James Martin: Star of An Irish Goodbye is hoping for ultimate Oscars birthday present
James Martin in An Irish Goodbye.
As their BAFTA win was announced and the jubilant An Irish Goodbye team approached the stage, James Martin turned to co-star Seamus O’Hara, grinned and said: “One down, one to go.”
The charming short film about two estranged brothers who take on a wish list for their late mother is part of Ireland’s green charge at the Oscars this month.
Hopes are high that An Irish Goodbye can take the most coveted prize in film following its BAFTA win. Martin, an actor and comedian who has Down syndrome, and his co-star O’Hara, are great in what is a funny and touching short film. They play two estranged brothers from rural Northern Ireland who find their lives at a crossroads when their mother dies.
The awards-season run has meant spending time with some of the world’s biggest stars and hanging out with this year’s large Irish contingent, including the stars of The Banshees of Inisherin. A fan of the film, Colin Farrell had wanted to meet Martin and asked the directors to ensure it happened. “I thought it was actually a joke and the lads were pulling my leg. It was nice to talk to him - he's a nice fella. To be in London and pick up this baby was fantastic,” Martin adds, holding up his BAFTA award to the Zoom camera.
The Northern Ireland feature came about after writer-directors Tom Berkeley and Ross White - who were looking to develop a short together - happened upon a brotherly dynamic.
“I happened to be at a football match with my dad,” says Berkeley. "I saw a couple of brothers that were watching the game, a few rows ahead of me, that are very much like the early blueprints of these characters. These were adult brothers, and they were working-class lads. The younger brother had Down syndrome and the older brother was there as a carer, but also a very typical fiery, argumentative brotherly relationship.
“It was just a really interesting juxtaposition to those two things and I found it really compelling. I mentioned it to Ross the next day, and we ended up just speaking about them and these characters for a long time.”
Interestingly, Martin’s character’s condition is barely even referred to in the film, and that’s exactly how the filmmakers intended it to be.
“We spoke about it at the start as a part of the character that was really crucial for us,” says White. “I think how we view representation is that it's not enough just to put somebody in front of a camera with Down syndrome.
“We wanted to write a character that is multifaceted. That is interesting, like you want to write for every actor - no actor wants to play a 2D character. Then we met James Martin who plays the character, and it was like, 'Oh, my goodness, the fact that James has Down syndrome is, like, the 25th most interesting thing about him'.
“He is the funniest guy, mischievous, a cheeky chap. His life is so rich, he's got so much going on that it's a minor footnote, really. And that was really how we wanted to honour that in the character and the way we wrote that character.”
Being a part of this year’s Irish contingent has brought extra joys to the Irish Goodbye team as they get to celebrate through various awards ceremonies. Ireland has a record-smashing 14 nominations for this year’s Oscars.
“The Banshees of Inisherin team have been really lovely with us the whole process, the whole campaign,” says Berkeley. “They looked out for us, as have the An Cailín Ciúin team. They have been this lovely presence in this big year for Irish cinema."
Being in the company of Martin McDonagh, in particular, has been a pleasure for the filmmakers. “They do this photo of all the winners on stage right after,” says White. “We turned to our left and Martin was there with two BAFTAS in his hands and he just said: ‘Well done boys!’
“Without Martin's plays, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say we probably wouldn't have started to write,” says White. “It was his early West of Ireland plays that inspired us. We originally started writing for theatre, and it was definitely because of his work.”
James Martin, meanwhile, celebrates his 31st birthday on Oscar night (Sunday, March 12) as Irish movie fans will be wishing An Irish Goodbye, nominated in the live-action short category, the best present of all. “That would be the icing on the cake, it would be nice to get an Oscar. It’s not everyday I go to the Oscars to celebrate my birthday. Let’s just see what happens,” says Martin.
