Colm Meaney is an actor who has enjoyed a long and very successful career that has seen him juggle TV, film and theatre roles.
He is currently working on hit TV series Hells on Wheels - filming on a third season is about to get under way - and we caught up with him to chat about the show and the film work he has coming up this year.
- Hell on Wheels is being screened on TCM at the moment so what can fans of the show expect with the new season?
Season 2 is a very exciting series of shows - when we were filming we were all waiting with baited breathe for every new script to come along.
A lot of stuff happens, a lot of stuff goes wrong and there are a lot of developments with different characters; some of the developments are good but towards the end of the series they are bad.
None of the characters end up looking too good at the end of the season.
- You are back as Thomas 'Doc' Durant so what was it about this character and the script that initially drew you to the project?
It was the writing as I loved the story and the whole genre - I am a fan of historical drama and the American West is particularly interesting and exciting.
But the character of Durant... the writing was so articulate and so it was really literate.
The vocabulary that is used is partly due to the period but also partly due to the genius of the writing and so the dialogue is wonderful.
I remember one speech that included the line 'there will be perfidy of epic proportions' and you don't get dialogue like that very often. So for an actor it is a really juicy opportunity.
- You have mentioned already that most of the characters don't come out looking to great at the end of the season so how are we going to see your character develop throughout the series 2?
As we see at the beginning of the season he is a very cocky guy and he is very confident in his own ability.
He is very determined and he will do whatever it takes to get the job done but in a dramatic situation like this he is fair game to become a cropper at some point.
He has a lot of difficulties in his personal life and in the business; he faces a lot of problems that he needs to deal with.
- Durant is a real historical figure - he was an American financier and railroad promoter - so what kind of research did you do as you were preparing for the role? And how important has that research been?
It's not like playing an iconic figure like Abraham Lincoln or George Washington so yes he was a historical figure but he isn't known by everyone.
While we did read up about him and about his life the writers had the freedom to invent as well. So it is a combination of the historical fact as well as fictional history.
- The show has been picked up for a third season so when are you set to begin work on that?
We start work in April. We have a great bunch of guys working on it and we enjoy it. It is great writing and quality work and so it is always a pleasure to get back.
- We are going to be seeing you back on the big screen this year in The Yank so can you tell me a bit about that?
It a romantic comedy about an American guy - he is from the Mid-West - who comes to Ireland thinking he can find a wife.
He and a group of friends go to a wedding of a friend of theirs and he realises that the woman he loves is not in Ireland. It is a romantic comedy that really is very sweet.
- Well this is a project that is very different to the work that you have been doing of late so how comfortable are you with the comedy aspect?
I love to play comedy and good comedy is difficult. I have, over the years, revisited comedy with the likes of Get Him To The Greek and I do like it.
I like to look for the comedy in straight drama as I like to look for the humour in the character and the situation.
- Sean Lackey penned the script and also makes his directorial debut with the film so how did you find him as a director?
It was very interesting because Sean is starring in it, producing it and writing it and so I sort of said 'good luck to you' (laughs).
His first time out and he is doing everything himself is very ambitious but he seemed very able for it, yeah.
- You have enjoyed a career that has spanned over thirty years so how has the way that you choose roles changed over the years? And what do you look for now that perhaps you didn't look for in the beginning?
It hasn't really changed - the industry has changed - but I really just look for good writing.
I read the story through to see if the story grabs me and it is good story telling. I then read it a second time to take a closer look at the character that I might be asked to do.
Where writing has migrated is that we are seeing more and more great writing in television - so a project like Hell On Wheels is where you really find good writing.
- You have mentioned that you have seen the industry change over the years but how have you seen it change? And has it changed for the better?
Yes and no. The biggest change that I feel in terms of the process of filmmaking has been in the last ten years with the introduction of digital cameras.
A lot of younger director coming through now don't adhere to the structure we always had; you do a master shot and then you go in for coverage.
They tend not to let the scene play... because you can let the camera roll they are not shy about interrupting a scene in the middle because you can just let the camera roll.
In the old days you rehearsed and then you did a take and you didn't waste film.
I think a lot of these directors coming up have only shot with digital do learn bad habits like interrupting a take to give direction instead of waiting for a take to finish to give notes - a lot of actors find that disruptive.
- Throughout your career you have moved between TV and film projects so how do the two mediums compare?
I think generally speaking you do tend to get more time on a feature film - or you use to. Nowadays budgets are not as big and there is not the same investment.
Feature and television, in terms of the process, have come closer together. Historically the major difference is that you got more time on film as it is a slower process.
- As I said you have enjoyed success on both the big and small screen as well as on stage so is there anything else in your career you
would like to achieve? Is directing something that interests you?
At this stage I just want to keep it going as long as I can (laughs). As you say I have had a good variety and I have been very fortunate to have a variety of roles - for a character actor that is what you want.
I have always wanted to play varied roles and I would like to just keep that going.
- You have also worked with some terrific actors and directors so is there anyone else you are keen to work with?
I went to dinner with Stephen Frears last night and I would love to work with him again. Paul Thomas Anderson is a director that I would like to work with - I could go on forever. There are some wonderful young actors emerging.
- Finally what's next for you?
At the moment I am working on a film called The Alan Partridge Movie with Steve Coogan here in London. I finish that at the end of February. Then I go off to start Hell On Wheels in April.
- How is the new film going?
It's going well and for me it is a very interesting process. Steve Coogan has been doing this character for many years - I wasn't familiar with it - but it is a wonderful character and he plays him brilliantly. It is fascinating to watch, it's great.
Colm Meaney stars in Hell on Wheels, season 2 continues on TCM, Sunday 24th February at 9pm.