an actor who brings undiscovered gems of a story to light.
an actor who inspires others with his presence and service.
an actor who will deliver every time with a warm, solid handshake.
an actor who brings both rigour and laughter into the rehearsal room.
Telling a story clearly and creatively is my highest priority at work, whether I’m the Cary Grant or the Errol Flynn. I see fun in the classics, and am not afraid to admit to you that I cried last night during a production of The Winter’s Tale (true story).
When it comes to acting, I’m more Laurence Olivier than Dustin Hoffman, and make notes on my script in pencil as a reminder of the flexibility needed for collaboration (also for the crossword on the train). I believe work ethic is contagious, and I lead others to excellence by showing up on time with an open mind and positive attitude.
I’ve been working in theatre, TV, film and voiceover in New York City, Ireland, and the United Kingdom for over 15 years. I’m also a writer and producer, and co-run a theatre company in Dublin called AboutFACE, whose mission is approachable theatre, narrative-driven texts, and solid storytelling.
Because of my experience creating work, the audience always comes first, and I know the risk and trust involved in hiring an actor to fully realize your story. Simply put, I’m addicted to the intimacy of shared experience, and sharing stories with an audience has never ceased to thrill me since I started in my final year of secondary school.
As someone who shares my addiction, I meet you here with respect for your knowledge and love of story (and a whiskey by the hearth to geek out about dramatic structure). I’m excited to share what I have to offer in service to the story you want to tell.
I am often cast as gentlemen who are classy, whip smart, determined, maybe a little lost, with an oddball sense of humor or a dash of boyish innocence. Favourite roles include: Victor McGowan, a witty troubled assassin, in The McGowan Trilogy, Nathan Leopold, the honours student caught up in murder, in Never the Sinner, Hamlet in the docu-series Hamlet in Pieces, Louis the wannabe politician in the webseries 30,000 to One, and being part of an amazing ensemble in The Laramie Project.
My play Orson Welles’ Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play was produced in Dublin in 2012 and 2013. Based on true events, this comedic, playful and moving play-within-a-play for 7 actors (4M, 3F) about the healing impact of the Christmas spirit (with a few shenanigans along the way) includes a version of A Christmas Carol performed in the 1930?s American radio style with live sound effects.
My narration work includes audiobooks for Audible.com such as acclaimed literary fiction by Irish authors including Songdogs by Colum McCann, The Canal Bridge by Tom Phelan andSkippy Dies by Paul Murray. For commercial voice-over, I provide a warm, bright, youthful, playful, civilized Irish voice, and a strong storytelling arc in any piece of copy. In addition, I love talking animals, and I hate seeing them given the wrong voices!
THE GODS OF THE OZARKS
In the summer of 2019, Paul was delighted to originate the role of Jonah Hahn, a doctor out of his depth in an 1800’s frontier American town, in the world premiere of “The Gods of the Ozarks” at the Civic Theatre in Dublin. You can read a review of the show here.
THE WITCH ELM BY TANA FRENCH AUDIOBOOK
Paul was proud and honoured to record the audiobook of Tana French’s new novel The Witch Elm, for Penguin Random House. A bold enveloping mystery story of the impact of crime on a lucky Southside Dublin lad, told in gorgeous visceral language, capturing modern Dublin brilliantly, you can order it from Penguin and Audible where it has received over 3000 5-star reviews for its Performance!
THE LAST SUPPER
Paul was delighted to play the lead role of Sal, club-manager to the mob, in the World Premiere of Jason Branagan’s innovative multi-media play “The Last Supper,” produced by Kamal Ibrahim and RealScreen Films at the new Whale Theatre in Greystones. You can view Paul discussing the project on the promo video here!
THE LONG WET GRASS FILM AT FESTIVALS WORLDWIDE!
Paul stars as Victor McGowan in the short film of “The Long Wet Grass,” based on Seamus Scanlon’s short story and play. Shot on location in Co. Mayo, Ireland, produced by Nancy Manocherian’s the cell, co-starring Anna Nugent, directed by Justin Davey and shot by Lakshika Serasinhe, with an original score by Oscar-winner Marketa Irglova, it is currently playing at festivals worldwide, from New York and San Francisco to Berlin and Istanbul. You can watch the trailer here!
I recently watched a terrific documentary about the groundbreaking theatre producer and acting teacher Wynn Handman (it’s called It Takes A Lunatic, and it’s currently on Netflix, well worth a watch). He really was an extraordinary figure – he set up the groundbreaking American Place Theatre in New York which provided a crucial bridge for…
One of my favourite theatre experiences was getting to return to the role of Victor McGowan in The McGowan Trilogy when the show transferred from New York to England in 2015. Why was it so special? Well, there’s many reasons: Discovering a new mentor. I was hugely lucky in that while in Sussex, I was…
I recently watched Jed Mercurio’s TV drama Bodyguard – I had been excited to see it, having gotten utterly wrapped up in his masterly Line of Duty and having heard how he had the British public on the edge of their seats for six weeks waiting to see what would happen next. But that didn’t…
Movies are exciting. There’s that childlike frisson of excitement when you are walking up the stairs of the cinema, towards a new adventure on the big screen, balancing a bag of jellies, a bucket of popcorn and the ticket you’re double-checking to see what room it’s in. And then there’s that different excitement an actor…
When you’re an actor in a play, there’s a bunch of first times during the course of the production, juicy first moments, that happen each time you do a show, that are fabulous milestones and a special part of the joy of performing. Each feels lovely but a little different – each one makes you…
I’m currently on page 676 of Paul Auster’s latest novel, the 866-page opus 4 3 2 1. And I have to say – each page is bliss. I find myself smiling a lot, occasionally chuckling gleefully, and even a couple of times on the edge of tears. I come back to the book each night…
