Michael McElhatton has teased the return of RTÉ's hit '00s comedy drama, Paths to Freedom, saying: "never say never".
The six-part comedy drama, which was first broadcast on RTÉ2 in 2000 and is available to watch on the RTÉ Player, was penned by McElhatton and Ian Fitzgibbon and followed two prisoners from different sides of the track who are released from Mountjoy Prison on the same day.
Brendan Coyle played Jeremy, a middle class gynaecologist who ended up in prison for drink driving, while McElhatton took on the part of Rats, an unemployed part-time musician, poet and habitual offender.
The 60-year-old, who won an IFTA award for Best Actor in a Television Drama for his role in 2002, reckons it would be interesting to look at his character "in a different format".
"I'm always thinking about it. Maybe we could look at him in a different format - never say never!"
"I adore him and frequently do him myself at home. It's quite comforting," he said.
McElhatton's latest role sees him playing Bernie's (Pom Boyd) love interest in the second series of RTÉ One's comedy-drama The Dry.
"He is a pseudo-intellectual. He's a little bit of a charlatan which we find out further down the line. Initially, he does ruffle a lot of feathers," the actor says. "He comes in and makes the house his own and Tom [Ciarán Hinds] is relegated to the shed outside. The children aren't too impressed with him!"
The Terenure actor explained how his character is "an opportunist" and admits he wouldn't like to sit next to him at a dinner party.
"He's an utter cynic really. We discover that he's just looking for a free gaff and while he does have a great relationship with Bernie, he's an opportunist and he's hiding behind his sobriety, and what he thinks is high standing in AA and academia - but it's all pseudo," he says.
"Would I like him as a person? No! But he was a lot of fun to play."
The Dry, Wednesdays on RTÉ One and available to stream on the RTÉ Player.
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