). Trade Mark (3) Trivia (10) Son of actor Brendan Gleeson and Mary (Weldon) Gleeson. Was nominated for a Tony award for Best featured actor in a play for the role of Davey in Martin McDonagh 's "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" on Broadway. Has a degree in media arts from the Dublin Institute of Technology. 2011: Named as one of European films' Shooting Stars by European Film Promotion. Older brother of Irish actor Brian Gleeson , Fergus Gleeson and Rory Gleeson .

His first name is pronounced "doh-nall" with the "m" being silent. Appeared in four films in 2015 and all four titles received nominations at the 88th Academy Awards. The films were: The Revenant (2015), Ex-Machina (2015)_, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Brooklyn (2015). The only other actor to achieve a similar record was Benedict Cumberbatch , who also appeared in four films that were Oscar nominated in 2013 - though he made a fifth movie that wasn't nominated. As of 2016, has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: True Grit (2010), The Revenant (2015) and Brooklyn (2015). Every film Domnhall appeared in in 2015 subsequently received multiple Academy Award nominations - Brooklyn, Ex Machina, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and The Revenant. Competed with his father for Best Supporting Actor at the British Independent Film Awards in 2015. Brendan Gleeson won the category.

Personal Quotes (73) [on being cast in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) I'm incredibly excited, but the only way I can be of value is by ignoring fandom, ignoring the other movies to a certain extent, and just trying to do the best job possible. And I think it will be the same for everyone else. I'd been very certain about not wanting to do the acting thing because of my father. I thought I'd always have the father-son thing of 'He got you the part.' It was when I was on stage that I realized that acting could be such a brilliant job. Look at Cillian Murphy : 'Batman,' 'Tron'... those are some heavy-hitting franchises. But he works his way around it. He manages to have a great career and a great life. I'm pretty lowbrow. It's a failing. Though rom-coms aren't necessarily my cup of tea, I was a huge fan of Notting Hill (1999). I laughed a lot, and the romance got to me. Has anybody seen The Notebook (2004) and not cried? I don't know, I don't know if that's the case.

It sort of hangs around for a while. Often times, I just do a job and tell my agents, 'I'm in lockdown now.' I won't talk to anybody about anything else in the meantime, and I think that's generally the way to go because I also like to have a gap in between jobs. Most of the time, I do what I'm offered, but after I worked for it. I think I try much harder for the things that scare me and inspire me. The things that scare and inspire you are things that are different from what you did before. I've gotten work based on how I look, and I've not gotten work based on how I look. It's all good. I'm pleased to say I grew up in a happy family in Dublin. I feel we're very close. I like cashew nuts. If there's one person in the world with whom a chemistry read is unnecessary, it's Rachel McAdams . I'm not going to get better as an actor working on bad stuff. The worst thing as an actor is when you're not getting opportunities to try and show what you can do; the best thing is when you get material that really lets you express something and that you're excited about.

As an actor, there's very little you can do if people don't want to see you. Just getting yourself into the room to audition is tough. When you work with actors, what you're hoping to absorb is good ways to be an actor as opposed to how to handle being famous. I think everybody's got their insecurities and hang-ups. Everybody! Unless you're an idiot. I like films that are gritty and hard-hitting and suspenseful. Thrillers, too. Everyone talks about how we're on our phones all the time, but the fact remains that when I'm away on a film set for two months, I can Skype my family. I remember the phone calls my parents had to make when my dad was away for a while when I was younger - that once-a-week expensive phone call! The time pressure on talking to your father! Two things are always happening in acting. On the one hand, it's a team sport. We're all pulling together. But on the other, you have to look after your own character. Guard their interests. There is something wonderful about turning up every day and knowing that not just the character but the whole movie kind of rests on your shoulders.

And there's great satisfaction when you think it's going well and then real terror when you think it's not. I worked with the Coen brothers, which had been a dream of mine. My dad said, 'If no one was giving me acting work, I'd have to be prepared to create it myself.' I'd rather do one day on a really cool movie than six months on something crap. Going home, spending time with the family, I feel they're my friends as well, all of them. I look forward to meeting any one of them for a coffee, and when we all get together, I just love it. I'd seen my dad on stage, and that was fine, but the real excitement was - that was my dad. Even now, when I see his films, he's always my favorite person in the movie. The rom-com genre is not something that necessarily lights my jets. Portraying as human the people you hear about on the news doing bad things is dangerous. But it's also necessary and important. It's hard to get people up and out to shows, but 'The Walworth Farce' has masses of energy and will attract a crowd who don't always come to the theatre, which is great.

I think the whole thing is: If it makes sense in your head, the audience will go along with it. I got to work with Cillian Murphy and my dad, Jim Broadbent and Jodie Whittaker on Perrier's Bounty (2009) It was a small part, but it was really special. I tend to play 'tortured' a lot, whether it's physically or emotionally. Fail again, fail better. I'm a pessimist by nature, so it's always the worst things that come to mind first whenever you make a decision or have a decision to make. Just because I'm doing 'Star Wars' doesn't mean that'll be the thing that makes people stop me in the street. 'Star Wars' is different to anything I've done before. It's nice to sit down when you're not working. I try to do it as often as possible. Normally, in a film with lots of twists and turns, half of them don't make sense; they're just there for their own sakes. 'Pale Fire' by Vladimir Nabokov was bloody hard work but really thrilling. I did like 'Star Wars' when I was a kid.

I saw the prequels first; I didn't see the full original films first all the way through. My father is just getting better and better, and that speaks so well of the way he approaches the work. Doesn't matter if I'm right or wrong - if I'm hungry or hot, I'm probably arguing with someone about something. Especially if that someone is rude. I like Philip Larkin an awful lot; I really like his view on life, and I really connect to it. I'm a little bit drifty. I'm a little bit all over the place. I stand to learn more working as an actor with really talented people than I do by directing a feature. Conventionally handsome is not really where I'm at. Angelina Jolie is just an extremely talented, generous, nice person to be around and to work with. I'm not built like a leading man. I got very lucky with 'Harry Potter.' I got that role because I'm a ginger! Red hair was my only qualification! Punch-Drunk Love (2002) is my favorite movie. I find looking forward scary because you might die. I was in 'Harry Potter,' and nobody on the street recognizes me from that.

Nobody on the street has ever stopped me from 'Harry Potter!' Really, all I worry about is the work in hand. Yeah, yeah, yeah, time travel's a nightmare. Don't go down that path. I don't go to premieres I'm not involved in. When I was younger, my father told me not to pigeonhole the way that I perceive myself. In 'Cavalry' I had one scene where I was playing a pretty awful character. My mum and my dad have really good taste in movies. My gran would tape them off the TV and write notes about them, rating them. I've been interested in the writing/directing thing and really fell into acting by complete accident. 'Black Mirror,' I read that, and I had another offer for a movie at the same time that was a bigger movie, an actual film as opposed to TV, but I said, 'No, it has to be Black Mirror.' And it hadn't been sold to Netflix, hadn't gone abroad at that point - but it's just good work - that's all there is to it. Life is difficult for everyone; everyone has bad days.

Everyone has trouble in their life, because it doesn't matter how rich you are: Sickness and trouble and worry and love, these things will mess with you at every level of life. I'm certainly a young actor. I'm certainly those two things. Actually, I'm not even young anymore; I'm 29. So, I'm an actor. There's so many good comic actors that you just take the best of and try and run with it yourself. Try and bring a little bit of yourself to it, too. The whole idea with acting is that you take some risks. And if you take some risks, you're really going to mess up sometimes. But it's not OK to mess up a movie; it's not OK to do that just so you can improve as an actor. But film-making takes a little bit of risk in every department. The Olympia was a really special place for me as a kid. I saw Dad perform there so many times, so it means a lot. I watched a couple of films I was in and thought, 'Those are pretty close to what we wanted them to be. I feel actually weirdly OK with it all.

I can still see flaws in what I'm doing, but I think I delivered. I think I improved the film with my presence.' The Coen brothers are amazing; they're special. I do feel a wave come over me when I hear those two words, 'Star' and 'Wars,' said together. I feel tense, shut up, and stare into the middle distance. I did Never Let Me Go (2010) and there were amazing people on that. Brilliant writer, director, cast. That was quite special. The idea of having dreams that don't come true is really terrifying. I get asked to give stuff to my dad. I'm, like, 'I'm not gonna pass your script to him!' You know? My dad's my dad. I'm not his agent.

No one can give me advice on 'Star Wars' because nobody knows what I'm doing in 'Star Wars.' See also CULT FILM FREAK : SAOIRSE RONAN IN BROOKLYN SAOIRSE RONAN IN BROOKLYN 11/28/2015 | No comment year: 2015 cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Domnhall Gleeson Ever see a movie or read a story that sets up a young female character on her own, and when she falls completely and hopelessly in love, you wish she had more pain and less... contentment? That happens in BROOKLYN after we begin with Saoirse Ronan's Ellis in her native Ireland, where life seems lovely enough, but she decides to travel to America. BROOKLYN to be exact. Saoirse Ronan Much of the film actually takes place at a dinner table where feisty yet lovable God-fearing patriarch Mrs. Kehoe, played by the always-entertaining Julie Walters, steals scenes that are her's to own.

She runs a boarding house for girls either quieter or more rowdy than Ellis, who remains the perfect middle-ground. While there's potential for great characterization within these eclectic young ladies, stuck in the city and looking for a man, when our heroine finds her true love in Emory Cohen's handsome young Italian plumber Tony, things get so breezy and perfect, the film could have taken place anywhere. All the urban, time-period significance is gone. Once Ellis returns home to Ireland, meeting who would be the perfect guy, the artful nuance and gorgeous exterior is revitalized. The chemistry between Ronan and Domhnall Gleeson, as a young man with his future mapped out, has an easygoing "foreign film" vibe that takes its time and doesn't flow in forced romantic cliches, like, for example, in BROOKLYN, where, despite a genuinely apt performance by Ronan as a fish out of water, the overall story doesn't involve enough suspense for her ultimate decision to really matter.

RATING: **1/2 Kit Harington Starring In Big Screen Version Of BBC Show ‘Spooks,’ Domhnall Gleeson Goes To ‘Brooklyn’ & More | IndieWire Kit Harington Starring In Big Screen Version Of BBC Show ‘Spooks,’ Domhnall Gleeson Goes To ‘Brooklyn’ & More Kit Harington Starring In Big Screen Version Of BBC Show 'Spooks,' Domhnall Gleeson Goes To 'Brooklyn' & More Nov 8, 2013 9:17 am Share This Article Talk Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”) and Jennifer Ehle (“Zero Dark Thirty”) have both signed on to star in “Spooks: The Greater Good,” a big-screen adaptation of the BBC TV spy drama “Spooks.” The film will be helmed by Bharat Nalluri, who directed multiple episodes of the British series, and Peter Firth will reprise his role as Harry Pearce from the show.

Kit Harrington would play “an agent investigating how a terrorist escaped from custody during a routine handover against the ticking clock of an imminent terror attack on London.” The film’s screenplay was penned by Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent, who were both writers on the series, and production is set to begin in early 2014. “Spooks” was better known in the US as “MI-5” and the show lasted for ten seasons before being wrapping up in 2011. [ THR ] When we last heard about “Brooklyn,” Saoirse Ronan was set to star (replacing Rooney Mara) and John Crowley (“Closed Circuit”) to direct. Now, a whole slew of actors have decided to join Ronan, including Domhnall Gleeson , Jim Broadbent , Sarah Gadon , Emory Cohen , and Julie Waters. “Brooklyn,” based on the novel by Colm Toibin, was adapted for the big screen by Nick Hornby (“An Education”) and tells the story of “a young Irish woman who leaves her small town in Ireland hoping for a brighter future in 1950s Brooklyn.

Despite her initial homesickness, she falls in love with Tony (Cohen) an Italian-American who opens her eyes her new surroundings. But a family tragedy leads Nora back to Ireland where her American sophistication catches the eye of the charming Jim (Gleeson).” Production begins next spring. [ Screendaily ] It’s been five years since his last big screen directorial effort, but you can be rest assured that another David Mamet feature film is coming. The film is “ Blackbird ,” which stars Cate Blanchett, and now James Badge Dale has joined the cast. In the upcoming thriller, Dale plays “a military major who is trying to discover the truth about the political secrets of a woman’s grandfather who worked for the US special ops during the 1960s.” James Badge Dale’s stock continues to rise after his huge year this year, which saw him have substantial roles in “Iron Man 3,” “World War Z” and “The Lone Ranger.” His most recent film, the JFK-assassination drama “Parkland” can currently be seen on VOD. Production on “Blackbird,” which is being produced by SBS Productions, does not currently have a start date.

[ Deadline ] Finally, Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane will star in “ Somnia ,” a horror-thriller about an orphaned child whose nightmares manifest physically while he sleeps. Production is set to begin on the film next week and Mike Flanagan has signed on to direct. Flanagan co-wrote “Somnia” with Jeff Howard, both of whom collaborated on “Oculus,” Flanagan’s previous film. Leading the film will be Jacob Tremblay who will play the child and most recently appeared in this year’s “Smurfs 2.” [ Variety ] Julie Walters - Biography - IMDb Julie Walters Biography Showing all 99 items Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (66) | Personal Quotes (27) Overview (3) 5' 3" (1.6 m) Mini Bio (1) For decades, Brit actress and comedienne Julie Walters has served as a sturdy representation of the working class with her passionate, earthy portrayals on England's stage, screen and TV. A bona fide talent, her infectious spirit and self-deprecating sense of humor eventually captured the hearts of international audiences.

The small and slender actress with the prominent cheekbones has yet to give an uninteresting performance. She was born Julia Mary Walters on February 22, 1950 in Smethwick, West Midlands, England, the youngest of three children and only daughter of Mary Bridget (O'Brien), an Irish-born postal clerk from County Mayo, and Thomas Walters, an English-born builder, from Birmingham. Convent schooled in Birmingham, she expressed an early desire to act. Her iron-willed mother had other ideas, however, and geared her towards a nursing career. Dutifully applying at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, Julie eventually gave up nursing when the pull to be an actress proved too strong. Studying English and Drama at Manchester Polytechnic, she subsequently joined a theatre company in Liverpool and apprenticed as a stand-up comic. A one-time company member of the Vanload improv troupe, she made her London stage debut in the aptly-titled comedy "Funny Peculiar" in 1975, and went on to develop a successfully bawdy act on the cabaret circuit. While at Manchester, Julie befriended aspiring writer/comedienne Victoria Wood and the twosome appeared together in sketch comedy.

A couple of their works, "Talent" and "Nearly a Happy Ending," transferred to TV and were accompanied by rave reviews. Eventually they were handed their own TV series, Wood and Walters (1981). In 1980, Julie scored a huge solo success under the theatre lights when she made her London debut in Willy Russell 's "Educating Rita." For her superlative performance she won both the Variety Critic's and London Critic's Circle Awards as the young hairdresser who vows to up her station in life by enrolling in a university. She conquered film as well when Educating Rita (1983) transferred to the big screen opposite Michael Caine as her Henry Higgins-like college professor, collecting a Golden Globe Award and Oscar nomination. Reuniting with Victoria Wood in 1984, the pair continue to appear together frequently on TV, most recently with the award-winning series Dinnerladies (1998).

On stage Julie has impressed in a variety of roles ranging from the contemporary ("Fool for Love," "Frankie and Johnny at the Clair de Lune") to the classics ("Macbeth," "The Rose Tattoo" and "All My Sons"), winning the Olivier Award for the last-mentioned play. Following her success as Rita, she immediately rolled out a sterling succession of film femmes including her seedy waitress-turned-successful brothel-owner in Personal Services (1987); the unsophisticated, small-town wife of Phil Collins in Buster (1988); a boozy, man-chasing mum in Killing Dad or How to Love Your Mother (1990); and Liza Minnelli 's abrasive tap student in Stepping Out (1991). Playing a wide variety of ages, she also mustered up a very convincing role as the mother of Joe Orton in the critically-acclaimed Prick Up Your Ears (1987).

She capped her career in films as the abrasively stern but encouraging dance teacher in Billy Elliot (2000) which earned her a second Oscar nod and a healthy helping of quirky character parts, including her charming, charity-driven widow who poses à la natural in Calendar Girls (2003), and the maternal witch-wife Molly Weasley in the J.K. Rowling "Harry Potter" series. For her work on film and TV, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts has honored Julie five times, including four awards in a row (2001-2004). Married to Grant Roffey since 1997 after a 12-year relationship, the couple tend to a 70-acre organic farm they bought in Sussex. They have one child. Julie was honored with an OBE for her services to drama in 1999. A biography was published in 2003 entitled "Julie Walters: Seriously Funny." - IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net Spouse (1) Born at 3:00pm-BST She ranked first in the 2001 Orange Film Survey of Greatest British Films actresses.

She was awarded an O.B.E (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)in the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honors List for her services to drama. She was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2001 (2001 season) for Best Actress for her performance in "All My Sons" at the Royal National Theatre, Cottesloe. Julie's strong-minded mother, who wished a nursing career for her daughter, was openly upset by Julie's switch of professions to acting. When her mother died in 1989, Walters found among her possessions a box stuffed with newspaper clippings that had recorded Julie's many successes. Julie's child Maisie was stricken with leukemia at the age of two. The girl miraculously recovered and inspired Walters to write the book "Baby Talk" in 1990. Julie's birth was complicated, the umbilical cord was wrapped round her neck and a priest was actually called to give both mother and baby the Last Rites. Miraculously she was delivered safely and survived. A former boyfriend of Julie's noticed her acting ability and encouraged her to pursue an acting career.

He later proposed marriage to her but she turned him down, having finally discovered her vocation in life and realising that marriage at that point would have held her back She was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2008 Queen's New Years Honors List for her services to drama. Confessed in a British magazine interview that the worst job she ever had was testing ill people's stools. Former girlfriend of Pete Postlethwaite . Despite playing her mother on Dinnerladies (1998), Walters was only 3 years older than Victoria Wood . Gave birth to her only child at age 38 by Caesarean section (due to her diabetes), a daughter Maisie Mae Roffey on April 26, 1988. Child's father is her boyfriend (now husband), Grant Roffey. Daughter of Thomas Walters (b. 1909). Sister of Tom Walters and Kevin Walters. She now holds more BAFTAs than any other actress. Six competition award BAFTAs, one special award for television in 2003, and the fellowship in 2014.

Sister-in-law of Jill Walters. Niece of Martin John. Niece of Joe John. Granddaughter of Patrick Walters. Shaved her head for her role in Mo (2010). She never went out in public with a shaven head: the costume department made her a wig so that she could look like herself again. In 2009, she received a star in the Birmingham Walk of Stars on Birmingham's Golden Mile, Broad Street. Auditioned for a part in Dance with a Stranger (1985), but Miranda Richardson was cast instead. Injured herself whilst filming the "Dancing Queen" musical sequence in Mamma Mia! (2008), by tripping over some rocks on a cobbled street. According to Meryl Streep , Walters "soldiered on" and completed the scene. Peter Morgan wrote the female barrister role in The Jury (2002) with Walters in mind. Has portrayed two witches; Molly Weasley in seven 'Harry Potter' films and The Witch in Brave (2012).

Featured in all the Harry Potter films, but one; The fourth entry, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), in which her character was cut from the script, due to a script of excessive length. Walters was admittedly hurt by the exclusion but delighted to returned for the fifth installment. Based her eccentric performance in Paddington (2014) on her make-up artist from the production. Sports seven different hairstyles throughout Educating Rita (1983). Before she played the main character in Educating Rita (1983), she originated the role in Royal Shakespeare Company's West End stage production in 1980. However, when the film adaptation began production she wasn't considered bankable enough for the part and the producers considered replacing her with Dolly Parton . Walters was eventually given the part after Michael Caine was cast and she went on to receive her first Oscar nomination for the part. Wished to keep her wand from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011), but left it behind when several people told her that keeping the props was not allowed.

However, by the time of the film's release she discovered that many of her co-stars kept several props from the production. Her most important performing college was Liverpool's Everyman Theatre in the mid-1970s, where she met Willy Russell, who created Educating Rita (1983) for her, and Alan Bleasdale, who wrote her a part in his television series Boys from the Blackstuff (1982). Suffers from yeast allergy. Beat out Lesley Nicol for the part of Molly Weasley in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001). Married her husband after an 11-year long relationship. In 2010, she achieved the rare feat of being nominated against herself in the Bafta Best Actress category, when she was double nominated for both Mo (2010) and A Short Stay in Switzerland (2009). Her autobiography, "That's Another Story", secured her a record-breaking £1.6 million advance from her publisher. Burt Reynolds personally offered her Candice Bergen 's part in Stick (1985), but she turned it down because she disliked the script.

She passed on Sharon Stone 's part in King Solomon's Mines (1985). Around 2010, she briefly considered the possibility of retiring, until Nicholas Hytner at the National Theatre sent her the script of Stephen Beresford's debut play The Last of the Haussmans, offering her the role of a former hippie in old age. With her husband, she owns an organic farm in West Sussex. Appears in three of the five highest grossing British films at the UK box office; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), Mamma Mia! (2008) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011). She is the only performer to achieve this feat. Has turned down Hollywood several times. After her breakout role in Educating Rita (1983) she was given an agent in the US and offered several scripts. However, she disliked most of them and decided on a career in the UK, which focused on stage plays and television projects.

It wasn't until the new millennium that she began pursuing film roles and appeared in several movies that were box office hits in her native UK, such as Billy Elliot (2000), Calendar Girls (2003) and Mamma Mia! (2008). The "Waterloo" sequence in Mamma Mia! (2008) was her favorite scene to film during the production. Has worked with two of her on-screen sons from the 'Harry Potter' series, outside of the franchise: She portrayed Rupert Grint 's mother in Driving Lessons (2006) and co-starred with Domhnall Gleeson in Brooklyn (2015). Made her stage debut in a school play production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1962. Started playing the ukulele when she was three years old. Took a seven year long break from acting in theatre, mostly in order to offer time to her ill daughter. Ranked amongst the 30 most powerful women in British TV and radio, in a 2014 list drawn up by the Radio Times. Was expelled from Holly Lodge Grammar School, at a young age, due to misbehavior.

A popular guest on The Graham Norton Show (2007). She became the most ubiquitous guest in 2015, when she visited the show three times within one year. Among her many infamous moments on the show, she has performed rap music in front of rappers Tinie Tempah and 50 Cent and felt also felt the bullet wound on the latter's tongue. Hosted the opening of the new breast unit at Birmingham's Women's Hospital in December 2002. Claims to be occasionally confused with Jane Seymour , Judi Dench and Julie Andrews . Spent seven years developing her novel 'Maggie's Tree'. In a 2001 survey by Orange, sponsors of the Bafta awards, she was voted the most popular female star in the UK. She and Sean Connery were subsequently voted the on-screen collaboration most desired to happen. Walters herself was in a Sean Connery fan club when she was young. Had no previous experience with ballet before she performed the teacher in Billy Elliot (2000). Admittedly, while filming, she went through menopause and hereby struggled with the moves and hot sweats.

She even compared herself with the hippopotamus from Fantasia (1940). Her husband Grant Roffey has worked variously as an AA man, a long-distance lorry driver and as a sociology student. Her daughter's illness drew a lot of media attention. Several fabricated stories were created and photographers camped out on their private property. Eventually, Walters decided to go public about Maisie's illness and auctioned an exclusive interview for which a London newspaper paid $30,000 the fee went straight to the Royal Marsden's children's unit. The interview gained Walters a lot of sympathy and she was even approached by Princess Diana who asked about her daughter's wellbeing. Mary Norton 's children's book "The Borrowers" is her favorite novel. Had a near-death experience on a vacation in Corfu, when she was swimming to a rock off the coast where a lot of people were sunbathing. A storm whipped up and in the midst of the ocean she felt too exhausted to finalize her swim to the rock. She thought it was her final moments until a man nearby man pulled her out.

Filmed three films back-to-back all co-starring frequent collaborator Jim Broadbent ; The Harry Hill Movie (2013), Paddington (2014) and Brooklyn (2015). Had minor qualms before filming her nude scene for Calendar Girls (2003), because it highlights her least favorite part of her body; Her shoulders. In 2014, she was the subject of an hour-long in-depth TV special commissioned by BBC Two, Julie Walters: A Life on Screen (2014). It aired Christmas Eve and was seen by 1.74 million people. In January 2016, she presented the tomosynthesis machine at Royal Surrey County Hospital during a special ceremony. The tool is new 3D breast screening equipment, which is better at detecting cancerous tumours than traditional breast imaging. Daughter of Thomas Walters (1909-1971) and Mary Bridget Walters (née O'Brien) (1915-1989).

Rob Conlan Writes – Musings on Film, Fiction, and Fandoms Writer: Nick Hornby, based on Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, and Julie Walters Released: November 6, 2015 (UK/Ireland) Brooklyn is a 2015 period romance film from John Crowley, an Irish independent film director best known for his 2003 film, Intermission. The film is set in a well-realized 1952 Brooklyn, New York, and tells the rapturous story of Eilis Lacey (Saiorse Ronan) as a young Irish girl sent to America to find a better life than the small town she grew up in by her sister, Rose (Fiona Glascott). Jim Broadbent’s Father Flood sets up Eilis in a department store, and arranges night bookkeeping classes for her, to pursue an accounting position much like her sister, Rose. Initially homesick and miserable, she is charmed by Tony Fiorello, a charming young Italian man played by Emory Cohen.

The two begin a romance as Eilis begins to feel comfortable in her new life in the Western Hemisphere, but when Rose suddenly falls ill, Eilis is whisked back to her old life, and begins to find it becoming everything she wished she had back in Ireland when she first lived there. There, she is set up with Jim Farrell (Domnhall Gleeson), a young bachelor set to inherit a house, resumes Rose’s job on a part-time basis as an account, and spends time with her mother, played by Jane Brennan. It is on Eilis’ choice whether she goes back to America to Tony, or to remain in Ireland with Jim. I’m not typically one for romances. I allow myself to get carried by the waves of emotion they present, but largely I stick my nose up if a given romance devolves into the dreaded love triangle of cliché. The love triangle trope usually manifests itself when the protagonist in question is torn between two equally well-mannered, and/or gentlemen (women, or otherwise) have just enough different in order for the protagonist’s dilemma to be enough to warrant the dramatic climax of the movie. Who will he/she/etc. choose?

I’m happy to report that, despite this particular trope popping up, it never takes over the film wholesale, but is balanced by Eilis’ decisions about her career and her love of the scenery of her home. Eilis is never rendered as a forlorn lovesick girl, and the focus is squarely on her as a multifaceted character with wants and needs outside of a man in her life. Saoirse Ronan’s Eilis has a perfectly executed character arc, and Ronan knocks the role out of the park. I first discovered Ronan in the 2011 film Hanna, which I found relevatory in regards to Ronan’s acting abilities. Eilis is believable as a young girl thrust in a brand new world she isn’t familiar to, and captures the very homesickness that being away feels like. It’s a terrifying, sickening experience, but it subsides. The homesickness rang especially true for myself; when I first moved away to college in New York City from my suburban home in Long Island, it was nerve-wracking. Without friends, family, or the comforts of home, it felt like I could very well scurry back home and forget it ever happened.

However, like Eilis, I had gotten over it, and it was one of the experiences that will shape my life forever, and where Ellis ends up is a perfect capstone to the structural integrity of her character. Emory Cohen and Domnhall Gleeson as Tony and Jim, respectively, are entirely perfect gentlemen, and makes a tough decision for Eilis, but an issue I typically have in love triangles is that the lead never seems to tell anyone that they are currently seeing someone until just too late. I dreaded this occurrence happening, and, despite a bit too close for comfort, it never slinked onto a disparaging path for Eilis. The budding romance with Tony seemed more genuine than the slower pace with Jim, but that seems to be the contrasting point between Brooklyn and Ireland. I respected the use of mirrored imagery between the courtship between Eilis and Tony reflected in the Eilis and Jim scenes. Other than the two romantic options (What is this, a period piece dating sim?) feeling a little imbalanced with the choices Eilis makes, the film is a sweeping romance in the style of old Hollywood in all of the best ways, and will likely see some nominations and the next Academy Awards.

I recommend Brooklyn to anyone willing to open up their heart to be taken on a cross-Atlantic journey this holiday season. Director: Christopher Nolan Writer: Hillary Steitz, based on Insomnia by Nikolaj Frobenius and Erik Skjoldbjærg Starring: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney, Martin Donovan, Nicky Katt, and Paul Dooley Released: May 24, 2002 (USA) I caught Insomnia (2002) last night after finding out it was leaving Netflix on the first of December, and had not realized this was a Christopher Nolan film until the title crawl told me so. Everyone raves about The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Memento; yet, Insomnia never is mentioned in the same breadth. It lacks the Hans Zimmer score and cold characters iconic of Nolan’s work nowadays, and yet it is a solid crime thriller in its own right. It doesn’t feel like the stereotype of a Nolan film, but it’s strong work from a celebrated modern director.

Keep in mind, I have not watched the 1997 Norwegian original at the time of this writing, so all of this review is directed squarely on the 2002 version. I will amend this review whenever I have the opportunity to watch the original, if a comparison is warranted. Detective Will Dormer (played by a top of his game Al Pacino), is a haggard detective tasked to investigate a murder in an Alaska town with his partner, Detective Hap Eckhart (played by Martin Donovan). Detective Eckhart is looking to make a plea deal about a previous case that could take Detective Dormer’s career down with it. In a foggy chase, Dormer guns down Eckhart. Hilary Swank’s good town cop, Ellie Burr, is tasked to investigate the shooting of Eckhart. Robin Williams turns in another wonderful dramatic performance that feels like he IS Walter Finch, the crime thriller writer the victim was a fan of. Wally Pfister provides beautiful cinematography of the Alaskan scenery. Each flyby shot of the Alaskan countryside feels cold, desolate, and foreign to the city slicker Los Angeles police, and the environment of Alaska feels like its own character.

Insomnia has the trappings of genre creme fiction, but stands alone as a noir shot mostly with scenes that take place during the extended Alaskan daytime. Light is utilized as a metaphor for Dormer’s guilt rising to the surface for the murder of his partner, and plays a part in his worsening insomnia. Having never stayed up for six days straight, I have been up for two or three sleepless nights before, and the crew captures the feeling of no sleep well. Using cuts, quick edits, and dissolves to flashbacks, memories, and Dormer’s imagining of how the crimes took place create a state of hallucination that only increases as the film’s run-time progresses, and sleep eludes the detective’s fingers. A particular scene of note is of Dormer taping the shade of his window down to try and get some sleep, but his guilt manifests as a renegade beam of sunlight that disallows him from catching any. The performances here are on the top of their game. Al Pacino remains one of the best actors in cinema when there is a juicy character to bite into, and he plays Detective Dormer as worn, and I was convinced of his sleepless drive to get the better of the antagonist.

Robin Williams absorbs each character he’s assigned, and Walter Finch is a relatable, tragic character that isn’t without his demons. Finch’s desires come from the seedy underbelly of any great crime noir antagonist, but Williams plays him with such a good-natured façade that it’s hard not to root for him to get the better of Pacino. Hilary Swank’s good cop is a nice role, although it could have been a meatier one. Burr’s character arc comes to an excellent head at the film’s climax in relation to Dormer’s ultimate fate that respects the audience’s intelligence. I heartily recommend Insomnia to any fan of crime thrillers, or the actors within, or even Christopher Nolan fans, to take another gander at this underrated gem. It held my interest in the cat-and-mouse game it engages in, and the cinematography is top notch. The characters are well developed and help frame the themes of loyalty vs. self-interest, and the lengths someone will go to protect themselves or those they care about.

Question: Actors Saoirse Ronan, Julie Walter, Domnhall Gleeson and Jim Broadbent appeared in which film?
Answer: Brooklyn