Cork actor: ‘I was able to bring Christy into myself...’

Christy, a drama set in Cork City’s north side, opened in cinemas last week and is receiving a strong, positive reception from both audiences and critics.

Directed by Brendan Canty from Ballincollig, the film already impressed viewers at the Berlin Film Festival, where it premiered, and won the award for Best Irish Film at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh.

It follows 17-year-old Christy as he leaves the foster system and returns home to Knocknaheeny, and the movie stars Danny Power, a 24-year-old actor from Gurranbraher and best known for playing Gavin Madigan in The Young Offenders.

Power, who previously starred in Canty’s short film based on the character of Christy, says it was a large step to transition from a short film to playing the lead in a feature, but he relished the opportunity.

“It was a big leap. I didn’t think much of it at the time.

“I had done the short and I thought I would have no bother doing the feature, but a feature is a whole lot different. There’s so much more involved, and you get really tired, but it was great.

“I loved it. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

“I was able to bring Christy into myself and carry his emotions from the short to the feature film, which really helped me find the character.”

Christy doesn’t remember much of his childhood. How did Power understand a character who doesn’t fully know himself?

Power says discovering what made Christy tick was part of the workshop process before filming commenced.

“Everyone has been lost at some point in their life, or they forget the way their life used to be. We know what Christy did when he was five and older [after his mother died] but what happened in his past life? What doesn’t Christy know that he should know?

“When we were doing the film, it was about looking for the soul of Christy, and the reason why he feels the way he does, and why he wants to know what he wants to know.”

It is hard to believe that anything could be more Cork than The Young Offenders, but Christy is giving Jock and Conor a run for their money.

It isn’t just the accents in the film that capture the essence of the north side. It is the local phrases, the sense of humour, and the strong sense of community spirit.

“The Young Offenders is really Cork and I would have never thought that something could be more Cork in my life, but when I read the script for Christy, it shows how the north side is,” said Power.

“It’s a big community, everyone knows everyone.

“A lot of us knew each other from before, but during filming, we became a tight family.

“We all liked each other, we all talked together all the time, especially when we were filming in Knocknaheeny, which is such a tight-knit community.”

The film stars award-winning actors Chris Walley and Alison Oliver, along with a talented group of newcomers from Kabin Krew, a musical collective based at Kabin Studio.

Power says it was a joy to work with the younger actors, particularly as a former member of the Kabin Krew.

“I’ve been with the Kabin Krew since I was nine years old. I’m 24 now, and I know lots of the kids from when they were babies,” he said.

“I knew they had so much talent from rapping. They have no fear of getting up on stage, rapping in front of people, and writing their own raps. Being able to see them portray themselves in the film is absolutely amazing.

“A lot of them are like first-time actors, but they look like seasoned actors. They’re so talented, it’s incomprehensible.”

Power did not intend to become an actor; it was a chance encounter at Kabin Studio that led him to the screen.

“The only thing in life that I wanted to do was to go to the army,” he said.

“I always said that I would have gone to the army, and you wouldn’t have had to pay me.

“I was set on that, but when I was 17, Brendan and Alan [who wrote Christy] came to the Kabin looking for people to do auditions for a short film. I was used to cameras from rapping on stage, so I went for it.

“I didn’t get the part of Christy; some other actor did, but he didn’t turn up, so they offered it to me.”

It appears that acting runs in the blood, as Power’s five-year-old son, Keano, plays young Christy in the film.

“Any time he sees himself, he says, ‘Look, it’s me. I’m famous, I’m on the telly’. He absolutely loves it.

“It was great that we could spend a moment like that together. I was really glad that we had the opportunity. He is a little legend.”

With the film receiving such positive reviews, Power says that he feels proud, but also thankful to his parents for supporting his acting journey.

“I wouldn’t be able to do all this if I didn’t have my mam and dad,” he said. “They look after my son when I’m filming.

“They’ve boosted me on, and they help me with self-tapes; my dad reads the other lines for me. I can’t thank them enough.

“As for the reviews, it’s crazy, because we wanted to do this film for so long, and we always thought that it was going to be something big, but we never, ever expected it to be as big as it is.”

Christy is on general release in cinemas now, rating: 15a