He's a mean Littlefinger, 'but Aidan Gillen has the biggest heart in showbusiness!'
The Bafta-nominated Dubliner is famous worldwide for playing key roles in series such as The Wire, Game Of Thrones and Peaky Blinders – on top of his work in homegrown dramas like Love/Hate and Kin.
But despite his glittering CV, Gillen made himself available at a knock-down price for Mark O'Connor, the Dublin filmmaker who handed Barry Keoghan his first three film roles. Aidan Gillen. Pic: Naoise Culhane
The writer-director behind Netflix hit Cardboard Gangsters and TV series Darklands said Gillen was 'amazing to work with' for the first time in his new film, Amongst The Wolves.
O'Connor told Extra.ie: 'I've known him for a couple of years, and I just reached out and asked him would he be interested in being in it. He's very kind, and he's just a brilliant actor.'
Gillen, 56, has a reputation for helping younger actors.
'He's so kind and so giving of his time and supportive of projects. I just think he's a really special actor because of the way he goes on like that,' the filmmaker said.
O'Connor added that, unlike some Irish actors who 'get a bit of fame and go international, and then they aren't interested in making Irish films as much, Aidan has been really smart the way he's kept his feet in Ireland, but also [works] internationally – and I think that will serve him in the long run'. Aidan Gillen. Pic: Allen Kiely
Made independently with no funding, Amongst The Wolves – about a homeless ex-soldier in Dublin who meets a teenager fleeing a drug gang – also stars established talent such as Peter Coonan (Love/Hate) and Helen Behan (Small Things Like These).
'I'm lucky that I was able to bring in Aidan and Peter and Helen to support our up-and-coming cast,' O'Connor told Extra.ie. 'Dane Whyte O'Hara [given his screen debut in Darklands] has just been signed in America; [co-writer and lead] Luke McQuillan is an incredible actor; Daniel Fee has been signed by [talent agency] MacFarlane Chard and cast in a new Cartoon Saloon film.
'So this is about bringing through the next wave of Irish talent.'
Despite the success of previous projects – and a knack for uncovering talent such as Keoghan, Coonan, John Connors and Alicia Weir – O'Connor said it remains 'tricky to get funding' for each new project, hence going independent for this latest release. Barry Keoghan. Pic: Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
'I don't know if it's because [his films] are darker stories, but I've definitely struggled to find the financial support over the years.
'I've been finding ways to make things on low budgets and try to make them look really good. And I'm also in a kind of a privileged position where I can bring on some really good cast now and make something for a lower budget, and it can feel like it's actually a proper budget.'
O'Connor has so far specialised in crime-centred stories, but his next film will be a comedy and, with financial backers and a stellar cast, could be his biggest yet.
Oui Cannes, which he hopes to start shooting in September, tells of two best friends who visit the French cinema hotbed in the hope of selling their screenplay.
French star Sabrina Ouazani is on board, while Gillen, Coonan and Moe Dunford are among the Irish cast. 'I'm really, really excited about it, to be honest,' O'Connor said. 'I think it's the best script that I've ever been involved with.' 23/04/2025 Mark O'Connor, Film Director and his son Manco Capac O'Connor, aged 9. Pic: Tom Honan
O'Connor said his nine-year-old son, Manco, is part of the reason for branching out.
'He's asking me what I'm doing, and he's interested in what I'm writing. And I don't necessarily want to just be doing violence.
'He's so involved and wants to be in it, or wants to know what it's about. So I don't want him to feel like I'm just into those movies.'
It will be Manco's first role after training under Mary Murray, but O'Connor insists he is 'not trying to push him into acting'.
And an eight-month-old baby at home means being 'up at 5am every day to get your work done. Or else work late: I tend to have my meetings at 9 pm or 10 pm, and I have people coming to the house, or I'm doing Zoom calls.'
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