Liam Carney

The award-winning Irish actor talks about having Two Pints

Actor Liam Carney has known Roddy Doyle for years, from The Commitments to their re- imagining of Playboy of the Western World. So what better man to portray one of the two drinkers in Doyle’s play Two Pints, a smash at the Abbey this summer? Darragh McManus talk to him

Liam stars with Philip Judge as One and Two – no names – in a funny, poignant two-hander imbued with Doyle’s crackling writing. We spoke to the Ballymun native about the cra of acting, working with Roddy Doyle, and his brilliant turn in e Virt ues…

You’ve been with Two Pints since the start...

I have. I’ve played this role since 2017. We used to drink real pints on stage, but unfortunately, health and safety has gone mad, so now it’s some nonalcoholic muck. Probably more damage than a pint, but it looks the part!

Were you a fan of Roddy Doyle’s Facebook posts, where Two Pints started?

I knew about them before I got this job, but wasn’t a regular reader. I wouldn’t be big on Facebook, but I know Roddy well. Caitríona [McLaughlin, director], cast Lorcan Cranitch rst, who originally played one of the two lads, then met me to see if we could all gel together.

Is theatre more collaborative than TV?

It is. You spend four or ve weeks together, working on the material, especially on a new play. You might nd, in the process, there are places which, with the writer’s consent, need to be moved or addressed in some way. Whereas in lm and TV, every department has its own thing to look a er, and by the time the actors get on set, they normally have it nailed down exactly the way they want it. They’ll have gone through the collaborative process before we get there, although obviously, there are some exceptions to this.

Do you need to build up a strong rapport beforehand with the other actor in a two-hander show?

To some extent, although I knew Lorcan well before we started working. Same with Philip. In the course of rehearsals, you might go for a pint some days: not something you plan, it happens organically.

Is this kind of production more mentally gruelling?

It can be. ere’s no relief; you’re on for the whole two hours, fully concentrating. ere’s no point where you can go, ‘Oh great I’m not in this scene for 20 minutes, I can get my head together.’ You don’t get that opportunity. It’s hard going, concentrating for two hours; it’s tiring. You know you’ve done it afterwards!

On the other hand, there’s a huge sense of satisfaction. We did a US tour before coming back to the Abbey and it was wonderful: the story translates universally, and we got standing ovations across the tour. It’s great when people appreciate what you’ve done.

Do you think the Dublin humour translates easily to audiences outside Ireland?

Yeah, it was ne. A few tiny things we had to adjust, in case it might confuse an American audience. For example, referencing Artaine Castle: we know it’s a shopping centre, not actually a castle. But most of it was unchanged. You don’t have to spoon-feed the audience; it’s more for clarity than anything else.

Would you describe Two Pints as mostly comedy, or is it serious also?

It’s a mixture of both. ere’s a huge amount of comedy – people break their hearts laughing at this play – but also a very touching story woven through it. It’s not just gags or slapstick, it’s a proper three-act drama. It wouldn’t work otherwise.

Do you go to the theatre much?

Occasionally; not a huge amount. I could go months without visiting. It’s my job, so as someone said to me once, you rarely see a priest attending mass!

You recently starred in the Channel 4 drama e Virtues, one of the most acclaimed shows of the year so far – how was it to work on that?

We actually lmed it two years ago. A er the rst run of Two Pints, I got a call to come to Sheffield and meet Shane Meadows [writer-director]. e show was a joy to be on – the quality of the work, and the brilliant cast. I knew Stephen Graham, the lead, from Gangs of New York, and also knew some of the others. I was so proud to have been a part of it. Shane is a very singular talent; not that prolific, but the quality of his work is really top-class.