Taken Down As the crime drama reaches its dramatic finale this week, Andrea Byrne meets actor Sean Fox, better known as Fitzer, the somewhat overzealous detective
Andrea Byrne chats to Sean Fox, Fitzer from the RTE drama Taken Down, about what the role means to him and why acting, not the building trade, is where his passion lies
“It’s not o en you’re in something which you can honestly say has real social merit. It has kick-started a conversation and regardless of what the outcome is, it is a conversation we need to be having.” Actor Sean Fox is talking about his involvement in the drama series Taken Down. e six-part series has proven quite the talking point since it arrived on TV screens a few weeks ago, highlighting the country’s asylum process and the harsh realities of life in direct provision. “I didn’t know a huge amount about it (direct provision) before I auditioned. It was only in doing research that I found out more. I had heard about it and I knew what it was in principle, but I wasn’t aware of the level of su ering that it causes. It’s a tough situation for anyone to nd themselves in. My heart goes out to anyone going through it.” ought-provoking content aside, the drama has also introduced us to some exciting new faces from the world of Irish acting - Sean among them. In his biggest role to date, the young Co Leitrim actor plays Fitzer, a cocky, capable, at times overzealous detective who is part of the team investigating the murder of Esme, a Nigerian woman found bludgeoned to death outside the direct provision centre where she had been living. “Fitzy is very direct and he follows his gut with varying levels of success,” Sean says of his character. “He’s not particularly sensitive to the intricacies of modern society, but at the same time, his heart is in the right place. He probably has just a little bit too much enthusiasm. I had a great time playing him. When you’re a kid growing up, you play cops and robbers, then you get to do it for real. Banging down doors, chasing bad guys. Great fun to shoot,” Sean says, revealing that we’re in for a real treat in the show’s final episode. “You can expect lots of action. We’re in the thick of the story now, so the pace will accelerate. It will be riveting.”
When you’re a kid growing up, you play cops and robbers, then you get to do it for real. Banging down doors, chasing bad guys. Great fun to shoot
Sean is down-to-earth and chatty. He hasn’t lost his Leitrim accent despite over five years living in London. The hum of machinery is audible for the duration of our phone interview. Between acting jobs, Sean works on building sites around London. “Acting is the main thrust of my career, that is where my passion lies, but at the end of the day, you have to pay the rent and the bills and there is no shame in that either,” he says of the realities of life as an actor starting out.
On the morning of his audition for Taken Down, Sean, who studied acting at the prestigious LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) as well as an engineering degree from UCD, was actually working on the building opposite the Spotlight eatre in Leicester Square where the auditions were taking place. “I rushed home from work, I was playing a detective, so I got suited and booted, into the audition, did the audition.
It all went well and I got a phone about two weeks later to say I got the part. Celebrations all round. I was over the moon to be involved and it’s an absolute gi of a part,” he says. “On paper, before I even read the scripts, I saw the names Stuart Carolan, David Ca rey, Suzanne McAuley then Jo Spain and I knew it was going to be good. en I read the script and I knew it was going to be brilliant. Also, the creative team, the crew and the cast were among the nicest, most approachable people you’ll come across and I am not saying that because I am looking for a job. When I say that, I mean it. I made friends on that job. It’s not o en you get up at 5 or 6 o clock in the morning and you’re brimming with excitement for the day. I can tell you I didn’t get up this morning brimming with excitement,” he laughs.
is isn’t Sean’s rst TV drama. He played Seán Mac Diarmada (another son of Co Leitrim) in the ve-part 1916 Rising drama, Rebellion. He also had a small role in Ken Loach’s acclaimed movie Jimmy’s Hall. e new year will see him take to the stage in the Gaiety as he appears in e Cripple of Inishmaan. His parents, he says, ‘are having kittens’ at the prospect of having him on Irish soil for a few months. “London is a great city, but home is always in my heart. I have a brother in New York, but Mam and Dad are still at home in Leitrim. It’s always great to get home to see the folks. I lived in Dublin for six years before I moved to London. It has a vibrancy and sense of humour there that you can’t nd anywhere else in the world.”