Rising star Hazel Doupe made a splash in acclaimed Irish movies Float Like A Butterfly, Michael Inside and Calm With Horses - now she's one of the stars of RTÉ's eagerly anticipated new drama series Smother, which premiers on RTÉ One this Sunday night, March 7th, at 9.30 pm.
Hazel also stars in Eva Birthistle's directorial debut short Kathleen Was Here in this year’s Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival - she is also one of the festival’s Are Lingus Discovery Awards nominees. The festival runs until 14th March - find out more here.
We asked Hazel for her choice cultural picks...
FILM
Recently I've been watching more and more uplifting films, which is a far cry from my go-to genres of horror and thriller. If I could recommend any one film right now it would be David Lynch's The Straight Story. I loved the film for its simplicity and for the people we meet along the loveable Alvin Straight's journey. It’s such a soothing and deeply comforting watch. The music is also awesome.
MUSIC
I’ve been listening to Sylvan Esso on repeat for the last while. Their new album Free Love and a bunch of oldies. Their music just makes me feel so connected, to other people and to myself. Especially now. I’d highly recommend that album for anyone who wants to give or receive a bit of free love around now.
THEATRE
I’ll never forget the outdoor performances of Romeo and Juliet I went to with my Grandma when I was younger, or the dozen other Shakespeare shows she brought me to. She was a Shakespeare fan, and I’ve inherited her collection of over 21 of his plays. So reading those has been a wonderful thing. A Midsummer Nights Dream has stolen the show so far. I mean, there are fairies... what more could I want?
BOOK
Honestly, I have a pretty pathetic track record for finishing books after I start them. I began reading The Shining over a year ago, and still dip in and out when I feel I can handle the madness. Having said that I read Conversations with Friends last summer in one day and absolutely loved it. I thought Sally Rooney really captured how beautiful and messy and unscripted life can be when you’re young and on your own in the city (Not that I’d know anything about that life, thanks Covid). But I am so looking forward to seeing it come to life on screen.
GIG
For my 18th birthday, my brother bought me Bon Jovi tickets which was such a score, 2020 had other ideas, unfortunately. And at nineteen-and-a-half it sort of feels like I might be looking forward to this gig for the rest of my life. But when it does happen I know it’ll be worth the wait. The last one I went to was Arcade Fire, a few years ago. Amazing on all fronts. I cannot wait until gigs become a reality again.
TV
I’ve been loving Lilo and Stitch lately. To me, there is literally nothing better than rewatching something you already know and love, and I’m a sucker for cartoons and any shows from my kidhood, so the original Sabrina The Teenage Witch is also in the mix too right now. P.S. I’m on the prowl for Scooby-Doo at the moment, if anyone has inside information...
ART
Last summer I was walking through a small town in Cork with my brother, and we randomly wandered into an art studio at the end of the town. I didn’t really have any expectations or ideas of what I’d find, but after having spent just a few minutes in the place I felt so comfortable and at ease. I realised it was because of the profound sense of life and joy emanating from the canvasses. We had to find out who had painted these pieces and that happened to be the very person we asked. Her name was Kerry Collins. We ended up getting lost in her art, the backstory of the pieces and in deep, rich conversation with her for over an hour. I’m so glad to have met her and share her time and wisdom. It gives my soul great nourishment to see her art online and its transformative quality, even through a screen. Though I do hope to acquire a piece of my own in the future.
TECH
I actually really love the app Good On You. It’s so important to me when I buy clothes to know that the humans, animals, and the planet have been taken care of. It gives me a lot of peace of mind to have an app where I can easily check whether that’s the case. It’s also introduced me to new brands where sustainability is their top priority and that’s always something I want to support. This is just a huge shoutout to the group in Australia who created the app. Thank you to those people.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
I’m so excited to see that supporting small, local and budding businesses is becoming a widespread thing. It’s clear that we’re placing more and more value on where things come from and the people behind the creation and that just brings me so much joy. Maybe the next big thing will be about appreciating the little things.
The Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival runs until 14th March - find out more here.
