Claire Corrigan
Mullingar actor, Niamh Algar, will star in a new four part drama for Channel 4, called ‘The Virtues’ by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Shane Meadows, it was revealed last week.
Topic caught up with the ADIFF Discovery Award recipient who has been successfully carving a name out for herself in the acting world for a number of years now.
While she had to keep schtum on the project itself, the ‘Without Name’ actor did talk about working with the acclaimed film-maker and her co-stars. “Shane works through workshops and developing the character in the rehearsal space and is very hands on in the sense that he develops the character around you, so you’re always making the most honest choice in the way your playing the character. I would have done a lot of research and met with people based on what my character is about and what she goes through to portray the person as honestly as I could. I want her to be relatable and do the best job I could really. The production has offered that research to me so I’ve been very lucky in that sense,” she said.
Niamh is working with BAFTA-nominated Stephen Graham (‘This is England’, ’86, ’88, ’90, ‘Boardwalk Empire’, ‘Taboo’), who stars as Joseph, a moral yet troubled man who’s lost everything he ever held dear and who finds himself compelled to travel to Ireland to confront the demons from a childhood spent in the care system that continue to haunt him, with savage and brutal consequences. His path soon crosses that of Dinah, played by newcomer Niamh Algar (‘Without Name’). She’s fiery and more than able to stand up for herself, but like Joseph, she’s also deeply guarded, holding close a secret she’s hiding from all those around her.
At once an unlikely love story between two people cast adrift in life and an exploration of the conflict between sin and virtue, ‘The Virtues’ (W/T) is a visceral and beautiful paean to the human spirit.
“Working with Stephen is an absolute blessing because I watched ‘This is England’ and ‘Boardwalk Empire’ too. He’s such a generous actor and with this being my TV gig, he offers advice and is never afraid to guide you in the right direction. I’m just really lucky to working opposite such a brilliant and generous actor,” she commented.
Audition
The talented young Mullingar woman said she always wanted to work with Shane, having been a big fan since college and was stunned when she was told abou the audition by her casting company. “From the moment I stepped into the audition room, we clicked and he is really approachable and is a really good director. I’m in really, really good company.”
She revealed she wasn’t given any information about the part until the day of her first audition. “It was an improvised audition and then my next meeting was with Shane and the producers which was another improvised scenario. In the third meeting I was offered the role in the room, so it all happened very quickly because usually you do your audition and have to wait a couple of weeks. It was really exciting,” she smiled.
Creation freedom
The actor said she was afforded the opportunity to delve deep into her character’s background and really get to grips with her mindset. “It’s a double-edged sword really. I don’t think the next project will give me as much creative freedom. When you get that opportunity to do the work and research and make sure you know the story inside and out, you can trust in the people around you that they are going to guide you to deliver the best performance that you can, and as long as it’s truthful and honest, audiences will respond to it. I think that’s why people are so fascinated by documentaries now, because we love to see honesty on screen and the programme takes a very different approach than anything else and it’s really exciting.”
The Warp Films production will shoot on primarily on location in Sheffield, as well as in Liverpool and Belfast and will air on Channel 4 in 2019.
