What The Critics Say

"Yes, it's all rather silly. But it's also all rather fun." Nev Pierce BBCi FILMS "An above-average Brit-comedy with a superb but largely under-used cast." Gary Panton MOVIE GAZETTE "A tour-de-force for Moran and an inspirational comic performance from Caine." The Wolf iofilm.co.uk "His second feature film as writer-director sees McPherson in a playful and mischievous mood, concocting an elaborate heist caper in the style of the classic Ealing comedies. Although The Actors ultimately doesn't live up to the promise, it's a lively and intermittently entertaining affair complete with Michael Caine donning drag with painfully hilarious consequences." THIS IS LANCASHIRE ".... .., Moran is likeable in the role, and with the exception of a few embarrassing scenes, Caine is terrifically funny (his hilarious running gags keep us chuckling)." Rich Cline SHADOWS ON THE WALL

"The Actors, a Dublin comedy from Neil Jordan's original story, is a jokey, overloud farce. But it incites Michael Caine, who is busking on the boards as Richard III, with Dylan Moran as sidekick and Shakespearean protégé to have fun dressing up in numerous disguises to evade the vengeance of a mob from whom they have stolen £50,000. They make amusing partners." Alexander Walker THIS IS LONDON "Nevertheless the film does wear its heart on its sleeve, is good-natured in tone and is in fairly safe hands with director Conor McPherson, whose first film as a writer I Went Down is a minor classic and would make a suitable viewing companion to this more polished work." Tiscali UK "..... not 15 minutes in, it became a laugh out loud, comic gem of a movie. But clearly the true hero of this film is Mr Caine. This man should do much more comedy. This ranks alongside some of his best comedy roles." IMDB REVEIWER "…it's Caine's picture. Whether relishing the chance to slaughter Shakespeare on stage, or proving a cowardly letch off it, he displays delightful self-deprecation and comic timing…” Nev Pierce BBCI FILMS

At A Glance It has taken some time for "The Actors" to make its way into Australian cinemas but the story of "The Actors" goes back a decade further according to Neil Jordan, who came up with the original story. A stroy set as a self challenge. "I wrote the story about ten years ago,” Jordan explained. "It was a kind of challenge, to see if I could come up with a plot which forced an actor to imitate as many different people as possible. So I came up with the basic outline, two actors, one thinks he’s good, the other thinks he’s bad, one playing Richard the Third, the other playing various spear-carriers. One comes up with a ruse for the other to imitate an English gangster to whom money is owed, as both an acting lesson and a financial scam and the subsequent complications force him into further imitations." The idea was good but was it destined for the screen or the bookshelves? It wasn't until Jordan and producer Stephen Woolley formed the production company Company of Wolves" that his mind once more turned to the story. "I had been toying with it, tried to turn it into a novel, then came back to the idea of it as a film. I admired Conor’s [McPherson] work, showed him what I’d written and asked him would he be interested in writing a screenplay," he says. So what convinced him that Conor was the right person for the job? "After seeing "I Went Down", I really felt he was right for this. I think Conor is one of the brightest, freshest writers around." And what did Conor see in the story? "I was asked to write a screenplay, which I wrote as a comedy," he said. "Neil had taken the plot to the point where things started to go wrong for the characters and though the original characters are essentially the same, the story has moved on a lot since then." And Conor should know about actors, after all he's spent some time in theatres. "I’ve met some right tulips in my time," he said laughing. "There are a lot of actors working in theatre who are larger than life with big personalities and that really lends itself to comedy. Their vanity and self absorption is intrinsically funny." But how did Conor end up directing "The Actors"? "Conor wrote this wonderfully funny script and the idea of him directing it was a natural progression," says Jordan. "He has a feeling for comedy. It takes a definite instinct to write and direct. The story is quite profound the way he has written it, there is a lot of black humour, a lot of depth in the way he treats that paradox of actors playing multiple characters and what it does to somebody and the contrasts in people’s behaviour. The story really ploughs ahead." That only leaves the story of casting "The Actors". A new face for most aussie cinema-goers is Dylan Moran who plays his role of Tom to a treat. He landed the job because of two factors. That answer came from long time Woolley/Jordan collaborator Redmond Morris who explained, "The process of casting Tom was going to involve testing. It was always going to be a young actor who hadn’t done an awful lot." One big tick for Moran. But that alone wouldn't get him the part. So what did? “Dylan tested brilliantly; he just was that character," Conor McPherson says. "He looks like he landed on another planet, with that wide-eyed look and that quality intrinsic in himself, I just knew he was right." One question I wanted an answer to was, just how did they manage to score Mr Michael Caine. McPherson says he suggested it to Wooley because Wooley had previously worked with Caine on "Little Voice" while Jordan had worked with Caine on "Mona Lisa". "I couldn’t believe it when we sent him the script and he wanted to do it," McPherson says. "Michael has a very natural edge to him. Like all good actors he’s very competitive. They fight very hard for what they want and that’s why they’ve succeeded. It’s amazing because he’s a legend and there you are having tea with him!" And never a truer word has been spoken [or in this case written], for there is no denying, Michael Caine truly is a legend! And his reaction to the script?
Caine says he "was delighted to get his teeth into a comedy. You always look very carefully at a script when it’s a comedy, for every ten dramatic scripts you only get one good comedy. Conor is such a clever writer, he writes terrific dialogue." Well, come on Michael, how funny was it. "The script made me laugh out loud and that hasn’t happened since "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels". The combination of a great script," he revealed, "and the team involved made this film irresistible." And here's a few more little tit-bits about the cast.
Conor McPherson on Michael Gambon. "He’s a hero of mine. When I was writing the part of Barreller, I always had Gambon in mind."
The legendary Micheal Gambon on the character of Barreller. "Normally I play quite nice people, gentle people, reflective people. This is a classic farce portraying actors as they used to be. Rogues and vagabonds!"
Lena Headey on the smashing Dolores. "I read the script and loved the character of Dolores. The comedy is really fresh. I don’t think it has any contemporary equals."
Wooley on Miranda Richardson. "Miranda is a great comedienne and was truly wonderful in the Black Adder series. We were very pleased to get her." Miranda Richardson on the villian Magnani. "It was immediately visual and I found that very appealing."
Producer Redman Morris . "It was an amalgamation of new and old friends and the chemistry between everyone really worked. Even though they are on opposite ends of the experience spectrum, Michael and Dylan gel tremendously well. The balance is right."
And on Abigail Iversen, chosen from 3000 young hopefuls? "She had a wise quality, she seemed very grown up but in a natural way."
Abigail on Mary. "Mary is very loud and bossy and she’s not shy at all. She never gets embarrassed, she shouts her head off a lot. I’m the total opposite, we have nothing in common! Usually I’m the one who gets bossed around by my sister."
Dylan Moran on Conor McPherson. "The script is the real star, it reads incredibly well. Conor has a great ear for dialogue and his love of Dublinese shines through. He makes ordinary words do very hard work. It’s a very affectionate script in the way he treats these people."
McPherson on the whole cast. "It’s a brilliant cast. It’s difficult not to take it for granted as they are all so experienced, they understand everything and they’re just up for it!" The Story Meet Tom, an aspiring actor who hasn't shown much talent and O'Malley, a Shakespearian actor in the twilight of his career who can't afford the upkeep on his apartment. O"Malley is currently appearing on the stage in his version of Richard III. Set in World War 2, Richard III is playing to sparce audiences and the box office takings are meagre. Now O'Malley has a plan. There's a certain party who owes another party 50,000 pounds. Now neither party has ever met. O'Malley's plan is to relieve the parties of their money and disappear. To do this O'Malley needs an accomplice. And accomplice without too many brains. The cunning O"Malley sees Tom as the ideal foil. But O'Malley hasn't counted on Tom's wiser than her years 9 year old niece, Mary. When she gets involved, the sting becomes a real possibility, as long as the party who owes the other party never ever meet. Everything is going to plan, until a certain party sends their man to collect their 50,000 pounds. The shit is about to hit the fan. Someone has to die and it isn't going to be O'Malley. Well, not if he can help it! The Verdict "Clearly, the audience I sat in with, a mixture of all ages enjoyed "The Actors"! And why not? Michael Caine in drag in a memorable fireplace scene [remember his appearance in "Dressed To Kill"]; Dylan Moran in numerous disguises; the great Michael Gambon with a runaway wig; the scam, orchestrated by a wiser than her years niece played by Abigail Iverson; a love interest and, there's a somewhat happy ending. This all adds up to fun viewing. Of course to many cinema fans, the mere mention of Michael Caine is enough to send them scampering to the local theatre. It's well worth the trip. Mr Caine shows, once again, he has more talent in his little finger than most of the so-called 'stars' of today. A mixture of clever comedy and slapstick humour makes "The Actors" worth seeing." Cast & Crew Bytes "The Actors" was directed by Conor McPherson ["I Went Down", "Saltwater" and "Endgame"], written by Conor McPherson and the 1974 Guardian Fiction Prize winner Neil Jordan ["Night In Tunisia", "The Past", "The Dream Of A Beast" and "Sunrise With Sea Monster"], produced by Stephen Woolley ["The Crying Game", "Backbeat", "The Hollow Reed" and "Fever Pitch"], Redmond Morris ["Scandal", "The Crying Game", "The Miracle" and "Affair of the Necklace"] and Neil Jordan ["The Crying Game", "Interview With A Vampire", "Michael Collins" and "The Good Thief"], costume design by Consolata Boyle ["Endgame", "Catastrophe", "Angela’s Ashes", "When Brendan met Trudy" and "Moll Flanders"] edited by Emer Reynolds ["Ailsa", "Bent Out of Shape", "Harvest Emergency" and "Cosa Nite"] with cinematograhy under the direction of Seamus McGarvey ["Enigma", "The Hours", "Butterfly Kiss" and "High Fidelity"] and original music composed by Michael Nyman ["The Piano", "The Claim", "The End Of The Affair", "The Claim" and "Nathalie"].
"The Actors" stars Academy Award winner Michael Caine ["The Ipcress File', "Alfie", "Hannah and Her Sisters", "Quills" and "The Cider House Rules"], Dylan Moran ["Notting Hill"], Michael Gambon ["Othello", "Sleepy Hollow", "The Insider", "Charlotte Gray" and "Gosford Park"], Lena Headey ["Waterland", "Onegin", "Gossip" and "The Parole Officer"], Miranda Richardson ["Empire of the Sun", "Twisted Obsession", "Kansas City" and "Sleepy Hollow"], Michael McElhatton ["Blow Dry", "Saltwater", "Aristocrats" and "A Man's House"], Aisling O'Sullivan ["Michael Collins", "The Butcher Boy", "The War Zone", "The Announcement" and "The One and Only"], Ben Miller ["Birthday Girl", "Hunting Venus" and "Johnny English"] and in her feature film debut, Abigail Iverson as Mary. The Cast & Crew

Michael Caine Dylan Moran Michael Gambon Lena Headey Miranda Richardson Michael McElhatton Aisling O'Sullivan Ben Miller Abigail Iverson Michael Colgan Deirdre Walsh Bill Hickey Veronica O'Reilly Paul Ward Brian McGuinness Ian Fitzgibbon Brian McGrath Alison McKenna Annie Ryan Jude Sweeney Joanne Crawford Rachel Rath Deirdre O'Kane Guy Carleton Sean Tracey Simon Delaney Alvaro Lucchesi Damien O'Donnell Eamon Glancy Donagh Deeney Alison Doody Marty Whelan

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O'Malley Tom Barreller Dolores Magnani Jock Rita Clive Mary Audition Director Camcorder girl Stage Doorkeeper Box office attendant Maurice the Usher Dermotthe Usher Richard III Actor Richard III Actor Richard III Actor Richard III Actor Richard III Actor Richard III Actor Richard III Actor Stage manager Bookseller Chief fireman Ronnie Lesley Waiter Magnani hood Magnani hood Herself Himself

Directed by Conor McPherson Adapted from an original story by Neil Jordan Written by Neil Jordan & Conor McPherson Produced by Neil Jordan/Redmond Morris & Stephen Woolley Original Music by Michael Nyman Cinematography by Seamus McGarvey Film Editing by Emer Reynolds Casting by Susie Figgis Production Design by Mark Geraghty Art Direction by Ciara Gormley Set Decoration by Johnny Byrne Costume Design by Consolata Boyle Production Manager Des Martin Run Time 94 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright © 2004 - FILM4 & Miramax - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved