COUNTDOWN TO ELECTRIC PICNIC: John Connors on Cardboard Gangsters and diversity in Irish film

John Connors is not a man to childishly thumb his nose and go “ner ner ner ner ner!”, but he’s delighted that Cardboard Gangsters has proved the naysayers, the Irish Film Board notably among them, wrong.

“I’m not saying it as a ‘fuck you!’ or anything, but the Film Board rejected us three times for funding,” its director and star reveaks. “They didn’t think there was an appetite for its realism and grit, which I thought was silly. The average Irish film takes €5,000 and doesn’t last more than two weeks at the cinema. Cardboard Gangsters is now in its eighth or ninth week and taken €550,000.

“The biggest Irish movie this year before we came along was Film Board-funded and we’ve almost tripled their box-office take,” he continues. “The Irish movies that usually get made are either extremely arthouse or some kind of tourist leprechaun thing. There’s a huge middle ground that doesn’t get a look in. Our funding bodies need to be looking at people from different communities and backgrounds who’ve things to say about modern Ireland. Cardboard Gangsters is a film about Darndale with mainly Darndale actors and crew. Doesn’t that count for something in their eyes?”

Connors, who’ll be talking diversity and inclusion with Adrienne Murphy in the Hot Press Chatroom @ Electric Picnic, also believes that RTÉ needs to up its game.

“There has to be more diversity in terms of what stories are being told and who’s telling them,” he insists. “Lenny Abrahamson made a point recently about RTÉ being up on their pedestal waiting for you whereas Channel 4 and the BBC actively reach out to people. There are plenty of people from diverse backgrounds looking to get stuff made here and being told ‘no!’ all the time.”

Connors hopes that sheer weight of numbers will force RTÉ to rethink their commissioning policy.

“From the point of view of my community, I’ve been contacted by literally hundreds of travellers who want to get involved in acting, writing and directing,” he resumes. “I’ve cousins who’ve been in drama school for the past three years with talented people of Polish, Brazilian, Nigerian, Bosnian, you name it extraction. RTÉ and the film funding organisations have to reflect that diversity.”

Next up for Connors in a purely acting capacity is Release, the timely tale of a boxer coming out of jail after doing eight years for armed robbery and discovering that MMA has become the dominant pugilistic art in his working-class community. Did Connors stay up late to watch the Mayweather/McGregor fight/farce?

“I was a boxer myself and won numerous titles, and this was just a silly fight,” he responds. “Despite being probably the biggest mis-match in boxing history, I did still get drunk, put a tricolour round me and screamed for McGregor to spark him out!

“I’ll be honest with you, though, I ended up being a McGregor bandwagoner because he hasn’t got the typical defeatist Irish attitude of, ‘Ah, sure, we’re happy with coming second.’ Fuck that, be the best!”

Muscling in – literally! – on the credits is Cathal Pendred who also cameoed in Cardboard Gangsters.

“Yeah, I think it was part of the showreel that got him the Punisher gig,” John nods. “He only did a little bit with us, but you could see he was a good actor, and able to take direction. He got a small part in Baywatch as well, so fair fucks to him. Cathal’s a gent and I hope he makes millions from it.”

It could have something to do with it containing his first screen kiss, but Connors is even more excited about his role in Jeff Doyle and Johnny Elliott’s The Legend Of Harry And Ambrose.

“It’s a comedy about two English redcoats who go through 1700s Ireland killing and pillaging and robbing,” he smiles. “One of them gets abducted by an alien, whilst the other gets in with a mad, ridiculous, spudhead Irish family of which I’m one of the brothers. The kiss is with another man so, I have to admit, I closed me eyes and imagined some beautiful woman. We went for it though! It’s the most bonkers film I’ve ever done, and so much fun.”

John Connors will speak at the Hot Press Chatroom at 4pm on Saturday.