“You couldn’t have had ‘Northern Ireland’ and ‘film industry’ in the same sentence 25 years ago unless there was also an ‘is non-existent.’ What’s happened recently is just incredible.”
So says Conleth Hill, the Ballycastle, County Antrim thesp already known to trillions of Game Of Thrones fans as the genitalia-less Lord Varys. Hill hits the big screen this month in Shooting For Sócrates, a highly entertaining account of Northern Ireland gearing up to meet Brazil and their headbanded philosopher-captain in the 1986 Mexico World Cup.
The James Erskine co-written and directed film scores straight from the kick-off with The Wonder Villans’ joyously jangly pop rendition of ‘Alternative Ulster’.
“The music’s brilliant throughout,” enthuses Hill who plays Jackie Fullerton, the rambunctious BBC NI sportscaster who accompanies Billy Bingham’s men on their Guadalajara mission. “It was the Christmas before last when I got to read the script. I’d just finished Game Of Thrones for that season, and it really made me laugh.”
While likely to be filed under ‘comedy’, Shooting For Sócrates doesn’t try to soft-focus The Troubles or gloss over Billy Bingham’s ruthless entrepreneurial streak.
“The starting point in terms of the story and how it’s told was James being in Cannes to promote his brilliant Italia ’90 documentary, One Night In Turin, and meeting David Campbell,” Conleth continues. “He asked him, ‘What do you do?’ not expecting the answer to be, ‘I was a football player who made his first international start for Northern Ireland against Brazil in the World Cup.’ He came home, spoke to lots of other players, realised there was a film in it and brought Marie Jones on board as co-writer.”
Ostensibly known as an actress whose CV includes In The Name Of The Father, Closing The Ring and Philomena, Jones also penned the play Stones In His Pockets, which Hill went to Broadway with.
"It's all very incestuous up here," he laughs. "There were lots of different strands that she and David brought together. What I found very sweet is that the players weren't aware of the unifying effect it was having back at home. Being before the internet and instant news, they didn’t know that people stopped rioting and fighting with each other to watch the matches. Instead of the differences, it emphasised what the people of Northern Ireland had in common.” There’s a great scene in which, wanting to see how their high altitude training in Albuquerque is going, Fullerton charters a helicopter that’s almost as clapped out as the lads are after a 10k mountain run.
“No special effects were involved,” Hill stresses. “For accuracy’s sake, myself and Gerard Jordan, who plays Albert Kirk in the movie, got taken up in this little ‘80s helicopter which didn’t look particularly airworthy but obviously was, unless David was completely lying to the insurance people! The pilot, though, was fantastic and it ended up being a real thrill.
“All the interiors were filmed in and around Belfast. To recreate Albuquerque and Mexico we went to Spain between Benidorm and Alicante in December, which was freezing. You should have heard the screams of the poor guys who had to do the swimming pool scenes!”
The aforementioned David Campbell and fellow Mexico ‘86 teammate Gerry Armstrong were on backing-vocal duties last year when Gary Lightbody and Jonny Quinn re-recorded 1986’s ‘We’re Not Brazil We’re Northern Ireland’ anthem.
“I didn’t get to meet them myself, but I know the Snow Patrol lads have been extremely supportive of the film, which is about something that had a huge impact on their own young lives,” Conleth observes. “Someone I did get to meet before the Waterfront Hall premiere was Jackie Fullerton who said, ‘What was it like playing someone almost alive?’ He couldn’t have been nicer.”
With Hill joined on screen by fellow Game Of Thrones star Richard Dormer, Dracula Untold’s Art Parkinson, The Mummy’s John Hannah and Bronagh Gallagher of Pulp Fiction and The Commitments renown, Shooting For Sócrates has bucked the trend of low-budget Irish films going straight to DVD/digital platforms.
“I’m glad it’s getting a cinema release because like Good Vibrations, Hunger, Bloody Sunday and Terry George’s short, The Shore, I think it’ll add to people’s understanding of Northern Ireland.”
And underline the quality of the films being made there.
“False modesty aside and not on my own behalf, the crews and actors are brilliant,” he enthuses before sounding a cautionary note. “This talk of cuts to the Northern Ireland Screen budget concerns me. To watch or listen to someone else’s story is such an important aspect of life. To identify with someone who’s completely different to you helps the peace process. If you’re prepared to put yourself in someone else’s shoes you’re going to be less judgmental. But cuts are being made all over the place, not just to the arts.”
There will be no pinching of pennies later in the year when Conleth shaves his head and gets robed-up again for the sixth season of Game Of Thrones.
“The production values, the writing; everything about it is second to none,” he reflects. “In a way it spoils you because nothing will match Game Of Thrones’ attention to detail. You have to be aware of that when you switch to a low-budget film.
“I’m lucky in that I don’t do my scenes in the infamous Magheramore Quarry or Iceland, which is even colder. My exteriors are shot in Croatia, which is usually nice and warm. I’m in a hugely successful TV show, but am rarely recognised, and every now and again get flown over to California for awards and premieres where HBO really look after us. At the same time I’m able to live at home in Ballycastle and do all these other brilliant projects like Shooting For Sócrates; Two Down, which is about a hit man and debuts next month in Manchester; and Patch Of Fog, Michael Lennox’s BAFTA-winning short that I’m in with Stephen Graham from Boardwalk Empire. Hollywood’s a lot sunnier, but I’d rather be in Northern Ireland doing what I’m doing.”