Post by SheWolf on Oct 16, 2008 15:51:51 GMT 1
From Herald.ie
Carrigstown is poised for a gay love affair as a new character is launched in the soap this week.
Emmerdale actor Liam O'Brien is set to join the soap, the Herald can reveal.
And his role as Dubliner Peter Brennan, estranged brother of Paul, will cause nothing but fireworks.
Peter will make his entrance next Tuesday when he lands on Paul's doorstep after a 10-year absence.
Meanwhile, Paul, who is already struggling to come to terms with a near fatal heart-attack, will come close to losing the plot completely as Peter continues to push the boundaries.
Acclaimed actor Liam O'Brien will take on the role and promises to bring some drama to the lives of those around him.
No stranger to the small screen, Liam is joining the cast of Fair City fresh from a two-year stint on popular British soap Emmerdale, where he played the part of curate Ethan Blake.
"All Paul knows is that I've been married and lived in South Africa and then moved on to Manchester," Liam explains.
straight
"They haven't had much contact since Paul left at the age of 18. My character Peter was eight at the time, so they're not really on the friendliest terms.
"At first, everyone presumes I'm straight and it doesn't come out for a few episodes that I'm gay and, needless to say, there's quite a commotion," he told the Herald.
And while he plays a gay character, Liam maintains it is not what he wants his character to be known for.
"It's a classic soap plot and my gut feeling was that a lot of gay characters on television are portrayed as being very camp, so I decided to play him quite straight and by the book, and he just happens to be gay on top of that.
"I was a bit worried people might have thought I was taking the easy way out, but I think it worked very well.
"The character is quite reckless and the good thing is the fact that he's gay doesn't become the central trait in his character," he said.
However, fans of the actor shouldn't get too fond of him on the hit soap as Liam will only make a short appearance, he explained.
"It's a brief stay for me, only for a couple of weeks, but the good thing is it's been left open for me to return.
coffin
"As long as I don't leave a soap in a coffin, I'm always happy because that means you still have a chance to come back," he laughed.
Having worked on Emmerdale for so long, Liam thought it would be difficult to integrate into a new soap, but was surprised to find it easy.
"In terms of the work, I didn't really see a huge difference because there's a new producer on Fair City and she used to work on Emmerdale.
"She has also worked on EastEnders, so I think she's brought a lot of sensibility from working on these shows with much bigger budgets and it's really a good change for the show," he added.
- Lorna Nolan
Carrigstown is poised for a gay love affair as a new character is launched in the soap this week.
Emmerdale actor Liam O'Brien is set to join the soap, the Herald can reveal.
And his role as Dubliner Peter Brennan, estranged brother of Paul, will cause nothing but fireworks.
Peter will make his entrance next Tuesday when he lands on Paul's doorstep after a 10-year absence.
Meanwhile, Paul, who is already struggling to come to terms with a near fatal heart-attack, will come close to losing the plot completely as Peter continues to push the boundaries.
Acclaimed actor Liam O'Brien will take on the role and promises to bring some drama to the lives of those around him.
No stranger to the small screen, Liam is joining the cast of Fair City fresh from a two-year stint on popular British soap Emmerdale, where he played the part of curate Ethan Blake.
"All Paul knows is that I've been married and lived in South Africa and then moved on to Manchester," Liam explains.
straight
"They haven't had much contact since Paul left at the age of 18. My character Peter was eight at the time, so they're not really on the friendliest terms.
"At first, everyone presumes I'm straight and it doesn't come out for a few episodes that I'm gay and, needless to say, there's quite a commotion," he told the Herald.
And while he plays a gay character, Liam maintains it is not what he wants his character to be known for.
"It's a classic soap plot and my gut feeling was that a lot of gay characters on television are portrayed as being very camp, so I decided to play him quite straight and by the book, and he just happens to be gay on top of that.
"I was a bit worried people might have thought I was taking the easy way out, but I think it worked very well.
"The character is quite reckless and the good thing is the fact that he's gay doesn't become the central trait in his character," he said.
However, fans of the actor shouldn't get too fond of him on the hit soap as Liam will only make a short appearance, he explained.
"It's a brief stay for me, only for a couple of weeks, but the good thing is it's been left open for me to return.
coffin
"As long as I don't leave a soap in a coffin, I'm always happy because that means you still have a chance to come back," he laughed.
Having worked on Emmerdale for so long, Liam thought it would be difficult to integrate into a new soap, but was surprised to find it easy.
"In terms of the work, I didn't really see a huge difference because there's a new producer on Fair City and she used to work on Emmerdale.
"She has also worked on EastEnders, so I think she's brought a lot of sensibility from working on these shows with much bigger budgets and it's really a good change for the show," he added.
- Lorna Nolan
