Hollywood star Chris O’Dowd talks about 'Sapphires', his role in HBO’s 'Girls' and the meaning of St. Patrick’s Day

Roscommon native Chris O'Dowd talks with Cahir O'Doherty about his newfound fame in the US and upcoming projects

“I was dressed really well and suddenly I felt so uncouth. The head of the festival came over and barked at me, ‘Stop that! This is Cannes!,’” O’Dowd recalled.

“I kind of thought for a minute that he was joking but then I thought, ‘Oh no – there’s no joke happening here. He does not appreciate my moves.’”

O’Dowd confesses he was thrilled with the dramatic audience response to the film. But it didn’t end there. 

“As happy as I was for myself, it was much touching because it is such a distinctly Aboriginal story, and I was sitting there with the director, the cast and the photographer, who are all indigenous Australians, and they were just so moved. It was beautiful actually,” he says.

Meanwhile, O’Dowd has a starring role opposite Brendan Gleeson in Calvary, the highly anticipated new Irish film from director John Michael McDonough, the talent behind The Guard. 

“I can’t really talk about it,” he says. “I mean I’d be happy to but the more that anybody talks about that thing, it will give it away and ruin it. It’s going to be great and Brendan Gleeson’s fantastic in it.”

O’Dowd has also delighted audiences in his turn in HBO’s Girls, the show that has become a cultural phenomenon. 

“Lena Dunham asked me to come and do one episode which was where I try and have a threesome with the two girls and it’s not very successful,” he says.

“The show was fun and I had a good time on it and I think they were happy with what I did because they asked me to come back.”

But O’Dowd explains he was a little worried because he wondered what his character, Thomas-John, could do after ruining things so gloriously.

“And Lena being Lena said, ‘Well, we’re going to have you marry one of the girls.’  I went back and did another four or five episodes and I imagine that would be it now,” he says. (His character had a quickie wedding with Jessa, played by Jemima Kirke.) 

“But after the comeback the last time you never say never. It’s a terrific show and man, it’s great writing.”

O’Dowd also turned up as an Irish guy in Judd Apatow’s recent comedy drama This Is 40. 

“I never asked Judd where he was supposed to be from,” O’Dowd reveals. “My character was some kind of a hipster. In my head he was probably a guy who had worked for a record label in London. 

“That’s not that weird, it’s in LA, and there are loads of Irish people in LA. Unless there’s a good reason not to make them Irish, I’m going with Irish.”

Meanwhile, a project that O’Dowd wants to shoot in Ireland soon involves a rise and fall of the Celtic Tiger tale. With the recession still so biting and emigration figures through the roof, he’s not sure if Irish people are ready to see the funny side of the collapse.

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Nster.com