SISTER ACT
Kerry Condon on donkeys, Neeson and Better Call Saul…
What did you think when you first read the role of Pádraic’s sister, Siobhan? There’s so much subtlety to her. There’s a lot of internal stuff going on. So then I just thought about my own experience as an Irish woman, and things that I felt I could show flickers of – her frustration at not being heard, at being lonely, and just feeling like she’s not being listened to, or cared about. But without doing it from a very needy place. And then, also, I tried to play into grief, because I had experienced grief for the first time in my life quite recently. It was my dog. But it was my princess!
What was the process for the rehearsal period like? It was a two-week rehearsal period, prior to shooting. It was basically as important as the shooting. When you would be doing the plays, and there’s a line that you know is going to get a laugh – you time it in a rehearsal. You pause, so they’re not drowning out the next line. I was like: “I know the answer to this, but obviously we’re not to pause, right?” That was an adjustment for me, having done the plays. I was like, “But I’m just going to run on, and ruin the laugh, if I keep going?” Martin was like, “They’ve got to watch the movie twice, then.”
How was it working with Jenny the tiny donkey? Adorable Jenny, she had a friend with her, because she was so young. And the other donkey was a bit older and more confident. So she was like, “If Rosie’s close by, then I’m OK.” Rosie was the understudy, almost, who’d wait in the wings. And if Jenny could see Rosie she was grand. She was cute, though she gave Colin a fecking kick in the knee one of the days. So she wasn’t that nice to him. A diva.
What was it like being on the final Better Call Saul season?
That was the gift that kept on giving. Because when I first did that, I thought it was going to be just that one episode. I hadn’t seen Breaking Bad when I got the role. Thank God, because I think it would have really intimidated me. But then they kept calling me back. It was a really great thing to learn as a guest star that sometimes you’re facilitating another character’s storyline, and that’s your job. I was just so grateful that they wanted me back, and I was getting to be part of something that was iconic. For just my name to be associated with it was enough.
You’re working with another Irish legend,
Liam Neeson, in your next project, In The Land Of Saints And Sinners…
I’m getting the best of all them! While it’s not all an action movie, there was a lot of action required for it. And I’m playing the baddie which was fun because it’s nice to not give a fuck if anyone likes you or not. I was like, “I can see how you can get stuck in an action genre, because it’s so much fun.” I actually had to peer around a corner, shoot Liam Neeson, and run off. I mean, it was like playing as a child. Liam was a gent. And Schindler’s List had been a big influence on my career. He made me think, “Oh my God, it is possible to be an international actor! If he can do it, I can do it.” JC