The rapture of waiting for the divine Mr Brando

Ex-journalist Helen Coughlan recalls her exclusive interview with a screen idol.

THERE are precious few days in journalism when life falls so sweetly - and a sunny afternoon in July 1995 was one of those magic moments.

I was a night reporter with this newspaper for less than six months and was on my way in to work for the graveyard shift - 5.00pm to 1.00am - when I was told that I was going to Ballycotton with photographer Denis Minihane to try to get an interview with Marlon Brando. “Yeah, right, some chance of bagging that. But at least it is better than sitting in the office making the routine phone calls to the gardaí and fire station to see if there was anything happening around the country,” I thought to myself.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon. So off we went to Shanagarry House, which was located a few miles from Ballycotton. This was home to Marlon Brando for the duration of the filming of Divine Rapture, the ill-fated movie which sensationally collapsed just after a few weeks of filming due to funding difficulties.

Shanagarry House was also in the news because it was from the long upstairs windows of this house that poor old Marlon was snapped by the paparazzi looking less than handsome in his rather large vest and underpants.

I was thinking about that very picture and Marlon’s attitude to the media as we approached Shanagarry House, sure that I would get the treatment every other hack got in their vain attempts to get an interview with the great man. There were countless security personnel and they were taking no chances after the photo fiasco of the previous week.

However, our only hope was that Arts and Culture Minister Michael D Higgins was due to meet Marlon that evening and that he would put in a good word for us. So we set up shop at the gates of Shanagarry House. The plan was to stop the minister’s car as soon as it approached the gates. Also waiting outside was journalist Anne Marie McEneney from the Irish Independent.

So we waited, and waited and waited.... Eventually the minister’s car arrived. We rushed over to the car and made our plea for the interview. Michael D said he would do what he could.

And the waiting continued again. After about 20 minutes we were informed that the Great Man would grant us an interview. So we got inside the gates - yes!

There was more waiting outside and at around 7.30pm we were eventually allowed in. We waited in the large hall and Marlon came along and welcomed us.

He was disarmingly polite and gracious. So on we went into a magnificent drawing room. Michael D and Marlon sat down in huge comfortable armchairs while the journalists were left standing, scribbling furiously on their notebooks - obviously the gracious host hadn’t forgiven the media fully!

My recollection of the interview is that it was surreal. I started off with a soft question like “how do you like Ireland” to which we got a reply along the lines that it was lovely and its people reminded him of the native Americans. What the connection was I never did quite figure out but on he went for the next 10 minutes about the Native Americans and how badly they have been treated.

I started to panic at this stage. Here I am, one of the few Irish journalists to get an interview with Brando and he is just rabbiting on about the Native Americans. And there were plenty of interesting subjects we could talk about; like how’s the family these days and in particular your son, Christian, who’s doing time for killing your daughter’s boyfriend.

It was hard work to steer him off the Native Americans. Another rumour doing the rounds at the time was that he was going to apply for Irish citizenship. I’m sure he could have done with the tax breaks. When I finally got to ask that question he replied that he was considering it and Michael D smiled beatifically at this.

He said that he loved Ireland and had found peace in this country. Okay, now time to get something juicy in this interview, seeing as we had him off the Native Americans and he had found peace here. This was the perfect tee up to asking how the family was and no wonder he needed a bit of peace after the little familial difficulties he had been through.

Next thing we were told the interview was over as they were dining in Ballymaloe House that evening. We tried to ask more questions but got no further. It was time for Michael D to get his picture taken with Mr Brando and that was it.

So I never did get to ask him about the family - pity really.

(Helen Coughlan worked as a journalist with The Examiner until July 1999. She now practices as a solicitor with Patrick J Farrell & Co, Newbridge).