Jess Purchon | Contributing Writer
Last Tuesday Players welcomed Father Ted star Ardal O’Hanlon for an interview which spanned his beginnings in stand-up comedy, his sitcom success of the nineties and early naughties, and his more recent achievements in live theatre. The excited anticipation of the visit was palpable as a queue snaked its way from Players’ Theatre to Áras An Phiarsaigh well before the star arrived, and the performer was welcomed on stage to a roar of applause.
Although O’Hanlon began the interview somewhat aloof, he was soon warmed up by Sam Ford (D.U. Players’ secretary who was granted the honour of conducting the interview). Ford built a rapport with O’Hanlon in the early stages of the interview by touching upon the actor’s love of tennis (jokingly suggesting that D.U. Players was in fact Trinity’s tennis society, and Player’s theatre was an indoor court).
The interview tracked his speedy rise to fame, as he was cast in Father Ted a mere six months after entering the London comedy scene. O’Hanlon explained that he believed the key to his success lay in the fact that his comedic style developed separately to popular stand-ups on the London circuit, marking him out as ‘something new’ when he began his career.
The highlight of the afternoon for the Father Ted fans in the audience (which must have been almost everyone) began when anecdotes from the actor’s time on the show emerged. O’Hanlon recounted the deference with which passers-by treated him when he would walk around in a dog-collar between takes (as he was mistaken for a member of the clergy). During the filming of one of the outdoor scenes in ‘Entertaining Father Stone’, O’Hanlon remembered becoming so cold in the wind and rain that after filming he knocked on the door of a local house and asked if he could have a bath. Because the family assumed he was a priest, he was welcomed in and was able to enjoy a restorative soak in the tub (something, no doubt, which would not have been achieved had he not been wearing a dog-collar).
It was clear that the actor’s time filming the hit show was a treasured moment in his career; however O’Hanlon did note that the various requests for him and his cast members to re-live the experience have become somewhat wearing. Although he is always happy to meet fans of the show, he remarked he was glad that he never had a catchphrase that could be shouted at him in the street (unlike his co-star, and previous D.U. Players’ chair, Pauline McLynn).
O’Hanlon’s described his move into live theatre as the most challenging of his career, even noting the (unwarranted) inferiority he feels alongside professionally trained performers. Interestingly the performer noted that he is more at ease performing stand-up comedy than performing as part of a cast, as he feels a great responsibility not to let down his fellow actors.
As the interview drew to a close the audience were given the opportunity to ask questions, which were a mix of star-struck requests and frank appeals for advice. He recommended aspiring actors in the audience to concentrate upon listening and responding to others on stage, as opposed to focussing upon the reaction of the audience. In contrast, when asked for guidance for new stand-up comics, O’Hanlon advised ignoring the work of fellow performers and developing your own voice. At the end of the event O’Hanlon was awarded his honorary patronage to D.U. Players, and the audience showed their gratitude for his time with enthusiastic applause for their unassuming comedy hero.
