‘IT’S AN EXTRAORDINARY TIME TO BE A YOUNG IRISH ACTOR’

UP-AND-COMING DUNDALK ACTOR SEÁN ÓG CAIRNS SPEAKS TO MARGARET RODDY ABOUT HIS STARRING ROLE IN THE FORTHCOMING NETFLIX COMEDY THRILLER BODKIN

“It’s an extraordinarily exciting time to be a young Irish actor,” says Louth native Seán Óg Cairns who features in the highly anticipated new Netflix series Bodkin.

The 28 year-old from Dundalk, whose first experience of acting was in Dundalk Theatre Workshop’s production of The Winslow Boy which saw him wining awards at the All-Ireland drama festival in 2014, is among the new generation of Irish actors taking their place on the world stage.

He is now appearing alongside some of his heroes in the comedy thriller Bodkin that comes from Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground.

The series follows a motley crew of podcasters as they investigate the disappearance of three strangers in a small town in West Cork and features transatlantic cast including Will Forte ( Nebraska), Siobhán Cullen ( The Dry), Robyn Cara ( Trying), David Wilmot ( Station Eleven), and Chris Walley ( The Last Voyage of the Demeter).

“Eoin, my character - the young local Garda - is a lovable little idiot, sporting a hipster moustache, who clearly grew up watching too many CSI and Magnum P.I. re-runs,” says Seán Óg. “He is convinced that everyone respects him and his authority as a Garda, whereas, in reality, everyone kind of humours him instead.”

It’s been billed as a darkly comedic thriller about a crew of podcasters who set out to investigate the mysterious disappearance of three strangers in the Irish coastal town of Bodkin. But once they start pulling at threads, they discover a story much bigger and weirder than they could have ever imagined.

The imaginary town of Bodkin is set in a small village in West Cork and he describes the locations used between Cork, Wicklow, and Dublin as “stunning”.

“They really capture the wild, unhinged tones of the show and the majestic, unapologetic beauty of rural Ireland.”

The world was just coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic when Seán Óg auditioned for Bodkin.

“All of my auditions were done in the form of self-tapes (at-home pre-recorded auditions) and Zoom meetings,” he recalls.

“The shooting itself was a dream. I got to work with some heroes of mine, who I now, proudly, call my friends.”

“Jez Scharf, our writer, made magic with his dialogue and it left very little work for me to do as an actor because the scripts were so rich with language and comedy. Viewers are sure to be watching from the edge of their seat whilst splitting their sides laughing.”

Seán Óg had previously starred in the very successful Disney series Find Me In Paris, with filming for the third and final season ending in December 2019.

“Not long after the Find Me In Paris wrap, I worked a very fun job in February 2020 with Domhnall and Brian Gleeson for their series Frank of Ireland for Channel 4 and Amazon,” he says. “March 2020 rolled around then and, well, we all remember what happened then. “The pandemic had an incredibly turbulent impact on the arts as a whole. Watching it fall apart at the seams, much like the very world we were living in at the time, was harrowing; cinemas and theatres were closed, productions were halted, festivals were cancelled, the box office dropped by countless millions of dollar. We really were one of the first to go and one of the last to come back.” He says that thankfully the industry has recovered tremendously since the pandemic, which is a statement which, at times during lockdowns, he thought he might not have been able to say again. “I couldn’t touch on this subject, however, without also recognising the recent strikes of the stalwart defenders of, and advocates for, artists’ rights - the members of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA (the tied second-longest and longest strikes in their histories, respectively).

“The strikes, whilst fighting for, and ultimately achieving, much needed change and protections for artists as our industry continues to evolve, also had a similarly violent impact on the industry, which we very much felt on our side of the pond.”

“You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, however; it made for another very rocky period in the arts, but now, we’re back on solid ground, and I feel much safer for all our collective futures, thanks to their efforts.”

Seán Óg says that “it’s an extraordinarily exciting time to be a young Irish actor.”

“There are countless incredible productions coming out of Ireland, big productions coming to Ireland, and talented performers on the rise”

“We can’t talk about what an exciting time it is without, of course, mentioning another hero of mine, Cillian Murphy, being the first Irish-born actor ever to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards. What a triumph!

“The momentum being built in Irish screen and stage right now is staggering, really, and I’m very proud to be a part of it.

“We, the Irish, have such a rich history of storytelling, it’s a part of who we are. I, like many before me, was born to tell stories - to leave behind tales that will last for generations to come - and I’m humbled to be carrying on that tradition.”

Following the release of Bodkin on Netflix on May 9, audiences will get the chance to see Seán Óg in a new independent Irish film called Love Lane United.

“It’s a very poignant, relatable coming-of-age comedy-drama about love, loss, football, occasionally having one too many drinks, and being a twenty-something who has absolutely no idea where they’re going, what they’re doing, and feeling as though everyone else has it figured out but you.

“I was enamoured with the script as soon as I read it, it really has something for everyone. A gritty, ‘feet planted firmly on the floor’ kind of picture with so much love weaved into every line.”

While Seán Óg’s work is taking him around the country and abroad, he can often be found on the golf course at Blackrock when he’s at home.

“I’ve been playing golf with my father since I was a toddler and I’ve been a member of Dundalk Golf Club since my teens.”

ALL OF MY AUDITIONS WERE DONE IN THE FORM OF SELF-TAPES AND ZOOM MEETINGS