Pat Shortt talks about
playing Josie
The Role
«What attracted me to the role was the character and the simplicity of him. I knew it was very different to what has been done before about a character in a rural community. And the part was quite physical which suited me. My own comedy is quite physical and that’s one of the reasons why Lenny chose me.»
About Josie
«While Josie is slow and a bit backward and a bit behind, there’s a spark with him as well. It is all very innocent with Josie. There is no malice, no badness.»
The Challenge
«The biggest challenge was carrying the movie. To bring a character to life, such a simple character in many ways, was difficult. I was constantly trying to pull it back. In many ways the character is like the ones I write myself, but the comedy is much, much quieter, and the tragedy louder.»
The Set
«There was a great atmosphere on set and that all comes down to the director - the directors drive the ship - and Lenny was very good; good humoured, relaxed, easy to work with. The scripts were so good that everyone was all excited about the film. Overall, it was a lot more intense a shoot than I’ve ever done before.»
Working with Lenny
«Lenny is brilliant with actors. He’s brilliant with dialogue. He is very in tune and knows what he wants and takes plenty of time and space to work on it. He feels that every word is important and he’s constantly honing in on things.
As an actor it gives you great comfort because you know there is someone else looking out for you.»
Audience Reaction?
«I think Irish audiences will be surprised by it. I think it’s such a good story and the characters are so real that people will be able to identify with it. People will forget about the Pat Shortt that they know as the film is just so very believable. They’ll get lost in it. A lot of people will identify with the rural life and with that type of character.»
