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Mayflies, which airs on BBC Scotland in the coming weeks, stars Tony Curran, who in the second of our interviews discusses his role as Tully.
Tell us about your character Tully?
Tully is a 50-year-old English teacher who lives in a small town in Scotland with his wife Anna.
Where do we first meet Tully in the story?
We first meet Tully in 1986 at a working men’s club where he is with all his friends singing in his band The Sherbet Fountains.
What were your first impressions when you read the script?
When I first read Andrea’s scripts, I was very excited to be a part of this story. The characters seemed very relatable to me since it starts in the 80s, a time when I was a teenager growing up in Scotland. I feel that Andrea has captured Andrew O’Hagan’s novel beautifully, the poetic boisterous rebelliousness of these young men growing up, and then over time the powerful and moving outcome of their great friendship.
Have you met the younger Tully (played by Tom Glynn-Carney)?
I met Tom, he was great playing the younger Tully. Obviously we didn’t have a lot of interaction, but when we did it was a real treat and great to watch him work.
What was it like working opposite Martin (Compston), have you worked together before?
I was so happy when I found out Martin was going to play Jimmy. We both worked together many years ago on a film called Red Road and we both had a good experience doing that. Because Tully and Jimmy basically drive our story and are extremely close friends, they’ve known each other since they were kids, almost like brothers. It was important to feel that kinship between them, a story, a kind of romance if you will. Martin is always a pleasure to work with, he is always so present and giving as an actor and of course he is also a crazy Celtic fan like me.
Tell us about filming in Scotland?
As I live in the States, I haven’t been shooting in Scotland as often recently. But every time I’ve had the chance to go home, it’s always a joy for me to do so, especially being close to my family while I’m shooting is great. I miss the sense of humour, the people and the scenery, some of the places we shot were quite beautiful so it’s always great to come home.
How would you sum up Mayflies?
The story of Mayflies to me is about deep humanity, the magic of youth, identifying with one another, friendship, kinship, love between people, between friends, and how that can be tested over time but ultimately never die. They will always be there for each other.
Ashley Jensen plays Anna and explains her role.
Tell us about your character Anna?
Anna is Tully’s wife. She is a lawyer and a strong woman who met the love of her life in Tully. He is all she needs. They are a great partnership, their relationship is solid and passionate. Tully found her match in Anna.
Where will we meet Anna at the beginning of the show?
At the beginning of Anna’s journey in the script, it was not long before they found out that he had advanced cancer. She will do anything to keep him by her side for as long as she can. Her strong moral code is challenged when she discovers what Tully’s intentions are, but also that his best friend Jimmy has formed an alliance with him and they have been plotting together without her knowledge. She is faced with a life-changing choice. Does she agree with it or oppose it? The story follows a lifelong friendship that is put to the test and how we can navigate love and marriage and also love and friendship together.
What was it like working opposite Tony Curran?
I know Tony from our theater days in Glasgow in the 90’s and from my time in LA (where I also met Martin). Although we never worked together, I always admired him as an actor. He was an absolute pleasure to work with and so was Martin Compston. This is such a sensitive subject and as we are very aware that most people have unfortunately had some personal knowledge or experience with cancer, we wanted to be as honest as possible which required a huge amount of focus. They are both very receptive and open as actors with a lot of humility and humor, which made filming much easier.
How did you find the photos in Scotland?
I loved coming back to Glasgow to shoot. It’s such a damn cool city with such warmth and humour; it was just great to be back home. From a long time! I felt that I was almost able to see him with new eyes. Not only is it architecturally stunning; it is vibrant, creative and unpretentious, plus the weather has been very kind to us. Except for one day that was at the beach. Martin and Tony braved the elements with the fantastic team and they were all smiles!
Had you read the book before you got the part?
I hadn’t read the book, but as soon as I found out I was doing the job, I read it. You could say it was so beautifully written, brave, poetic, honest and heartbreaking that I read it in a few days – albeit through tears in the last 20 pages. It has wit and humor and is strangely life-affirming despite the subject matter; an ode to youth and a reminder to live each day to the fullest.
What were your first impressions when you read the script?
Andrea Gibb’s beautiful script is very faithful to the book and honestly how she managed to cram everything into a two episode chunk is phenomenal. Peter Mackie Burns’ direction was detailed, sensitive and nuanced. It was a great team working together for the same goal; to tell Andrew’s story and bring it to life.
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