#rob licuria

“Sometimes a little bit of magic has to happen when you make a film,” Caitríona Balfe says about being a part of writer/director Kenneth Branagh‘s semi-autobiographical fable ‘Belfast.”

“I have fallen in love with every single one of the people I worked with on this movie,” Balfe adds. “I know I have friends now that I’ve made on this film that I will have for the rest of my life. I don’t think you can always walk away from a film and say that,” she says. Watch our exclusive video interview above.

The Focus Features movie is drawn from five-time Oscar nominee Branagh’s experiences growing up in Ireland, following nine-year-old Buddy (Jude Hill) and his beloved Pa (Jamie Dornan) and protective Ma (Balfe), as they weigh up whether to stay in Belfast with his loving grandparents (Ciarán Hinds and Oscar winner Judi Dench) after their neighborhood erupts in sectarian violence.

“This film was so special to Ken,” Balfe explains when discussing the genuinely personal elements that resonate throughout the film. “He has the most beautiful, respectful relationship with his crew. It always comes from the top down and Ken was our wonderful, fearless leader from day one,” she confides. “I think that he was so happy that he was getting to make this story, the way he wanted at this time. He brought on this infectious joy and wonder. He sort of had this childlike wonder about him as well when he was making it; that he was getting to recreate all of his memories of his childhood and bring it all to another place, and that permeated through everyone.”

Audiences seem to be responding to “Belfast” not only because the story of a family deciding to take a chance on a better life is so relatable, but also because the loving family depicted in the film reminds us of our own loved ones. Pa is written and portrayed as stoic and honorable, while Buddy is a playful, wide-eyed optimist. As for Ma, the audience sees glimpses of Branagh’s vision of what the idealized maternal presence in Buddy’s life looks like. She’s devoted and nurturing, the rock of the family.

“Very often, the stay-at-home mother role is a two dimensional role,” Balfe declares. “Not only does that do a disservice to all the women who stay at home and work bloody hard, but I think a lot of people don’t give them their fair due. One thing that was apparent in this script was how much respect and admiration Ken had for what his mother did and what women do,” she says. “There was so much in that role that respected the weight of the burden that women often carry when they’re left to look after the family.”

When asked to revisit some of the most emotional scenes in the film, Balfe recalls the moments where she concedes that it might be time to move away from Belfast, the only home she has ever known. “In her street, in her small little three or four streets in this community, she was in control, she was glamorous, she was well-known, and she could do anything within that parameter,” Balfe explains. “But anything outside of that, she just was incapable of even imagining what it would be like, or she could imagine, but she just didn’t have the confidence or the capacity to see herself surviving outside of this place. I thought that was such an interesting seesaw within her; that push and pull of this frightened little girl, and yet this very confident woman.”

We also chat about the upcoming Season 6 of her popular Starz hit show “Outlander,” with teases of what is to be expected.

https://www.goldderby.com/feature/caitriona-balfe-belfast-outlander-video-interview-1204632011/

Remember… I lost my dad at the beginning of this year to covid and this movie would’ve meant so much to him. — Jamie Dornan

🚨 Edited the next day to add…

“Thanks to the beautiful script and the incredible performances of the cast, it was a joy for me, because it was sort of like music,” editor Úna Ní Dhonghaíle declares about working on Kenneth Branagh‘s semi-autobiographical coming of age fable “Belfast,” which became a labor of love for the editor. For Ní Dhonghaíle most valued Branagh’s collaborative approach, which she says allowed her to “edit the film with simplicity and authenticity,” she explains, “to make sure that it felt truthful to us so hopefully it would feel truthful to an audience.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

Focus Features’ “Belfast” is drawn from five-time Oscar-nominated writer and director Branagh’s childhood experiences, following nine-year-old Buddy (Jude Hill), his beloved Pa (Jamie Dornan) and his protective Ma (Caitríona Balfe) as they weigh up whether to stay in Belfast with his loving grandparents (Ciarán Hinds and Oscar winner Judi Dench) after their neighborhood erupts in sectarian violence.

“Belfast” is an unsurprisingly personal film as it brings Branagh’s childhood to life on screen, contemplating how The Troubles of late 1960s Northern Ireland shaped his life and the lives of his family. When she first read Branagh’s script and then again when it came time to piece the film together, Ní Dhonghaíle was struck by how the film attempts to give audiences a different perspective on his hometown.

“It was the most beautiful love letter to the city of Belfast to his beautiful family and his neighbors of all persuasions,” she explains. “My father always spoke to me as we were growing up about the great friendships between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland prior to The Troubles and I’ve actually always been saying privately that I wish we could make a film that actually celebrated those type of things,” Ní Dhonghaíle says, adding that when she “read Ken’s script, I just loved what he’d done. He’s just done something that really chimed with me, that I recognized.”

“On a very personal level, I just love the fact that he is giving voice to the humanity of people of Northern Ireland. Belfast, as a word, for me growing up as a teenager, was infused with the violence of The Troubles. I think he sort of reclaimed that name,” she says. “For me it was just a celebration of humanity. If we can be good to each other, we can all actually benefit from a quality of life and compassion and humanity that is universal, regardless of the color of our skin or our creator.”

Video 📹 link in tweet ⬆️

As young actors who are up and coming in showbiz, what has been the best advice you’ve been given about working as an actor? What advice would you give to other young actors who are looking for their big breakthrough? Is it difficult juggling school, regular life with your family and friends and being on set? What is your favorite film or favorite actor that inspired you?…

Hill on the other hand says his director Kenneth Branagh had a lot of great advice to impart, but what stuck with him the most was him explaining that “you have to know the character before you perform the character and you have to know what they would do in a situation,” he recalls. “As long as you understand the character, then you can act it beautifully.”

As for favorite films, there was one blockbuster film franchise that received top marks from all three actors. “Marvel,” Ranieri declares. “They have a lot of action!,” he adds, noting his favorite actors include Chris Evans (who played Captain America) and Chris Hemsworth (who plays Thor). “I’m a massive fan of the Marvel universe as well,” Hill proudly proclaims. “I’ve easily watched every single film, at least eight times and my favorite film is probably “Avengers: Endgame,” just because it had so many different plot twists!”

Rob Licuria: You have both just come off a really long day on set, so you're in the thick of Season 3. Obviously, you can't spoil anything, but what can we generally expect?

Loni Peristere: It's definitely everything that the fans want. Everything they've read in the book, everything that they know is coming. This season goes to 11.

Vanja Černjul: The thing that I noticed when I came back, and I was very happy to be back, was that all other key collaborators came back as well, which says a lot about how much we enjoyed this opportunity to be part of building this universe. It’s really a family now. But the fact that everybody was happy to come back says a lot about the experience that we have on set.

Most of the article deals with S02E07 "The Red Sowing".

The article reminded us that House of the Dragon Season 2 is eligible for the 2025 Emmy Awards.

Speaking of S02E07, this is an awesome scene.