Described by the New York Times as ‘a genuine and bracing original … a whiskey shot of a play’, Bedbound is about a megalomaniac furniture salesman and his daughter, who is confined to her small bed. As Enda Walsh himself explains, "All my plays are about people who haven’t been loved or looked after".
I give in ta the words. I let go. Go.
Colm Meaney's first time back on an Irish stage in 40 years coincides with his second time working on an acting project together with daughter, Brenda (the first was a a movie filmed in Portugal in 2020, There’s Always Hope, in which they also played a father and daughter ). How is it going so far, any temper tantrums on either side? "I am shocked that I'm saying this, but we've been having so much fun," says Brenda.
"We've had fun, no rows just yet. What's surprising to me is when we are in it, I really feel like I'm just working with another actor. It's interesting," says Colm.
Brenda, who grew up in New York and then studied Egyptology in Trinity, always wanted to act, despite Colm's encouragement to follow other passions. After undertaking acting studies back in America at Yale, Brenda began carving out a name for herself, appearing in everything from TV to movies and theatre. Colm, arguably the most beloved and well known Irish daddy since Roddy Doyle's Barrytown Trilogy, earned a Golden Globes nomination in 1994 for timeless tale, The Snapper (snip snip ). The Snapper turned 30 earlier this year. "The writing of the Barrytown Trilogy is so funny and complex as well, Ronnie's a genius," says Colm.
How was it growing up in the midst of Barrytown Trilogy mania for Brenda? "I think I was too young initially to see them. I very vividly remember the experience of being in Dublin and and people's reactions to the films, and how much love they had for them."
It is a very different time for working actors now, compared to when Colm started out. Are things easier or harder for those working in the industry? "I think when I started, there was very little opportunity in Ireland," says Colm. "I think there is more competition now, it seems to be more crowded."
Brenda says: "I think the reality of making a living as a working actor nowadays is really hard. The opportunities are less and I think it's a shame that the arts here are underfunded compared to other European countries."
Bedbound is on in the Bailey Allen Hall, University of Galway, from July 14 to July 29.
