Brendan Gleeson says 'Deliverance' 'upset me to the core'

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Portrait of Irish actor Brendan Gleeson

Photo by David Levene

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In an interview with The Guardian, actor Brendan Gleeson reveals how seeing the 1972 film 'Deliverance' when he was in his late teens impacted him for life.

"It gave me a sense of what sexual bullying must feel like deep in my gut – it felt visceral and real," said Gleeson, referring to the scene in which the Ned Beatty character gets raped.

He continued: "The film is full of contrasts. It's elegantly shot, yet has this brutal plot. And for something as vile as rape to be set against wild, outdoor beauty and overlaid with a lulling soundtrack is disorientating for the viewer. Particularly as a young man, it upset me to the core."

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"I think it's in recreating the primal nature of a complex world that director John Boorman excels. I've been fortunate enough to have worked with him since and the way he manages to depict the cruelty of life is extraordinary."

"In Boorman's film, things are rarely as they seem. He captures the underlying motivations and illogical decisions of his characters. It's to these sorts of roles that I'm drawn as an actor. People are layered and those are the parts I've always sought to play."

Brendan Gleeson stars in the acclaimed film 'The Guard,' directed by John Michael McDonagh.

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