The Youth Of Today

Endeavouring to reach Irishman Robert Sheehan, I appear to have inadvertently found someone on Merseyside. “Howya doo-in?” asks a voice, very much down the nose. “Craig yeah? I’m nohh tooo bad.” Christ on a bike, I’ve dialled Robert’s digits (which I won’t reveal for anything less than an exorbitant fee, ladies) only to find his phone pinched by an otherwise affable Scouser who somehow knows my name. Robert’s probably in a ditch, I’m next. The crisis passes as our actor reveals himself. It was him on the phone all along! Too bad, would’ve been a great story.

“I’m in Manchester, forgive me,” explains Sheehan. “I’m doing a little bit of a Liverpool twaaang while I’m here, playing a Liverpudlian. I’m just trying to stay in that, so I don’t have to wreck me brain to try and get back to it.” And so it comes to pass that the accent remains in place for the duration. It’s a bit like interviewing Ringo. “Haha! Hopefully it’s not going to become a parody of just general Liverpool people. I’m constantly surrounded by Mancs and Scottish people. It’s hard to keep the subtle differences apart. It’s good talking to you because I’m constantly flitting in and out of it, the more talk the better the practice.”
Sheenan is filming an episode of BBC drama Accused – if he earns plaudits for his portrayal, surely Hot Press can take some credit for being involved in his ‘process’. And, going on his track record to date, further plaudits seem a certainty. This year alone, he’s given us a turn as rock star-that-never-was Ivan McCormick in Killing Bono and a reprisal of his role in RTÉ’s Love/Hate, trod the boards of the Old Vic, gained a BAFTA nomination and broken hearts when he chose not to return to Channel 4’s Misfits. There was little office debate, then, that he was the Irish actor most deserving of recognition. The only thing to figure out was what title to bestow: ‘Actor of the Year’ or… ‘TV Phenomenon of the Year’?
“That might be the most amazing title anyone’s ever called me in my life!” he roars with delight. Beats the BAFTA nod? “Definitely, big time it does! ‘Phenomenon’… it trumps everything.” Has 2011 felt like a year of particular note, or have the past few flown by in a blur? “It’s certainly all moved very swiftly, but 2011 has been a joyous year in my life. I’ve had nothing but good times and did a lot of travelling. New York at the start, then Thailand and Cambodia for a month… Dublin for three months to do Love/Hate series two… South Africa… no wait, sorry, Sicily first… then South Africa?” Enough for anyone to lose track.
By September, he was back in London, starring in a production of JM Synge’s The Playboy Of The Western World. “It was fucking great but it was one of the most exhausting jobs I’ve ever had. The last time I was on stage, I was 16 doing The Cripple Of Inishmaan in Laois. This was like my professional debut. The thing was… the very basic concept of time-keeping seemed to escape me (laughs)! I had to really work to get to my arse to the theatre every day on time. There was a couple of close shaves, I’ll be honest! Not close close, just on a couple of days over – and let’s remember this – ten weeks, I missed the half [final call]. If you miss that, they have to start getting the understudy on standby.” Poor ol’ understudy.
One reason to finally drag himself to the Old Vic was to catch a glimpse of one Kevin Spacey, the theatre’s artistic director. “He was doing Richard III while we were rehearsing upstairs. He was there welcoming us, always knocking around the building. Which is quite surreal, as you can imagine. Growing up, I spent years of my teenagehood loving American Beauty and thinking it was my favourite film.” These surreal moments have been coming thick and fast for the young man from Portlaoise – the roll-call of names he’s appeared with is like a who’s who of the business. Nicolas Cage and Sean Bean are an easy couple to rattle off and, since filming The Borrowers in South Africa, he can add the likes of Stephen Fry, Christopher Eccleston and Victoria Wood to that list. The perfect people from which to learn your trade. “I think you can’t help but rob other actors… Well, not literally!” he chuckles. “I’ve often tried to base characters on actors that I’ve seen, particular aspects of their performance. Even just stuff you see on the telly. I like to watch lots and lots of stuff. So I constantly try and steal from obscure places!”
He’s an avid viewer (of late, he recommends The Adventures Of Tin Tin, which he has seen twice and describes as “Indiana Jones on acid”) but isn’t enamoured with everything. “Pet peeves?” he ponders. “At the moment, there’s a lot of bulging bodice period drama going on. A lot of ladies who are absolutely gorgeous and decked out, beautiful looking men, and they’re all wearing period costumes. It’s like the new breed of soap opera. I just hate all that. I think it’s a load of shit.” Alongside the Downton Abbeys of this world, you can probably place Twilight and its ilk. He sighs with exasperation at the mere mention. “When too much of that stuff goes out, all these productions with vampires and werewolves, you can see that the only reason they’re doing it is because Twilight made so much fucking money. They’re trying to get on the gravy train. Doing stuff, not to be new, but just because it’ll make money.”
At this early stage in his career, Sheehan says a strong script is paramount. “The script is definitely a key thing. With Love/Hate, as soon as I read it I wanted to do it. It was incredibly well-written, with really well-realised characters even from the first episode. It just sings off the page.” He’s also making a concerted effort not to be typecast. It was the chief reason why Sheehan opted to bow out of Misfits after two series in which he stole almost every scene. He’s enjoyed watching the third, particularly his replacement Joseph Gilgun (“I’ve written him an email, not sent yet, saying, ‘I really want to work with you, on anything!’”) but is glad he moved on. “There was a lot of stuff coming through for ‘cheeky, arrogant’ parts and there’s only so much of that you can do. I thought, ‘I think I should move on now and do something else.’ That’s the beauty of being an actor – you get to be quite nomadic with the work.”
He’s happy not to have a fixed abode, and admits he’d fancy following Love/Hate co-star Aidan Gillen’s footsteps across the Atlantic (“Aidan actually won a green card in a lottery, which is bizarre, isn’t it? That helped, I’m sure!”), but for now he’s happy in London. “It’s an incredible place and you’re absolutely spoilt as a human being if you’re living in London. It feels like the centre of the world when you’re there.”
He’ll visit family over Christmas, but is torn between London and Dublin for New Year’s Eve. The conversation ends with Sheehan asking about good New Year’s Eve parties in the Irish capital, and a decision: “I’m definitely going to spend some time walking around Dublin, drinking some mulled wine, catching up with friends. Hot, steaming wine as we walk the streets!” Robert Sheehan – some of the hottest property in Irish acting, possibly coming to a street corner near you. Scouse accent optional.