Brenda Fricker has opened up on the later stages of her career following roles such as "Home Alone 2."
As people gather around the fire this festive season to throw on their favourite Christmas movies, one of those at the top of the list will, naturally, be the first two "Home Alone" movies — and if you’re Irish, you might recognise the iconic Pigeon Lady in 'Lost in New York' as Dublin’s own Brenda Fricker.
Brenda Fricker. (Getty Images)
Helping Kevin McAllister navigate the Big Apple and thwarting the Wet Bandits in their escapades to try and get to Kevin, Brenda’s career was one of highs in the 90s, having won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "My Left Foot," becoming the first Irish actress to do so.
With other credits including "So I Married an Axe Murderer," "A Time to Kill," and "Veronica Guerin," Brenda spoke candidly about the later stages of her career, revealing that after turning 70, roles unfortunately dried up.
"They don’t write for old women," Brenda told the Times last year. "Shakespeare wrote for old women, but none of the young writers do. None.
"There are so many wonderful people around…interesting women with history and stories," she continued, before revealing what former Dumbledore Richard Harris told her: "'Remember these words when you turn 70: You become invisible.' Richard Harris said that to me while sitting on the rocks looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, and it stuck in my head."
"On my 70th birthday, I thought, 'he’s wrong, I feel great.' A week later, I knew exactly what he meant. It’s weird. You have to shout to be heard. So it’s not that I’m out of work for any other reason. There are no parts to do."
While she’s of course remembered for her older films, Brenda added that after turning 80 earlier this year, she’s suffering from a number of health issues, heartbreakingly revealing that she’s spending "every day in pain."
"I’m out of breath just talking," Brenda told the Guardian earlier this year.
"I’ve never known tiredness ever in my life. Weary. Will I ever get up again? I’m having a dreadful death. I’m just dying, every day in pain. I’ll probably live to be 100."
Brenda earned critical acclaim for her role as Christy Brown’s mother in "My Left Foot," with her winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress during the 1990 ceremony, becoming the first ever Irish actress to do so.
As well as "My Left Foot," she was also known as the Pigeon Lady in "Home Alone 2," helping Kevin vanquish the Wet Bandits for the second time after her birds descended on the pair.
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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