I'm Michael. Che and I'm Colin Jose, and
we've got a little secret. Actually, it's a pretty big
secret. Well, now you got to give the
people something. I'm not saying a word.
Oh, then people will know to tune in.
Come on, tell them a little. Like how we're hosting of comedy
events streaming only on Peacock, exactly how it's called
New York After Dark and it's a comedy show that only features
drop in comic. Boom, you nail.
Into Michael Chase phone numbers.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey.
New York After Dark. It's some kind of comedy thing,
and it's streaming now only on Peacock.
You love it. Zippers, welcome to this episode
of the Tea With Me podcast. With me, Shane's heart.
It's a guest episode. In the words of DJ Khaled, it's
another guest episode. And that is what he says at the
start of all his songs. Real fun episode this week.
In a second I'll tell you a little bit about it and then
we'll just get straight into it. Or you can just be really sly
and Fast forward this, in which case you'll never see this, but
in fact, you won't hear this anyway, so fuck you.
But yeah, guest episode. Before I go into it, let me just
plug two things. Number one is the
patreonpatreon.com/T With Me podcast.
We'll put it in the link for this description as well.
That's where you get loads and loads and loads of bonus
content. And some people say that and
it's not really bonus content. What we're doing.
Is the breakfast brew every morning?
It's a tea with me breakfast brew Monday to Friday.
The episodes come out at half nine.
If you're on the Patreon you pay anything from £3 a month and you
get this. You also get a bonus episode of
the podcast every Monday, usually with a stand up comedian
friend of mine. Sometimes it'll be solo ones,
sometimes it could just be a guest from totally left field.
It could be genuinely Coney. Remember him Coney to get Coney
or whatever it was we could get Coney on.
And don't get me wrong, we wouldn't be like, you know,
calling Coney like, oh, what are you out now?
I'll be we'll be going out. I'm like, we'll be really giving
a term. So, yeah, Joseph.
You never know Joseph comedy could be on the podcast and let
me assure people that if he is will will not be being nice to
him like so that's all of the Pedro Pedro on the comms has tea
with me podcast. Also, there's going to be
miniseries over there as well. I'm going to be doing a fitness
series that we'll probably put over there we've already
recorded quite a lot of stuff for, so I'll put it over there
like a comedy fitness series. By the way, I'm not genuinely
going to be like watch me run 5K.
So I also got to plug the sponsor of this podcast, which
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Manscape sponsor 95% of podcasts in the world and what people are
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My guest this week is Connor McNeil.
Connor is an actor you more than likely have seen in something
before. He, he's been acting for, for a
long time, despite being my age And, and you know, always when I
find out people are my age, I'm like, I, I should have.
Done more? You know what I mean?
Like. Why have I not done?
More things. But Conor's been killing it for
a long time. He is a very good actor, stage,
stage, on screen. You know, he's been in the
Ferryman on Broadway. He is at the minute in Industry,
which is on BBC and HBO. And that she was killing it,
that she was all over the place. It's going down really well.
But halfway through it and I'm really enjoying it.
And Conor plays a very, very fun character in it.
And and if you've seen it, you'll know that it's it's a for
me, is it? It's a stand like character and
not just him that I think he's great.
Connor is just also a very, very nice guy, very down to earth
guy. And they're just very easy to
chat to. I enjoyed having a cup of tea
with them. Ladies and gentlemen, this is my
episode of Tea With Me With. Connor, Connor, The first
question for everybody that comes on the podcast is do you
drink tea? If you do, maybe you can tell me
a little bit about your relationship with tea.
You know, how you get started? Have you has it ever become a
problem? You know, have you experimented
other hot drinks? Just let me know what.
Let me know what your drive is. I'm already starting on a bad
food now already. I do drink tea but I don't like
builders tea so it's controversial enough.
And have you? You don't like that?
The traditional Tetley Punjana type thing?
Dash of milk? No, you.
Actually generally dislike it. I like a green tea she and I'm
really, really sorry I've changed.
So genuinely I I don't have dairy right And so I have the
old green tea every now and again.
And I was at the Edinburgh Fringe about 7 years ago and
went to see Hearts play part of Thistle and there's like a like
a tea van at the game. And I there was like a Scott
middle-aged Scottish woman working there like hard as
nails. And I went up to her and I said
hi. I was like do you do, can I get
a green tea? And she said she said this is an
SPL match. I was like, oh and then it felt
better. Felt so stupid for asking.
So on the podcast I want to just chat to you about well, loads
and loads and loads of different things.
I feel like I've only got to know you a little bit in like
the last couple of months. But because you've done
genuinely like so many things for for quite a long time on
like on TV film, things I've known your face for, as creepy
as that sounds, I've known your face for a long time.
And I think the first time I remember seeing your face was
when you were doing, and correct me if I'm wrong, unless you're
like, that wasn't me Ads. It was like ads for like mental
health where you walk around with a cardboard box.
That got bigger. That'll be me.
I used to do a bit of stand up that was not funny.
This is awful already. I know this.
I maybe just did this once and it didn't work, but it stands
out to me as a bit. That should have got more.
I remember talking about that ad when I just started doing stand
up. I'm thinking the character in
the ad wouldn't have as many problems if you didn't stop,
just stop walking about with his cardboard.
Now that should have got more. You laugh, but the crowd didn't.
But yeah, I just remember like seeing so many things that
you've you've done, like have have you been, you've been
acting since like a, a young age.
Like since I was 14, so done like I used to do plays in the
summer up at it was a double joint theatre company used to do
plays every summer for the West Belfast Festival.
And so we I, I like done a play there and then the next summer
did another one. So we kind of done and then done
wee bits. Like got picked because I picked
up like wee bits and put a moves and gave me a headpiece for a
wee bit. Knew all those weeks just turned
up for a wee bit here and there so did that and he put got that
I was I remember that I was the first big like paycheck I had
like it was and it was on the side of buses and stuff Yeah as
absolutely wasn't until absolutely everybody roasted me
about it all the time so I thought this was class and then
everybody's like said you you're a Dick.
Yeah, yeah, it wasn't a bit. Your problems get bigger.
So the box you were carrying, I mean, it makes, it makes a lot
of sense the. More I spoke so I first I spoke
to a friend and then a box got smaller and then I went to
somebody else and spoke to them and then the box got smaller
again and then I went to my doctor and spoke to my doctor
and the box got smaller to the fact that it got so small got
the size of a matchbox and I was able to just stick it in my
pocket chain and carry on with it the.
Thing about that is in Belfast, Northern Ireland, like people
like friends, you know, like roasting you for like being on
like an ad the fact that it's for like a great cause, like for
mental health cuts. No mustard of people like
doesn't any sort of by ball, like you could be, you know, on
Comic Relief in in Kenya. You know what I mean?
Like walking around dishing out, dishing out Fredos and your
mates and still be like Oh you dickhead.
I yeah, I was at Oxygen that summer I think and these group
of lads absolutely been circled around me and started chanting
if your heads away just say my mates genuine had to get into
the middle and Get Me Out did. You develop problems, as we're
saying. I can't took waste mental health
problems because. I mean, I don't know if this
this story that I got told is true, right?
I don't know if this is true. But is it about me?
No, it's not about you, It's not.
About you Terrified. As an actor in 2021 what?
Is this it's confident it's happening?
I heard I heard that a certain local, let's call him weatherman
and broadcaster. I'm not say who it is, but I
heard that once. This probably isn't true, but
apparently do you remember Dempsey's nightclub?
Yes, I've never been, but I remember where it was.
Before our time I think, but it's Filthy's now.
I heard this guy got his drink spiked and there and was was
walking about with with maybe ecstasy and there's no way this
is true. But apparently like the whole
dance floor circled around them and started singing It's a
scooter around the corner just to say and he was just giving it
like complete stacks. But I don't think that's true.
That's obviously not true, Shane.
But part of you would like it to be.
You know what I mean? Like part of you would really
like it to be. I have to talk to you about
pulling moves as well, because that was putting moves for such
a cult thing where nowadays if you mention it to people, not
everybody remembers it. But if you do remember it, you
absolutely loved it. I remember it stood out to me as
like a local comedy thing where although it was set here,
although it was very much a Belfast thing, it didn't feel
like everything else that was being made at the same time.
It was just proper funny. It was really I.
Remember at the time, I think, I think this is, I'm near sure
this is true. I don't think I must remember
this. But Piers Elliot, who created
it, had said that like they'd done so well, BBC Northern
Ireland, that they obviously brought it to the big BBC and
they were like, we're gonna go BBC One national, right?
And all the people are like, what's the show that's like
getting this buzz. They watched it over in England
and they all went, these people are terrible.
None of them have jobs. They're all doing the double.
They're all stealing and robbing to make money on the side.
And this is supposed to be good. And they were like shocked at
what it was about. And we were like, but it's it's
funny, right? Isn't that they're funny?
They're they're, they're pulling moves and like, it's illegal,
it's crime and. They just didn't go for it like,
but yeah, I thought it was. It was.
Very, very, very. Funny, I just like, even when
you look back now, there's so many brilliant actors and who
have all went on to do really well.
We were not like Simon Delaney and always in it early doors and
K Mcmenamin wasn't it. And George Jordan was class.
In it, yeah, yeah, really good. But.
You must. You must have been young.
You're not the same age. You were 32.
We're 32. Yeah, you were young.
You must have been young when you did that.
I think it's 1414. It was just in the car and I
think it was me and Kevin Elliott maybe in a car.
I'm not. I can't remember.
God, it's been easy since I've seen it.
And I was like, smacked the back teeth of gold rings on every
finger. And yeah, it was class class
Crack. And then wasn't Man about Dog
from the same? Not this all the same actor, but
the same team. I saw it was Pierce Elliot as
well. He done that extremes and good
or very funny. I love Man about dogs class
wasn't it? Get, I mean, getting into.
Yeah, yeah, it was. I mean, it's one of those things
that like I would love to watch now just to see how it's aged.
Yeah, but I'd say it, I mean, it was just for Karen.
Karen Nolan was just. When he popped up in something,
I was really laughing. Yeah, he's too funny.
Like. I getting it, I mean like
getting into acting and performing a 14 or something I'm
very jealous of because I would never have as much as I do.
People might not believe that doing stand up now, but like at
that age there is not. I would love to have like acted.
I would love to have done that kind of thing, but at that age,
I, I didn't feel like comfortable enough on my own
skin or something to, to put myself out there and say, look,
this is something I'm going to do.
So when you were, you know, send your mates from school or
outside of school or whatever that, you know, you're acting,
all that kind of thing. What, what was the what was the
reception to that? I didn't, I didn't tell anybody.
So like only only the people found out kind of thing.
But I kind of at school at 14 was genuinely absolutely
embarrassed as fuck about it. But like, and and then then they
had committed. I was still at school as well
and was not going to do the hide that.
So it was like I can always have been embarrassed at the start.
And then I like it's mad, isn't it?
That like a lot of the people who I would have thought would
have given me shit for it were actually that's close.
You doing that? That's close.
I can't believe you're doing that.
And then now, especially when I see people like they're so proud
of you and what you've done and stuff.
It's like, but I remember it's going to be in like loving doing
it and feeling like because it was summer holidays, it was just
me and this group of people and nobody.
And then go back and realise I'm scandered about it and then
stopped doing it because that I didn't do it between like 15
till I was 18. And the only reason that
dominated the game was Pam Brighton begged me to come back
and do a play with them. And she wrote this play and she
was like, dude. And then when I did at that time
when I was 18 or 17, maybe I knew myself a little bit more
and was like, I love this all I want to do, like.
Yeah, I'm a very, very gel. I mean, even like school plays,
like looking back, I was like, I would, I wouldn't clap.
I mean, I was in the I was like blending in the background of
the choir, but secretly it was just like wanting to be.
Did you not just join the commander?
Because I was in the choir and it was just to get free periods.
Got so many free periods. If you're in the choirs, choir
practise. Yeah, and I was brutal at
singing, so I don't know. There was like a buzz about me
in the choir, you know, from like from, from, like from the
from the high, from the teacher, like Miss Ireland, who's our,
who's our choir teacher, choir master, whatever it is.
For some reason she must have got me confused early doors with
somebody else because I would have been like no solos.
But I was front and centre and a lot of stuff.
And I genuinely could not say. Like I couldn't sing.
Like, OK, I could not sing well and I'm mine.
I used to mime in our school choir all the time.
But yeah, I think like you're saying about, you know, me, it's
actually saying you like you're a fair play for doing that.
I think when you actually do sort of put yourself out there
and say, like here I'm doing this is what I'm doing and you
do it, well, nobody can really deny that.
That deserves better respect, you know what I mean?
Like no matter what it is, if it's sport or or whatever or
things. Like that, easier with sport
like. Oh yeah.
Fellows anyway, but yeah. But it was sweet.
I was terrified about it then it was sweet.
Has has acting always been your thing or was there something
else? Like were you like going to be a
vet or something at one point? Head but you mad you said
animals when I was a kid kid like I want to be a farmer.
That's all I wanted to be is like I'm going to be a farmer.
I'm going to have cows farmer vet and then when about as I got
older, I really wanted to get in.
I love, still love music, mad about it.
And I wanted to get into ANR, you know, like those guys are
like, find the bands and you go out, you travel the world and go
to gigs. I just thought that turned the
class, like, go drinking paints, listening to bands, bringing
them in, being like, I'm going to make you famous coming.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, meeting that guy, getting paid loads of money and then
A&R, like, thank fuck I didn't follow that because it started,
I was doing business studies in marketing and stuff that with
that in my mind. And then like Spotify and
everything killed all that doesn't exist anymore.
Like that type of job. I'm sure it doesn't in small
pot. It's not a.
What would you would you have like smoked a cigar when you
were going to Taliban blazer with the sleeves rolled up?
A white blazer. Blazer maybe as well, yeah.
Let me ask you back like the old time.
I'll get asked to do something, whether it's like a pilot script
or something. And obviously, like anything and
anything I write or anybody else, sometimes an idea is good,
sometimes it's bad. But let me ask you, obviously I
understand you don't want to go into detail about it and don't
name news. But have you ever been in
something like even way back that you can look back on and
go, I really wish I hadn't done that.
Like, and I know it can be and I'm not looking you to be like
what this guy, but I just mean like.
Is there something? That was bad, or the show was
bad, or. Even even a part you've
auditioned for and gone, like what am I?
What am I doing here? Oh, God, I did do that.
And it's not that the show was bad.
It was what was I doing there? My agents coerced me, like
genuinely coerced me as well because I said I can't like you
saying I Can't Sing. I Can't Sing at all.
I get sweat thinking about this. Coerced me.
The audition for Josh God's role in the the West End transfer of
the Book of Mormon, right, Which is a big tenor for role.
Like that's a big tenor role. So it's not just saying it's a
specialised oh. It's like it sounds like
meatloaf Josh Gabon, right. It's like it's amazing.
And I was like I can't and they were like I swear to God,
Connor, like they spoke. It was a Castor Peppa alien
who's amazing. She was like no, no, no, like he
spoke to her and they were like they're looking.
I think they were really struggling to fill because
actually Josh God came and done it.
I think in the end, because they couldn't find.
I'm near sure he'd done the first six months they couldn't
felt so they started going look, we'll just look for actors.
You can sing a bit because of the acting is more important in
that part than and you know, we'll teach them where the boys
go. And so I had to go to do you
know pineapple studios? Do you know pineapple?
Studios really expense. Really Expense was in the
hallway when I walked in shooting and not even these
friends was in the hallway. I walked in and he was doing
like a mad plea a thing. He's like alright darling,
whatever. And I was like, oh, Oh my God,
and and search, get in the lift, go up the stairs.
And they were auditioning for Mamma Mia in one room.
They were auditioning for recasting something else.
And then down in the end was the was the the big Mormon
auditions. And it was like a made-up thing.
It was like fame or something. It was girls were like one leg
up against the wall, like leaning against it, stretching.
Everyone was doing vocal warmups.
And then I get there in the end and there was a few like heavy
lads, bigger lads, a bit odd looking lads.
And I went, oh, look, they all look like, you know, like me.
They're a bit awkward and a bit out of place here.
Schwartz Grant was sitting. I'm like, this Book of Mormon
editions are like, yeah. And this guy, he's a big guy.
Have you got frontally getting long hair?
Looked like he just crawled out of bed.
And he was like, yeah, I mean, this is Anthony.
And they called him and he was next.
And so he walked in and went, oh, sweet.
No, actually, I'm going to be sweet here.
I'll just fucking bring it. And I can hear the door.
And he starts singing. It's one of the most incredible.
It's it was certainly like Neatof was in the room like
this, like blasting out was like.
Oh my God, my agents had told me that there was only the
director, musical director and the cast director in the room
and it'd be dead children all so I'm gonna be healies.
I walk in the room, fucking big long room, grand piano, eight
people on a panel. The American producers were over
all these people. We're like, OK, corners are
good. I need to do your acting and you
do the acting and then turn and bust into the song.
I bust in and suddenly stopped me straight away.
She and they were like, stop. So you're just in the wrong key
there, Connor. And the musical director was
like, if you want to do me, me. And I was like, me.
The point where we'd done that about three days maybe me and I
spent. You know what?
Let's just leave it here. I just think.
I think just leave it here. And they were like, no, no, no,
you can. I was like, honestly, it's fine.
Thank you so much. I just walked in.
I'm just going to the room. Never look back.
That was it. Yeah.
I was the most embarrassing humiliate.
That's nothing as bad. I, I, I once auditioned, I'm not
auditioned for many things before, but whenever I was about
17, I decided I should be in the TV show Skins.
Remember in Channel 4 there's like open auditions in London
and I make up the boss. Neither of us have ever acted in
anything. We got a it was like a 27 hour
journey to get there. Flew to London open auditions
and it was like improv scenarios and they said like it was me and
me, two girls and a guy I'd never met before.
Obviously they're all English and the scenario was one of the
girls has to tell us who are best friends and she's a heroin
addict now. Two things.
One, I tried to play it for comedy, right?
And and two, for some reason I found myself, you know, like I
stepped out of my own body and I felt like I was watching myself.
I started to do an English accent but was not good.
I should have done my own and it was out.
So I was I was making light of the stitch.
I was ruining it for them. And then I was doing this really
like half English, half Northern Irish accent.
And like you said, it's one of those ones were seconds into it.
You're going I. I need to get out of here.
Be here. That I, I, I look, looking back
on it, yeah, I shouldn't have went in the 1st place.
I shouldn't have been made to go.
I didn't want to go. Yeah, I trusted them and they
were wrong. But I like to think that you
still went out in the town where Louie Spence that night, like I
like to. I know.
You're so close to the AI. Yeah.
Where's where I see these things?
What he's up to. Have you ever seen an amazing
video of what do you call the girl?
The place? Bianca Patsy.
Patsy Kensit. Patsy Kensit Have you ever seen
Louie Spence and Patsy Kensit a beta workout video?
No, but I will do that after this.
And also actually absolutely exhausted.
But it is one of the best watches YouTube after yourself
after. Excellent, excellent.
So let me chat to you about loads.
I could talk to you about. But one thing I want to talk
about of course is, is industry, which is unbelievable.
It's it's baby. It's correct me if I'm on BBCHBO
Co production. Yeah, it was an HBO show.
The BBC came on board in the middle of us filming.
I would have. I naturally assumed it was the.
It would have been the other way about.
Yeah, so would I it's so bad Wolf who produced that are a
they're a Welsh production company, but they they're kind
of changing the industry in in the UKI think a wee bit in that
Bad Wolf have a great relationship with HBO.
So they've done like his Dark materials Discovery, which is I
hate Susie all that they're doing these big and and and
Jane, who runs Bad Wolf is an exact on succession and like so
she has that brilliant. And, and so she's, yeah, she,
she brought this to them first and they took, came on and then
BBC came on board and. And it's, it's one of those
things that it's about quite a specific, well, the world is
like quite a specific thing of, you know, young people working
in finance in, in London and these working all ours kind of
massively stressful jobs, which my mate did a bit, he went to,
you know, a lot of people go from here to work in those kind
of companies or, or big accountancy firms in London.
So he, I remember him telling me a little bit about that at the
time, but it's just, it's very like addictive watching the
episodes are very like the next one starts before you know, what
kind of thing. So, so how did how did that come
about for you like the audition process for that and.
I was, I was in New York during the Ferryman and all the boys
were auditioning for it. Apart from me, I'm just Northern
Irish role and it's like I'm exactly.
And, and then eventually the audition came in, just came a
wee bit later and, and I taped for it.
Donna Tape didn't hear anything. Then had to do a zoom with the,
the writers and they and the creators, Mickey and Conrad, and
they gave me loading notes and taped the game.
And then I didn't hear anything for months and months.
And then got a phone call to do like a chemistry read.
And it was pretty much from there.
It was a bit mad. It was from there I went to do
chemistry, which was nearly the majority of the, the car.
No, it was like 6 or seven of us.
So the, the kind of main cast were all there doing it and
there was nobody else audition for the roads.
We were like went up in Cardiff into the studios doing this
thing and we all then left and were sent back to London and
then got a phone call and got it.
And that was it. It was like, like they, they
decided, I don't know how, but there was just, it was a, it was
a long wait in between that and then the next thing you were up
doing it. It must be classed and not just
be involved with a project like that, but also when you know
when it be at the toughest time ever.
I'm sure four actors where like I'm sure there's great actors
that you know that haven't been able to do anything on the
lockdown period. So to do a great series like
this at a time like this must be like an extra bonus.
We we shot it before lock, so we finished it.
Finished. It finished.
We we finished, but what happened was lockdown postponed.
It actually was supposed to be at earlier and that's why it
came out. No, it was the whole lock.
I don't know what happened, but so we shot it.
We we wrapped in January, so I like like 2 days before
Christmas W time last year we wrapped it and I came home and
was like so excited about the year.
But I haven't said that what a brilliant thing that I can kept
me seeing the whole way through it, knowing it was coming out,
knowing that that was coming, knowing that we, you know, and
also there was always a nod the season 2 very early on.
You know, we were all kind of so haven't season 2 announced
during lockdown all that It's like God send.
It really is like. And what and what's the I was
going to say? What do you get when you do like
a series or a film or whatever? There's a lot of the reaction to
that. It's different if I say I put a
sketch of the feedbacks instant, you know, you're not waiting for
people to for next week for the next one to be on.
It's there. The comments are all below it.
So when you do like ATV show or a film.
Is it? Different have the reaction to
that and lockdown where like you're not bumping into people
at the shop as much as you would or, you know, being clocked in
the street and have a stranger say I really like that thing.
Is it almost like you know that the show's gone down really
well, but you're not really too sure yet?
Yeah, it is a weird, I don't feel like because anybody I
speak to is it you're in the like, do you know what I mean?
Like people are buzzing about how successful the show is and I
don't nothing's changed for me. Like, anyway, I've been
recognised once, literally once. And somebody's went, are you
your mom from industry? And I'm like, yeah, in the
airport on the way home, you man from industry.
And I was like, yeah. And he's like happy Christmas.
Brilliant legend. That was it.
Don't you know when you're like, that's the only.
Other than that, there's been no reaction to it.
So on that side of things, I don't see any, any difference.
But I know the show's gone down well because you see the reviews
and the and the. But yeah, it doesn't feel like
I'm in a massive. And how's it gone down in
America? Because it's almost like it's,
you know, playing the two audiences like the the audience
here in England, that kind of thing going on.
BBC hasn't been on HBO yet. It aired first on HBO.
It's went down like, ridiculously well.
Classic. I think they love as well just
the English accents and all that stuff.
They're like, you know, Americans love, don't they?
That's like Downton's. Yeah.
And so if out there, do you know, it's like here in
different accents or different world, they don't know.
But yeah, it's went down like really, really well.
Anywhere DMS? It's easy to be honest though,
shockingly, because I play an absolute wrath of a human being
like. Yeah, what a great character.
He's very troubled and you know, he's insecure and all that, but
he's still awful. The majority of people are so
nice, like just being like, I hate you, but you're such a
brilliant actor. You made me hit you like all
really, really nice games and there's been a lot of that.
And also like 1, somebody messaged me just saying what was
it he said? He said watching a few TV series
or TV shows now. You're an absolute cunt mate.
Haven't seen the show yet. Like whatever, but there's been
stuff like that. But the matter stuff has been I,
I've got messages asking for lots of money just being like,
look, I'm in a really, really tight spot.
Can you give me 25 grand? And you're like, of course, 7
years. A lot, a lot of that stuff and a
lot of like, yeah, there's been a few odd ones, a few odd ones.
I've never had that. I've never had anybody ask for
money like. It's not really bad Rina, but
then I'm like, I think it's they probably do it to everybody just
like those emails you get. It's probably the same.
Yeah, I on with your character then.
Were you like, was there much wiggle room for you to put a bit
of a stamp on it or was it pretty sad as to what it was?
Because what strikes me is like how natural it is.
There was a moment where I might be wrong, but you're like, just
like reading like football news or something to talk about
Liverpool. There was just this one.
I got this right. Share with me.
Yeah, there's, well, there's a moment where you were sitting at
your desk and you're kind of not off screen, but you're not the
main bit of that scene and at least just.
This. Maybe maybe I'm wrong.
But I think my brains gone from that.
But there was a lot of that. There was a lot of that.
But the majority of that, as much as I don't want to say
this, I mean, there's a bit of improv and I'm like, oh, I don't
want. But the boys wrote it.
The boys wrote all the everything.
They're so clever. They like, you know, they they
know those guys and said it. I think wiggle room was yes, to
a degree, but there was nothing you wanted to change.
See, when I read the scripts, it was very seldom that you go, can
I say it like this? And the only times I did that
was, are rhythms so different sometimes?
And they're so they write something and the rhythm just
always stuck. And I fainted awkward so ago.
Can I say this word or put that word there instead?
But apart from that, not really. And but what did happen was when
I auditioned for it, he was written as like a six foot
CrossFit dude, right? And then I auditioned for it,
which is Julie Hawkin, who's cast director.
You know, I love her and I'm so grateful to her.
Like she, she was like, but what about if he was like this guy?
And she threw me in the middle of the mix of lads like that.
And they went Oh my God, Oh my God.
And it changes the whole, his whole character changes from in
my height, my look in comparison to those boys, them working
class, all of those things. And so then they started writing
it to him. Get you?
Do you know what I mean? So initially it wasn't that.
So there was wiggle room in that way, but.
I could. I couldn't picture anybody else
playing, not like the the way you play it is like, I'm sure a
lot of people watching or and listening.
Well, I've seen it, but it's almost like you're always like
bubbling a wee bit under the surface.
Like sometimes just a little bit and then sometimes a lot.
And I just imagine it's very fun character to play.
Class correct, class correct. Like me and Marisa who I like
just harass and believe through the whole show.
Literally worst courses together, biggest messages
together and I get so much crack in it and it seems weird when
you watch because everyone's think you're so awful there.
How did you do it then? You're like so little crack.
See, see with Corpson, right that that's my big fear.
Like if I'm doing like a production, that's well,
production, not stand up. If I'm doing like something for
TV or film, I with like sketches and with stand up, obviously
with stand up, you burst out laughing halfway through.
It's like anything can happen. But one of my fears is being
responsible for other people as well.
You know what I mean? So if I laugh, I might fuck this
up for three other people. I might cause this the run over
time wise. Have you ever got it like real
bad where you just have to like? Ask equally anybody use it in
the class of the ferryman? Right.
Oh well, the Ferryman is is a play which.
Yeah, that's way worse. Shows 1500 people on Broadway
staring at your 1600 whatever it is like to the point where one
actor who I had to came in the military afterwards has to stop.
Connor has to stop and. Was it was it different bits or
would it be what I imagine would be really hard, which is the
same one particular thing, one particular bit?
Yeah, that did happen for a while.
That happened for a while. I'm the I'm the type of person
where if something goes slightly wrong, I think that's hilarious.
Because I'm like. Look at the it's 'cause you're
watching actors freak out. So something's fallen or broken
or something. I'm like, 'cause they're like,
I'm like trying to keep an acting and stuff.
And that stuff cracks me up. Or if I see something funny and
if I clock something funny in the audience, anything like I,
I'm not very professional or very good.
And I've read people's on stage experience from just and there
was tenses, but there was one time I just didn't speak.
I had lines and all. And people look to go and they
catch it quick them to me look away and just go.
We don't even need them, just keep going.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I, I, I've done one play.
I've done one play like locally. I thought that I had a moment
where I knew an actor had gone to the wrong page.
So the guy I'm doing lines with, I, I know he's about two pages
ahead and that's going to ruin a bit of the scene.
So I in my head thinking on my feet, which kind of you do was
you have to do with stand up quite a lot.
I let me bring him back. So I'll improvise a wee bit, but
I'll bring him back a couple of pages.
But I, I brought him to the wrong page, which was like
another 3 pages ahead of that. So he took us to four, I took us
to 7. So audience be like, this is the
most very odd house. This is very.
He said about I thought he'd missed a bit where we were
supposed to be going golfing, but that comes way later.
So he said something and I paid him up for no pun intended, for
sure. We're not meant to be going
golf. I mean, I probably thought I was
doing really subtly. I was like, are we not supposed
to be going golfing? What do you mean?
I look like I though I it's that's part of the kick though,
isn't it? Like when you think you don't
want that to happen, but actually it's one of the most,
like, the most adrenaline you'll get, the most, like, thrill and
going can I fix this? Can we get this?
Yeah, yeah. And that, whilst it's absolutely
terrifying, is also loads of crack as well.
What what was the the experience of the Ferryman like?
Like doing a ROM on Broadway, living in New York with I don't
imagine load other actors from from home as well.
Was that like a was that an unbelievable time?
Yeah, like we, it was like a travelling carnival, like all of
us, everybody, and also everybody kind of even when we
started the frame and most people kind of knew or knew of
each other from before and we're all there together in it.
And, and then getting to go to New York, I mean, just dropped
in New York to do that show. It was like it was epic.
It really, really was. And we had so much crack in it.
And The thing is, the show was very serious and it's 3 1/2
hours long. So like the crack was curtailed
to a certain degree because you're doing 8 of them a week.
So it wasn't as like raucous as it could have been or that you
could imagine it could become. But but it was amazing.
It was amazing doing a doing a job with like all your mates.
Yeah, yeah, on Broadway. On Broadway too.
Getting paid to be there and like absolutely class was class
me. Me and my dad went to New York
in March last year. Year before?
Yeah, last year. And then I was like, I really
want to go to Broadway. I really want to see like a
play. And I love Frankie Valli.
I'd absolutely love like Frankie Valli in The Four Seasons.
So I was like, let us let's go to Jersey Boys.
Couldn't believe the price of tickets online.
We went and I've got to be honest, I don't know where we
were, but it was not Broadway because the guy who played
Frankie Valli did not sounded more like Frank Mitchell, you
know what I mean? Like he was, he did not, like
they didn't Frankie Valli in The Four Seasons.
I don't even know if there was four of them.
I think it was just him and three fellas and it was not
good. But yeah, Broadway is something
like I'd like to go to properly, you know what I mean?
Like really go and see like a big thing.
Yeah. You go see stuff though.
It is hitting. It's like anything else, just
hit and miss. But it's on bigger scales, you
know what I mean? It's like, but there is
something magic about it. You know, it's Class A bit over
there. That doesn't really happen.
It doesn't happen in the West End or anything like that.
It's like the Broadway community, all the class, all
hanging up each other. Everybody's in touch.
Everybody's like, like our opening night, we got like
because Bruce Springsteen was on in the corner.
We had like a wee letter from Bruce Springsteen saying good
luck in your opening night. All the theatres send each other
notes for their opening night class.
If something happens, everybody cheques in on each other.
They do like Sunday brunches where you can like pop into a
theatre on a Sunday where they do a brunch before a Sunday
matinee. Like there's this community, a
real Sensi community, like, which is kind of like nowhere.
I've never experienced that anywhere else.
Would you have had like any mates that were doing other
plays like in diff like is there like a little bit of a Belfast
type like a northern thing out there or?
Who was there? I feel like there was at Rack
and me there was, yes, Chris, What's Chris's second he was
doing? He wasn't on Broadway, but they
were downtown doing a play and he's from from home.
He's also, what's his second name?
That's really bad. He'll hate me.
Sorry, Chris. We'll edit it in.
We'll top it his. Name is and then but lastly,
when I did cripple Venice, man, first time around the Irish Arts
centre had a festival in the first Irish festival and like
loads of people from whom were over like and that was amazing.
It was like and also it was my first time in New York ever.
Loads of other people's first. We were all running a bit like
lunatics. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And so we're going to do that play.
They put that was an Irish cast as well.
They put all of us in these apartments facing an Irish bar.
I think the producers about the end of the thing, we're like,
what have. We done here.
I want to ask you a bit about like what you're up to now.
Like you're doing a lot of writing now.
Is that something you've always done, or is that like a a
slightly newer thing to, or have you just been writing as you've
gone along? Look kind of new and not new
since like maybe five years ago, right?
And then yeah. And then just Captain I, I and
not captain out of like desperation to to start, but
more out of people going, oh, that's actually quite good.
Like do you want to be an upcoming thing?
And now I, I write out of like, I love doing it now do you know
what I mean? But initially I just done it
because it was forward. To be honest, it was wasn't
working and wasn't getting jobs. And like one, I've tried to
write myself a role and that, you know, it's like. 100% yeah.
That was that was the same thing for me.
I'd be newer to it than that still obviously, but but writing
the roles that you want to do because the roles that we all
want to play. And you're like, well, if I can
make it happen for myself, then that I've got way more of a
better shot. What, what one role you would
you would love to do, whether it's a certain type of
character, a real character, but playing them in a film version
or whatever. Like is there a project that
like is the is the ultimate goal or or a big passion?
No. What, you know what, No, I there
was a minute of time, but again, singing would be a problem here.
I'd love to do a biopic about Van Morrison and I look like a
young Van Morrison. We don't look madly dissimilar.
If you look at 70s, that would be fucking class, you know, And
I don't think that's been done yet.
I don't know how. I always think though, those
type of things are difficult, aren't they?
Because when someone's life is so you're spanning a lifetime is
always difficult to cram at India an hour and a half or
whatever that is. No, I mean that would be by the
way, that would be so much fun because what a what a complex
character who has been around for so long making some.
I'm a huge, huge fan and like, huge Van fan.
And I see Van quite a lot because he sits outside the same
cafe in Hollywood, like pretty much every day.
And also like someone who was doing something at a time when
this place was in like this array and he's doing this thing
that's like taking over the world.
There's something really special about that.
I'd love to tell them to that period of time.
And it's one where like, I mean, I've never met him personally,
but being from Hollywood, that's where he lives and small towns,
he everyone knows about everything.
And people are like, he's very, he's very short with people and
he's, you know, he's grumpy. And I think I have zero problem
about if you're like that with everyone, which he appears to
be. Yeah, also by this point, if
you've heard that a few times, surely you should go.
You know I'm not going to go near him.
Yeah, yeah. And then also I'd love to do,
I'd love to do Western and I'd love to do and I'd love to be a
real scumbag like Southern America.
That'd be class, Yeah. Form brothers, you know, like
something that that'd be class. Is say you had the so you had to
pick. I mean, is act would acting be
way overwriting for you or are they starting to catch up with
each other? I, I, I, yeah, no, yeah.
Like, I it depends on what that is.
And also like, is it? It's like you, like, do you
like, does writing your sketches come more to you than act at the
beginning? Do you know what I mean?
It's like, it's a thing. It's a whole thing for you.
It's a whole. And sometimes, I suppose it
depends on the on the thing. You might love writing one
script more than you enjoy acting in a different thing.
I guess it's. Absolutely.
And then like when I like I'm writing on something at the
minute with me and, and, and we're doing that and there's
been this year, a few auditions have come in where I'm like,
will that get in the way of this script?
Because this script means so much to me.
I'm going to read the script. So I don't love it.
So would I want to be doing this for three months?
It would take me away from writing this as we're, you know,
there'll be a different role that you will know.
I only want to do that this year.
I think it's that. I think it jumps and changes,
you know, and. You can't.
I mean, a huge problem of mine for years was I would, I would
write something or I'd come up with this idea and one person
would react negatively to it or tell me like, no, not this time.
I would just leave the idea, you know, I'd park it and throw it
away and never returned to it. And it was only until like I had
a chat with a friend who's stand up as well.
And he said when you find the one that you really like, like
don't take no was a I'm not something that's the project
that you know, you and I are working on together at a minute
as well. Do you see the thing with that
as well as like you, you, you know.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know.
You know, and so it then when you know that much and it hurts
that much that someone says no, you know, there's something in
there. And what's what's brilliant to
watch is someone's like integrity, someone's belief,
someone's like drive, find it. That's when things are electric.
And like, if you're like that, then you go along with them, I
think. Yeah.
And, you know, it wasn't even a thing of of having hurt
feelings. It was just a case of when I got
into doing comedy, all this kind of thing, I was like 1819.
And all you're trying to do is what you think people want.
You like commissioners or producers, you know, it's like,
what do you want from me? And, and you're more thinking
about what they want as opposed to this thing you want to do.
So so I would, I would have quickly been like, I've got this
idea. You ask one person, they might
turn it down, but the next person might say, yes.
But I was, I was always too focused on, you know, I have to
get something made. Whereas now it's like, find a
thing I want to write about and then get it made.
You know what? I.
Mean yeah, who should It's like isn't it the revenant?
Like, didn't they? The Revenant is 18 years in the
making because they refused to back down on how they wanted to
shoot it And like. Yeah, I wouldn't go 18 years on
this. No, they give it, give it up,
get I'd try. I'd just really park it.
I 18 years, he's still pedalling like that and he's still, still
like going to be in it and all that.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, give it 18 weeks.
Yeah, I play a schoolboy in this as a 54 year old actor.
I swear to God, just give me a chance.
I, well, I mean, I think anyone can play anything nowadays after
seeing Robert De Niro in The Irishman and that's where he
kicks again the ground. Anyone can be any age, that's
fine. That was mad, wasn't it?
I loved it. Everybody hated it.
I loved it. I I liked it because I didn't
think it was a classic film. I didn't think it was a iconic
film, but I just enjoyed watching all those actors
together. And I enjoyed, I enjoyed it for
what it was. But the same where he's kicking
the guy in the ground and he looks like a man of his age
kicking the guy in the ground. Just don't have that in.
Leave it out. Just leave that or or have
someone off off screen be like he's kicking that fell over
there and then kept him going. I don't know, I don't know.
I mean, what do you what like in the next a year is your, is your
goal to just focus on acting, focus on writing?
Well, it's kind of like I'm doing, I go back to industry end
of the year, I'm shooting something now here I'm shooting
something next month. So that brings me up to like
March and then have a wee window there where one of the things
I'm writing on, I'm going to have to be working on that.
And then I'd start industry again, hopefully and you know,
mid early next this year and then that brings you in the net.
So it's kind of all done. And then after that, fingers
crossed the project me and don't understand.
Hopefully we'll be somewhere at a point where we're able to to
do it, you know. And so yeah, it's good.
Just do both and wait and see. You know, I got, I got to
confess something to writing this.
This really embarrassing. The thing that we're for project
that we're working on together. When I first came up with the
idea for it before you, you and I were in contact.
I can't, I was doing like a treatment and I was putting
some, some faces on rolls and I was like, maybe this person can
play this person. You know, I've never met.
But I put I put you down and thought like, you know, that I
think, you know, that guy would be the guy for this, even though
we've never met. And I have like a Microsoft Word
document that's clearly dated before we met because I was like
the first time we talked, I was going, should I say, because
that's a fun coincidence? Should I have said that to you
the first time I met? And I was like, he will think
that I'm just saying that, you know, just do.
I I'm really good mates. One of my mates is cast the
director and I'm really like brilliant mates, like really
best friends and I had emailed her.
I found in my emails 10 years ago sending ACV headshot being
like would be so with such a pleasure to meet up with you at
some point. Very best wishes, your sincere.
It was such an admirer of all things that you work on, like
it's so embarrassing. I couldn't, I couldn't look at
that. I emailed the producer that
makes the blame game on BBC when I had done, when I had done 3
gigs, 3 gigs. I sent him an e-mail and I still
have the same e-mail account. And I said, you know, just, you
know, let you know I like the programme.
And just to let you know, I do stand up now.
So if you need anyone, come and see me.
And to be fair, he emailed me back.
Fuck off. No, he didn't.
He said you're. Never getting on.
The yeah, I've been on the Radio One but doesn't card.
But he said he was like, listen, best of luck.
It's great to see you doing stand up, keep it up, that sort
of thing. But it's just funny.
The emails. Yeah, you were.
All you were looking to do is like love to meet up, You know,
I'd love to get a chat. I mean, it's I don't think you
should ever lose that. You know you can definitely you.
Ever see how brilliant with Bradley Cooper in the audience
of the Packer studio? Isn't it like, yeah, desperate
to know and desperate to be part of it, like.
Yeah, very keen, enthusiastic. Yeah, I mean that I would cringe
at seeing, seeing all my emails like that again.
And it was like, unlike this guy was the limit.
I'd love to see my old e-mail name.
I think it was like Connor fire 2006 something like it's like
flaming fire or something. My first e-mail address, but not
the e-mail address I emailed people at.
When I started stand up, my first e-mail address was Rio
Right now this is so weird. Rio.
Now bear in mind I'm like 13. Rio under slash, Ferdinand under
slash rules with az@hotmail.com. Why the roads just do the crack?
Why the Z? The Z because it was like real
Ferdinand rules but I didn't want to write it like a nerd so
I put his head on the end but so bad.
Remember my mate said to me the other day in a message ASL, Do
you remember that that was the HX location?
Remember what was that MSN messaging?
Yeah, yeah, it was an MSN. Stranger out of which?
By the way, how many strangers out of John MSN Messenger and
you just chatted to them? I see.
When I look back at it, I'm like, definitely not.
None of that was safe. None of it was safe.
And I remember there was a way before Facebook, like way before
MSN days, there was a website called Face Party, which was
like the first. It was like a really early
carnation of Facebook. You probably were on it,
Everybody used it. And I remember you would just
chat the random people like MSN, but it had pictures.
And I remember whenever I was about 14, I mean it could have
been a 55 year old man, but I was chatting to this girl about
the same age who lived in Wolverhampton, right?
Why was it doing it? Just quite random.
Start chatting. And I remember sending a message
being like, I might be in the area soon and I was like 14,
When was I ever going to be in Wolverhampton?
Drop me. By how creepy would have been if
I drop by? So sketch like so sketch MSN.
Messenger Do you remember in MSN Messenger you could do this
thing on Windows Media Player where you could let MSN know
what you were listening to music wise so you would try and listen
to cool music. Do you do you remember as well?
Bebo likes it was Bebo like she used to kill me.
Like if nobody sent you love that day or if like up friends.
So one moved you from the the like at really at savage like
and having to go to school the next day and try not to say
anything about it because like absolutely gutted.
Yeah, you're crying about it and your dad's like, oh, you're
still my top friends. You're like I'm your 1 friend
Bebo. Where are our people accounts?
Where are they now? You remember Jeeves?
I'm from Ask Jeeves. Yeah, Jeeves.
Just keeping them all, yeah. Just pictures and all on there
I'd probably like to see. Imagine, do you remember that
time because we're the same age. The look in Bebo days was the
hair was like the same length at the minute on top.
But like, by the way, we were, we were on a Zoom call a couple
days ago when someone who were really nameless slag my hair and
said it'll look like Peter Schmeichel when he played for
Man United, which has really got to me.
But do you remember you grew your hair a wee bit at the back,
not like a mullet and like flicking out a wee bit?
No, me neither. Anyway, Connor, great to chat to
you and I appreciate. It he's got short back in sides
and leave the fringe short short back in sides one the two on the
top leave the fringe. Now with the fringe, were you
going up or you going down? Oh, down me I would.
I would wax it onto my head like chimneys.
Oh yeah. Oh, like the spider, the spider
thing. I remember going, I remember a
guy in my class called Michael shaved my head.
Like I asked him to shave my head warm all over, kept the
fringe and would dyed it with his mom's dye peroxide blonde.
Absolute legend. Like genuinely look class.
He did all the girls. That's good.
Love you. No I wasn't ahead with the girls
from primary school. The 1st girl I ever kissed was
in P7 and shouted out to her if she's watching now she's called
Rachel. Don't know who she is right?
And she was only Rachel in my class and then it was P7.
I went to sometime primary school P6 P 7 and one of her
friends who also knows who she is, Anita, came up and said I
need a you that was her name. And she came up to me and said
Rachel like wants to know if you want to kiss her before we go in
for lunch. And I was like 100% went up
quick kiss. Thought I was the forms right?
Thought it was the quarterback of the high school football.
Team sorry, can I just check did you have the fringe at this
point? No, I think I did the fringe as
a reaction to what happened here.
Went up, give her a kiss, thought I was the man.
Went back into class, found out about a week later she was only
going out with me because her mate theatre and she was best
50P to kiss me. And that has honestly made me
the man I am today. And if she's watching you go
fuck. I honestly, I honestly hope
things have not worked out for but but yeah, I mean, yeah,
magic imagine I still have a real complex.
In counselling and all the time. That's why I want to watch your
ad with the cardboard box. Therapist literally being a
shame I can't talk about this anymore.
Seriously, we've done this. Same same.
My living room across me there's a 50 foot cardboard box I really
need to take care of. Are you?
Going to carry out. Dentistry.
Connor, appreciate your time. Thank you very much for for
coming on.