This week on RTÉ One, Domhnall Gleeson stars as Bob Geldof in a one-off drama about Live Aid. He talks to the RTÉ Guide’s John Byrne about playing Geldof, working alongside dad Brendan, and how he 'fell into acting'.
For those of us who remember the day, it seems almost incredible that a quarter-century has passed since Live Aid. Even 27-year-old Domhnall Gleeson – who plays Live Aid inspiration and super-gob Bob Geldof in 'When Harvey Met Bob', a dramatisation of the events surrounding the event – has Live Aid memories. Certain moments are just part of the general zeitgeist.
"Yeah, Phil Collins doing the trip across the Atlantic", says Gleeson. "I was aware of it, obviously, growing up after the fact. It remains one of the biggest broadcasts that ever happened. One and a half billion people watched it! I remember the same things everyone else remembers – by proxy, almost."
But while Live Aid was a genuinely global event to raise funds and awareness about the famine in Ethiopia, at its core was the relationship between Bob Geldof and promoter Harvey Goldsmith. Hence the title of the drama.
"The relationship is between this precociously gifted man, Bob Geldof, who has dreams that seem bigger than reality can be, in terms of what he’s going to do with this thing", says Gleeson. "And then there’s the grounded nature of this guy, Harvey Goldsmith, who is saying, ‘You can’t do that! You can’t tell people that Paul McCartney’s playing when you haven’t signed him up! You can’t do that!’"
British actor Ian Hart – who in the past has played Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and Beatle John Lennon in Backbeat – stars alongside Gleeson as Goldsmith.
"I knew his work from before", Gleeson notes. "I was a big fan of his and I think he’s absolutely brilliant, so I was happy when I heard he was doing it." Acting alongside Hart, he says, "You just know that those scenes are going to work; you don’t have to worry about it. You still have to work very hard, but what’s coming back at you is better than you could imagine."
As much a fan as someone dedicated to his craft, Gleeson speaks animatedly about acting. Although only in his mid-20s, he has already enjoyed the company of some great artists. He freely admits: "I’ve been really lucky, the last couple of years in particular, with the calibre of people I’ve been able to work with and observe working. It’s been pretty special."
All of which begs the question: who has impressed him the most? Rattling off a list with an enthusiasm that proves he’s no mere name-dropper, it’s apparent that he’s been keeping some impressive company in recent times.
"Well", he begins, "I worked with the Coen brothers, which had been a dream of mine. And Jeff Bridges was on that [a remake of True Grit]. I did Never Let Me Go, and there were amazing people on that. Brilliant writer, director, cast. That was quite special. I got to work with Cillian Murphy and my dad, Jim Broadbent and Jodie Whittaker on Perrier’s Bounty. It was a small part, but it was really special. I also did a play, American Buffalo, with Sean McGinley and Aidan Gillen. That was brilliant. It was a dream come true. It just makes you hungry to do more stuff with good people. So hopefully that’ll continue."
Soon to be seen on the big screen in the next Harry Potter movie (alongside dad Brendan), it might seem obvious for Domhnall to follow in his father’s footsteps, but that certainly wasn’t the plan.
"I’ve been interested in the writing/directing thing, and really fell into acting by complete accident", he insists. "I got a role that really made me happy, and understand how brilliant it can be to be an actor when you’re working on something good. It was a play called The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh, who wrote and directed In Bruges."
Being a humble lad, he fails to add that it was on Broadway and that he ended up getting nominated for a Tony. Having such an impressive start gave him every incentive to carry on. "It was eight years ago", he recalls. "It made me realise how great it could be and then I just chased it from there."
John Byrne
