Aoibhinn McGinnity
Ten years after Love/ Hate revolutionised Irish TV drama, the award- winning series is being re- run in its entirety. Michael Doherty chats to Aoibhinn McGinnity about the role of Trish Delaney and how it changed everything for her
With Love/Hate back on our screens, Michael Doherty chats to the Monaghan actor who took on the role of Trish
Vogue magazine recently compiled a list of TV dramas worth watching for those missing their weekly fix of Normal People. Among them was the awardwinning Irish series, Love/Hate. While few doubt the brilliance of Stuart Carolan’s ground-breaking drama, anybody expecting the heart-rending romance of Connell and Marianne to be replicated by the likes of Nidge and Trish is in for a shock. Love/Hate was a game-changer for Irish TV drama, offering a gritty and realistic look at the crime scene in Dublin. It also offered eminently quotable dialogue and a cast of young Irish talent who would go on to make their marks in the industry, including Tom Vaughan Lawlor, Barry Keoghan, Ruth Negga, Charlie Murphy and Aoibhinn McGinnity. While Monaghan-born Aoibhinn has taken on a variety of roles since Love/Hate wrapped in 2014, ranging from musical theatre ( Elf) to historical drama ( Rebellion) to science-fiction ( Krypton), she will forever be associated with the role of Patricia ‘Trish’ Delaney . . .
Michael Doherty: First off, Aoibhinn, what are your thoughts on Love/Hate coming back to our screens ten years after it first captured the public imagination? Aoibhinn McGinnity: My first thought is that I feel quite old! I’m curious to see what it looks like the second time around after such a gap. TV itself has changed so much since the advent of Netflix. They shoot television today like they shoot movies, so it’s going to have changed people’s views, and standards will definitely have risen. But I still think there’ll be a place for Love/ Hate in Irish people’s hearts.
Can you remember what you thought when you first saw Trish on the page?
What stood out from the script was her attitude, but I didn’t want to go in all hardcore because sometimes you can overplay it. I remember that the audition felt good. I read with Tom and it just all came alive. Even within the first small scene, you got to understand so much of the dynamic of their relationship. It was cool to see that.
Were you prepared for Tom’s interpretation of Nidge?
Tom is just an incredible actor and what he did with Nidge was super interesting. It’s like I was saying earlier about attitude. You can do the cliché thing that everybody’s seen a hundred times, or you can do what Tom does with the character, which is three-dimensional and utterly believable. That’s at the core of anything good on television.
When I think back on Trish, I immediately think leopard-print. Did you work with costume designer Aisling Wallace-Byrne on her look?
I love when costume directors are collaborative and they care about the character and they care about what the director needs and what the actor needs. That was so exciting. Even though obviously Trish’s clothes are not really my bag, it was so much fun because clothes are so important to a character and if it feels wrong, it really grates on you. I think Trish’s clothes were like armour to her. Everything was so uncomfortable, including her handbags. It was all studs and print and her shoes were like pistols!
At what point did you realise that Love/Hate had really captured the public imagination?
I can’t really pinpoint the exact time when it started to happen and I suppose I never really looked like Trish, but people were always really, really nice. There were definitely some places you would go and you’d get it more than others. That really started to happen around season two or three and then in year five, it was pretty insane for everybody. It’s funny, we’ve all done so much in our careers since but people will always want to talk about Love/ Hate. But it’s great that people love it.
You yourself could easily have been pigeonholed as Trish, but your career since has offered a wide variety of roles . . .
Thank God that’s the case! That was my dream from the get-go. I never wanted to be typecast, doing pretty much the same thing, just in a slightly different manner. I’ve done predominately dark stuff, though lately there have been softer parts, but I’ve always wanted to maintain as much variety as possible. I’ve also done a bit of comedy and that’s something I’d like to do more of, but I guess I’m drawn more to the darker roles.
You’ve recently completed such a role, playing the alcoholic daughter of Sean Mahon in the upcoming drama, The Edge of Chaos. What can we expect from that?
Well, Sean’s amazing. I haven’t seen any of it yet, and I don’t know if I’m going to see anything now that we are all hidden away in our houses. That was definitely really dark. I’m not a Method actor and all that jazz, but you really have to just jump in, do all your research and then follow your instincts. It was very demanding and fiercely sad. There’s not much comedy in that one, but I’m extremely proud of it.
Final question, Aoibhinn, now that Trish is back on our screens, will you be avoiding leopard print outfits for a while?
I used to actually like wearing a bit of leopard print here and there, but I just can’t do it anymore!
I guess I’m drawn more to the darker roles