Tommy Tiernan Show recap: Actor Paul Giamatti on 'compulsion' to continue acting
Paul Giamatti: "I guess that’s a gift that I think I have, ability to find the vulnerabilities and weaknesses in whatever character I have to play and bring them out.” Picture: RTE One/Instagram.
On Saturday night, the Tommy Tiernan Show explored the challenges that come with a career in acting, the importance of sean-nós in Irish culture, and navigating motherhood at a young age.
Tiernan’s guests included American actor Paul Giamatti, sean-nós singer and broadcaster Doireann Ní Ghlacáin, and stand-up comedian Emma Doran.
First up for a chat with Tiernan was Paul Giamatti who discussed his recent work and personal anecdotes.
Giamatti recently finished a job in Canada where he was working on a new Star Trek television show and said he came to Ireland to appear on the Tommy Tiernan Show and “hang out in Ireland for a bit”.
Asked by Tiernan if he believes he has a certain gift as an actor, Giamatti said: “I find I play people, flawed people, a lot. My immediate instinct if I’m given a heroic person is to find out what’s not heroic about them.
“I guess that’s a gift that I think I have, ability to find the vulnerabilities and weaknesses in whatever character I have to play and bring them out.”
He expressed a preference for roles with moral implications, citing examples such as Planet of the Apes.
Giamatti also reflected on the stress of acting, particularly on stage, his evolution as an actor, and his choices in life.
“Sometimes I really question why am I still doing this? It’s compulsion. It becomes a kind of compulsion of punishment, there feels like there’s something masochistic about it,” he told Tiernan.
Asked what draws him to acting, he said: “I like stories a lot. I like a good story. So, if I get something that comes to me and I keep reading it and the story draws me, and it’s great, I’ll go “Oh, I’m going to be in this story”.”
Giamatti shared his thoughts on self-care and regret, admitting he wishes he had taken better care of himself in his younger years.
“I feel some regret about how I loved my life, in some ways. I suppose I carry some of the regret of that. It’s funny… I physically beat up on myself,” he said.
“My body carries a lot of what I did to myself. Not taking care of myself, literally, physically, too, you know, abusing myself physically. I wore myself out in a lot of ways.”
He spoke about how he previously would have worried about how long he has left on earth, with many of his family members passing away at quite a young age, but said he has learned to be content with his life and with what he has achieved to date.
Tiernan’s second guest of the night was traditional musician, sean-nós singer and broadcaster Doireann Ní Ghlacáin.
Ní Ghlacáin, the granddaughter of Seán Ó Riada who formed Cúil Aodha and was the single most influential figure in the revival of Irish traditional music during the 1960s, discussed the complexities of sean-nós singing.
She emphasised that sean-nós is a skill one either has or doesn't have, and that it involves deep emotional connection and belief in the song.
She explained the complexity and relevance of sean-nós to contemporary Irish life, noting that the themes of burden and struggle of sean-nós are timeless.
“We have this notion that sean-nós songs are really long and moany and, you know, not relevant to our lives. But actually the things that burden us today are the same problems that burdened people 200, 300 years ago, so they have a huge relevance in the kind of contemporary Irish lived experience.”
She spoke about the goal of making sean-nós accessible to people who may lack confidence in their language skills, acknowledging the intimidating nature of the form.
“The whole idea of it was to open it up to audiences or to people that maybe don't have the confidence in their language ability and it's because it's really intimidating.
“You know, there was a language in itself, in the Irish language for poetry. So, words that you might use in a sean-nós song wouldn't really be day-to-day speak, but incredibly nuanced, incredibly sophisticated tradition.”
Ní Ghlacáin delved into gender-specific storytelling traditions in Ireland, where men often told stories of battles and warriors, while women told stories about fairies to explain female experiences and issues.
Elaborating on the role of fairy tales in Irish culture, she said they were used to explain away female issues and experiences that were difficult to express in language.
Ní Ghlacáin performed for Tiernan a sean-nós song about a woman who can’t be with the man she loves, after which Tiernan said: “It's like being lifted, isn't it? I don't know if you sense when you're singing it. A pint is the only appropriate response.”
“It is, it can get heavy. I’m telling you,” Ní Ghlacáin said.
Tiernan’s final guest of the night was comedian Emma Doran who began by discussing her book, which details her life, starting with her pregnancy at 18.
She recounted her teenage years, her adventurous spirit, and the unexpected pregnancy that led to her becoming a mother at 19.
Doran described the challenges of raising her daughter, including breaking the news to her parents and navigating the relationship with her daughter's father.
Speaking about how she met her daughter’s father, she said: “I was working in a chipper on Leaving Cert results night, and he was getting his Leaving cert results, and that's how I met him.” She said they do have a relationship and that he is in their daughter’s life and has since had a family with his wife.
“I have my boys, but she has other siblings as well, and I've met them all, and it's lovely. And I've met his wife, and she's a lovely woman. They have a lovely family,” she said.
Doran went on to speak about her decision to pursue stand-up comedy, saying she sought something more fulfilling and decided to give stand-up a try.
“So I had met my partner, Shane, and I was pregnant with our first child. So Ella's now 10. So, like, 10 years have gone by. And I was like… that 10 years now has gone so fast I could quite easily slip into having maybe a few more kids and working part time, and then all of a sudden realise that when my kids are older, what have I actually done? You've been sensible now for ages. You’ve given it a good go. It’s time to do something. It's time to let a bit of the wildness out.”
She also spoke of the initial challenges of balancing motherhood and stand-up and touched on how stand-up has helped her to channel her creative energy, emphasising the importance of ‘following the funny’, even if it means taking risks and pushing boundaries.
Doran’s book Mad, Isn’t It, which explores early motherhood and her stand-up career, is available in bookshops nationwide.
Closing out the show was Mohammad Sykhan performing the song I am Kurdish.
Last year, Sykhan shared his musical gifts during a mesmerising Other Voice Anam set recorded at Parke's Castle in Leitrim.
