In the world of high society, where fortunes are made on whispered rumors and reputations crumble over tea, there exists a particular kind of power that has nothing to do with armies or titles. It’s the power of the pen, the cutting word, the strategic maneuver executed not on battlefields but in drawing rooms. This is the lethal territory of DANGEROUS LIAISONS, the celebrated adaptation by Christopher Hampton of Choderlos de Laclos’ incendiary 18th-century novel, now receiving a striking new production directed by Marianne Elliott at London’s Donmar Warehouse.
For Aidan Turner, the Irish actor who has spent recent years building a formidable career across television and stage, this production represents a particularly charged moment. Following his scene-stealing turn as the rakish Declan O’Hara in the wildly popular series RIVALS, Turner steps into the silk stockings of the Vicomte de Valmont, one of literature’s most notorious libertines. It’s a role that demands everything Turner has proven he can deliver in recent work: charisma that borders on dangerous, intelligence that cuts like glass, and the ability to make moral corruption look devastatingly attractive.
For Turner, taking on Valmont after his breakthrough in RIVALS feels like a natural progression rather than a departure. While Declan O’Hara was all rumpled charm and righteous fury, Valmont requires a different kind of magnetism, one more calculated and predatory. The character exists in that fascinating space where intelligence becomes its own form of seduction, where the ability to read people and manipulate their desires transforms into an art form. Turner has spent his recent career proving he can inhabit these morally complex figures without asking for our approval, and Valmont is the ultimate test of that particular skill.
Elliott’s production arrives at a moment when audiences seem particularly hungry for stories about power, corruption, and the systems that enable both. The director, celebrated for her work on ANGELS IN AMERICA and THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, brings a precision and intelligence to theatrical storytelling that should serve this material beautifully. With Manville and Turner as her weapons of choice, she has actors capable of making us complicit in their characters’ crimes, of forcing us to recognize the seductive appeal of wielding influence without conscience.
Turner’s recent trajectory suggests an actor unafraid of darkness, willing to explore what happens when charm curdles into cruelty. From the swashbuckling Captain Ross Poldark to the more layered, morally ambiguous figures of his recent work, he’s demonstrated range while maintaining that essential quality all great actors possess: we can’t look away. Valmont demands we watch even as we’re appalled, that we understand his appeal even as we recognize his monstrousness. It’s a tightrope walk between seduction and revulsion, and based on Turner’s recent performances, he has the balance to pull it off.
He`s back — and the stakes have never been higher.
🎬 Michael Fassbender returns as CIA officer Martian in Season 2 of THE AGENCY, landing on Paramount+ on Jun 21. Jodie Turner-Smith is alongside him as Sami, and if the first season left you gripped, Season 2 looks set to be unmissable.
Full details at the link in bio. 🔗
Before DISCLOSURE DAY, there were garage bands and teenage dreams.
Josh`s band? Orange Output. Eve`s? Ten Past Two. We hadn`t heard of either — and neither, it`s safe to say, had most of the world — but the stories behind them are absolutely brilliant. Watch the full chat over on our YouTube channel.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Colin Farrell teases romance, a deeper dive into his character`s extraordinary origins, and the arrival of the wonderful Laura Donnelly in Season 2 of SUGAR.
It premieres June 19th on Apple TV+, and we cannot wait. 🖤
new EXTRA interview at irishfilmtv.com.
He`s charming, he`s candid, and he`s got a lot to say about Ned.
Domhnall Gleeson joins @tv_topics to talk about his brilliant work in THE PAPER — and it`s a conversation you won`t want to miss.
Watch now via link in bio.
Colm Meaney is an absolute joy in REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES, Netflix`s gorgeous adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt`s bestselling novel.
As Ethan Mack, the Grateful Dead–obsessed shopkeeper with a quiet devotion to Sally Field`s grieving widow Tova, he`s everything the film needs: warm, funny, understated, and completely scene-stealing.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Caitríona Balfe is having a moment!
THE CUT is streaming now on Paramount+, and coming later this year she stars as Mrs. Dashwood in a stunning new SENSE AND SENSIBILITY alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles and George MacKay. Add to that THE HOUSEKEEPER and A LONG WINTER also in the pipeline, and it`s safe to say one of Ireland`s finest is just getting started. 🎬🍀
More Caitríona at irishfilmtv.com.
Cillian`s got on his running boots for A QUIET PLACE Part III.
Currently shooting in New York and billed as a conclusion to the main series, John Krasinski`s upcoming film continues the journey of the Abbotts, with Evelyn (Emily Blunt), Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe) vying for safety.
More Cillian at irishfilmtv.com.
She`s in a Spielberg film. She`s sharing the screen with Emily Blunt, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo. And she might just be heading to the Oscars. 🍀✨
@evehewson is the name on everyone`s lips right now, and if the early buzz around DISCLOSURE DAY is anything to go by, Ireland is about to have another awards season moment to savour. Critics are raving. Ladbrokes has her at 10/1 for a nomination. And honestly? We`re not even surprised.
More Eve at irishfilmtv.com.
SUGAR is back on Jun 19!
Season 2 of Apple TV+`s neo-noir gem returns — and Colin Farrell`s John Sugar is returning to the shadowy streets of Los Angeles with his most dangerous case yet.
A missing boxer`s older brother. A conspiracy that runs through the entire city. And still — somewhere beneath all of it — the question that haunts him most: what happened to his sister?
More SUGAR at irishfilmtv.com.
