Customer Reviews (3) 
Worthwhile Profile of Hollywood's Leading Irishmen
_Hollywood Irish_ is a fantastic collection of interviews and photographs of six handsome and talented actors: Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea, Pierce Brosnan, Aidan Quinn and Patrick Bergin. The simple introduction provided by Ãine O'Connor sets the mood for the rest of the book well. As she mentions, the interviews do reveal insightful, private information: "Liam Neeson reveals how he considered leaving acting and how he found the confidence to continue; Pierce Brosnan, simply and openly, shares the painful story of his wife Cassie's death; Stephen Rea discusses the relationship between acting and politics; Aidan Quinn talks about the Irish identity and its many paradoxes; Patrick Bergin reveals the temptations of an actor's life and the difficulties of doing love scenes; Gabriel Byrne tells us about the risks and illusions that surround fame." In a nutshell, that's the book. Each actor discusses his beginnings, both in life and as an actor. Each discusses, in some capacity, how being Irish has impacted him. Each actor's profile comes with several b/w photos from childhood, movies and family collections. At the end, one can find each actor's filmography. The only complaint I would have regarding the book is that the material is dated (only current to 1997) and I wish an updated version could be compiled. That criticism aside, though, this is certainly a title worth owning.
Insightful interviews.
Aine O'Conner manage to capture the cadences of the various actors very well.While reading the text, I could almost hear the men speaking their words.I suspect that she didn't edit the tapes very much, save for verbal pauses (the usual "uhs" and "you knows") and forlength.Ms. O'Conner also included several photographs (many were candid)that were sprinkled throughout the various sections.
While Ms. O'Connerasked many insightful questions, she didn't follow through on many. Indeed, at times I was a little disappointed that she failed to follow upon specific points; however, that point is trivial compared to the overalleffort of the book. If you are a fan of any or all of the actors listed,or simply are curious to see how contemporary Irish actors are dealing withthe joys and disappointments of Hollywood, then you should enjoy this book.
Great Look at the Lives of Some of Hollywoods Finest Actors
This book provides a facinating, indepth journey into the lives of six very capable and successful actors. Many humourous and sometimes tradgic tales of life in Ireland and struggles to make a name for themselves thereand in America. Each actor tells of personal hardships that they havebattled throughout their lives and how they have created such prominentstatus in today's Hollywood scene. Each story is spoken first hand whichadds to the richness of these beautiful retold memories. This book providesa greater sense of who these men are by recalling tales from childhood,adolecence and adulthood which explain their journeys to becoming the greatactors they are.
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