Titanic star Jason Barry has spoken to RTÉ Ten about his role in the forthcoming third season of gritty crime drama Love/Hate.
Now on 3-D release, the James Cameron-directed Titanic was originally released in 1997 and had a then 24-year-old Barry in the pivotal role of Tommy Ryan, an Irish third-class passenger who befriended Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) aboard the ill-fated liner.
Barry is currently shorting the third season of Love/Hate in his native Dublin, and told RTÉ Ten about being the latest addition to the cast of what’s been one of Irish television’s greatest success stories.
"It’s been a great experience," says the 39-year-old. "I live over in the States and I was fully aware of the show, but I hadn’t seen it before I got here.
"There’s a wonderful bunch of people involved. Great actors, great crew, David Caffrey the director leads the charge. It’s been an absolutely tremendous experience being here."
Although plots and storylines are being kept secret, it has been confirmed that Barry plays a gangster. And although he’s been away from Ireland for a long time, he’s aware of the Irish gangster phenomenon.
"I read the RTÉ news and I read the newspapers," he explains. "I’m fully aware of how the country has changed. I left Ireland in 1993, times weren’t great, and I missed the whole thing – I missed it all!
"And then I came back, it was back to being the same country I left in 1993. So I missed the good and the bad times. Everyone’s back to normal now. But I’m fully aware that this project captures it – no shadow of a doubt."
Barry also spoke in praise of Love/Hate, a show that has not just been a commercial success, but also a critical one. He admits to being genuinely surprised by the quality of the show.
"I was," he insists. "I haven’t lived in Ireland for 18 or 19 years and to come back and to see a show that’s creatively as successful as it is, and also numbers-wise in terms of the people who watch it, it’s the first time I’ve seen a show like this.
"Usually maybe a show has big viewing figures, but it isn’t creatively good. Or else it’s the other way around. But this one completely and utterly nailed it and I was genuinely shocked by it and it’s deservedly success.
"It was an unusual experience for me to see the size of the show when I got here, because it’s not available over in the States yet," he adds.
"I was aware of it: you see actors winning all the awards and I hear filmmakers talk about it, so I knew creatively it was a good show, but the size of the show did take me aback."
And Barry is also enjoying playing the role of a Dublin gangster. "It’s a good role for me to play, and it something I haven’t really done before," he says.
"It’s something that I hope people enjoy watching me do and it’s got meat to it; there’s a lot of bones to it as well," he adds, laughing. "I’m very grateful it was offered to me."
Filming has been taking places over the last two months and is expected to wrap over the next ten days. Season three of Love/Hate will be broadcast later in the year on RTÉ One.
