And, for any performer, to be able to go deep into character is fantastic. In film you only get to do that if you're the leading character. But in television you get 18 hours to really test the audience and take them to the edge of how far they will go with this character. I can step over this line and I love that.

For me, drama is conflict.

You're an actor who's Irish, not an Irish actor. And you shouldn't be limited by your extraction.

Having started out in theatre, I feel an impulse to do it as much as I can

I'm not interested in a good man's life. I'm interested in contradiction.

I'm pretty adamant to do an American accent because you get it immediately.

I always think it's a sign of a truly gifted director when they can move seamlessly between genres.