New drama’s family affair for Gleeson
Former Mrs Brown’s Boys star Rory has no plans to tune in to hit festive show
Brendan Gleeson BRENDAN Gleeson has teamed up with three of his sons for a short film.
The 62-year-old is making his debut as a director with drama Psychic, which is set to air on Sky Arts in 2019.
Dubliner Brendan stars as a clairvoyant forced out of retirement by his two sons – played by children Domhnall and Brian.
Another son Rory wrote the Irish Film Board and Sky funded drama.
Mr Mercedes star Brendan said: “I am thrilled to be sharing this adventure with such a special cast and crew. Psychic will be magic.”
The news comes just weeks after Sky confirmed they are investing more than €2.2million into creating Irish shows.
ON HIS REASON FOR LEAVING POPULAR SHOW
RORY Cowan has said he might tune into Mrs Brown’s Boys at Christmas – but it “depends what else is on”.
The 58-year-old actor left the Bafta-winning comedy in July and added he has had no regrets about bidding farewell to the show.
Even after working on Mrs Brown’s Boys with its creator Brendan O’carroll for two decades, Cowan admitted he isn’t bothered about turning on the festive special.
He told the Irish Mirror: “It’s on at Christmas. Maybe I’ll watch it but it depends on what else is on.
“It’ll definitely depend on what else is on.”
The Dubliner hasn’t been in contact with his former boss since leaving the show to care for his elderly mum Esther, who suffers from dementia.
Cowan said he didn’t want to have “any regrets” that he could have done more to help his mother, which was one of the reasons for his departure.
The star added he felt as though he was too old to be playing the same role in Mrs Brown’s Boys after more than 20 years.
He said: “I didn’t want to go back to [touring] Australia. Last time I was there, in January, I was told my mother had days to live.
“It was coming up to January again and going away for three months and there was no way I was making that trip with my mother in the state she’s in.
“I thought that’s why I wasn’t happy on Mrs Brown’s Boys but I wasn’t happy for the last couple of years there anyway.
“The reason was I’m getting too old to be playing the kind of character I’m playing.
“The really dizzy queen, camp Rory. I’m 58, I was doing that when Mrs Brown’s Boys started on radio in 1991 – 26 years ago.
“The play they’re doing now, I was doing that 17 years ago. Apart from grandad and Mrs Brown, the rest of us are getting too old to be playing the characters we’re playing.”
Cowan is taking the rest of the year off work to decide what he wants to do next, although he has said he definitely has no interest in signing up for a reality series.
He added: “They’re contrived things and I don’t like that.
“I’m not interested in any of that, there’s a lot of things I’m not interested in.”
I was getting too old to still be playing the dizzy queen I was doing on radio in 1991 RORY COWAN