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Shannon Questions Cillian at Corcadorca
In Conversation with Corcadorca
by Shannon
A lucky fangirl gets the chance of a lifetime to see Cillian up close and in person at the In Conversation with Corcadorca event in Cork, Ireland on 19 May 2011.
I had some loose plans of traveling to Ireland in the Fall, but a few months ago I read that Cillian was going to be taking part in Conversations with Corcadorca, and I impulsively ordered tickets online. Then I decided I should plan my trip a few months early!
We booked a hotel in Cork City and the Corcadorca event was about 4 days into our trip. I had one online friend who I chatted with in the days preceding the event. She was also going to the event and she helped me to find the right venue on the map. We still weren't really sure about it even after we scouted the area and found the building because there was no notice of the event anywhere.
Thursday evening we were just sitting around bored, so we ended up leaving more than an hour early. We were the only ones waiting there at the Triskel Christchurch until these two girls from Finland showed up and said they had already been there a few times that day. They told us they had traveled 14 hours to get there. They were both nice and we chatted about Cillian and our journeys to get there that evening.
I met my online friend in line nearer to the time of the event. We were all waiting on the steps for the doors to open. Finally the doors opened just before eight o'clock and the Finland girls were the first two in. We were next, even though we had three very anxious girls behind us pushing to get in front of us. They even tried to race past us down the aisle to grab the front seats, but my mom was too quick for them and she claimed the first two chairs in the front row for us. Yay mom! :)
We saw two seats on the stage with mics and glasses of water. Then we noticed there was a camera set up behind us to the right side of the church, facing towards the left side of the stage. We knew Cillian would be sitting facing in our direction. Best seats in the house!
A bit after eight Cillian walked out from the left side of the room with a few other Corcadorca people. He does not carry himself like a celebrity, just a guy who loves acting. It was a gentle entrance for such a talented man. He was wearing a simple tee shirt and jacket with jeans, and was sporting a beard with a few spots of gray.
He and Fiona took the two seats on stage and the interview began with a little chitchat about the fact that Fiona and Cillian had grown up in the same area and knew each other when they were young. And it was mentioned that Cillian's parents were there in the audience that night as well. I'm sure they must be very proud of their boy :)
The interview portion went on for about a half hour and we were told there would be a question and answer period afterwards. Cillian talked about his history in getting into acting, how he learned on the job, as opposed to being trained in acting classes, and about the projects he was working on currently. I found out he was going to be doing a play in Galway in a few months, and decided then and there that I would be going back to Ireland in the Fall to see him perform on stage!
He was very charming and soft spoken. He was funny, and he made us all giggle when he mistakenly used the wrong word when describing acting roles as "boring." He talked about taking your talent and doing something with it, not just playing the role of starving artist. It was inspiring and insightful.
I had decided to try to take some photos with my phone during the interview. I couldn't use the flash, so the photos ended up quite blurry, but at least I can still see it's him :) I also decided to record what I could on my digital camera. I got about 15-20 minutes on disk, but I figured since the venue was recording it anyway, I wouldn't worry that I couldn't get the whole thing myself. Hopefully that video will be surfacing soon online!
Once we got to the question and answer portion I just sat back and enjoyed listening to his replies. He seemed to be looking right at me when people around me were asking questions, but I suppose that was just wishful thinking! The spotlights were bright on the stage, so he and Fiona were both shading their eyes to try to see the people who were asking the questions.
Three or four people in my row decided to ask questions. Mostly the questions were craft oriented. I imagine a lot of the people who attended were either actors or acting students. I'm just a fan of films in general and a huge fan of his work, so I didn't really feel I could come up with any question that would meet the expectations of the audience.
But then, a few people started asking more film fan type of questions, and I kind of thought "What the hell? I'll ask a question!" I hadn't had it in mind until that moment, so I wasn't nervous when they handed me the mic, thankfully. I asked him "Have there ever been any parts that you've passed on, for whatever reason, that you later regretted?"
I expected he would have one or two he could talk about. He surprised me when he said "Loads of them!" He also said he was not going to mention any of them. I sort of playfully pouted at him at that point and he continued his answer by saying that he had later seen the actors performing those roles [he had passed on] and he said they were great in those roles. He had the attitude of just moving on, without regret at what he hadn't done, which was nice to hear. I think that's a good way to live.
It was just amazing to have the opportunity to ask him a question and have him answer back directly to me. A few seconds that will be forever etched in my happy memories. Later I realized it had been recorded, and that made me even happier. I never wanted to forget how great this night had been, and now I knew I would be able to relive it via the film whenever I need to smile.
Mine was one of the last few questions taken and then the event ended. After we all applauded him, he asked for applause for Fiona also. Cillian came off stage and stood chatting with his Corcadorca friends in front of the stage. I decided to just leave then. I figured people would be hanging around wanting to talk to him, and I had already had my opportunity and was thrilled with it. I was on cloud nine and smiling the rest of the night!
