Love/Hate's Peter Coonan: 'Fran is a 100 percent psycho'

Gearing up to play Dublin writer Brendan Behan in Borstal Boy, Peter Coonan says that his new role is nothing like the one that made him famous in Love/Hate.
"Fran and Behan are completely different characters," Coonan says. "Behan was seen to be a criminal and arrested for bringing explosives to England. He got caught up in a cause. That's not comparable to Fran, who, without a doubt, is a 100 percent psychopath. He grew up surrounded by criminality and saw an opportunity to make money. He probably had no other choice. Then he grew into something a lot more vicious and menacing than Behan could ever be."
For the full interview with Coonan, in which he talks about the influence of his late mother and the Irish actors he holds in high regard, pick up the latest Hot Press (Hozier cover), out now.
Borstal Boy run in the Gaiety Theatre, in Dublin, until October 11