When Bradley Cooper steps behind the camera again in 2025 with IS THIS THING ON?, he’s assembled a cast that reads like a masterclass in understated brilliance. Among the names—Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Amy Sedaris—sits Ciarán Hinds, the Belfast-born actor whose face you know even if his name doesn’t immediately register. Hinds will play Jan in this exploration of divorce and stand-up comedy, a pairing of subjects that promises the kind of uncomfortable humor that lands like a punch to the gut before you realize you’re laughing.
For an actor who’s portrayed everyone from Julius Caesar in ROME to the tormented father in BELFAST, from the sinister Steppenwolf in JUSTICE LEAGUE to Albus Dumbledore’s brother in HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, adding a character named Jan to the repertoire feels almost refreshingly ordinary. Almost. Because with Hinds, nothing is ever quite ordinary. He brings gravity to fantasy, warmth to prestige drama, and a lived-in authenticity that makes you forget you’re watching someone act. His Mance Rayder in GAME OF THRONES felt like a king precisely because he never seemed to be trying to convince you he was one.
IS THIS THING ON? marks another chapter in a career that’s been less about headlines and more about the slow accumulation of indelible moments. Cooper, fresh from his ambitious turn with MAESTRO, clearly understands that sometimes the most interesting stories about falling apart require actors who know how to hold themselves together on screen. With Hinds in the mix alongside Arnett’s comic timing, Dern’s emotional precision, and Sedaris’s sharp wit, the film has the ingredients for something that could cut deeper than your typical comedy about life’s wreckage. And in an industry increasingly obsessed with spectacle, there’s something quietly radical about a project that seems content to explore the messy, ordinary devastation of a marriage ending and a comic trying to find the joke in it all.
BELFAST`s Jamie Dornan will host SNL UK this weekend.
Dornan, known for his role in FIFTY SHADES OF GREY and THE TOURIST, will front the program alongside Brit-award winning band Wolf Alice.
The show marks the first British incarnation of the sketch series, which was created by Lorne Michaels and first launched in the US in 1975.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
In a brand-new interview, OUTLANDER star/executive producer, Caitríona Balfe, discusses THAT pivotal Season 8, Episode 3 scene where Claire saves a baby.
A must-watch for OUTLANDER fans!
More at irishfilmtv.com.
✨ Brendan Gleeson just reminded us why he`s one of the greats ✨
Yesterday at the London Standard Theatre Awards, Gleeson took the night for his performance in THE WEIR—and honestly? there`s no one else who could have done it quite like him.
This is an actor who doesn`t perform. he breathes into the role. he becomes it. soul-deep, nuanced, the kind of characterisation that makes you forget you`re watching acting at all.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
* THE IMMORTAL MAN now on Netflix *
This is not a spinoff. This is not a revival. This is Tommy Shelby`s final reckoning—the definitive end to one of the most captivating characters television has ever created.
The gypsy king`s last move is being made. Are you ready?
More PEAKY at irishfilmtv.com.
Fresh from his @iftaacademy LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, Ciaran Hinds returns to Irish theatres in MIDWINTER BREAK.
Hinds and co-star, Leslie Mansville, deliver amazing performances - they move through this film with a kind of choreographed delicacy, two people who have built their relationship on a foundation of interlocking vulnerabilities and mutual evasions. In theatres tomorrow, Mar 20.
More info at irishfilmtv.com.
The best characters aren`t heroes. they`re human.
Andrew Scott doesn`t do safe. from the priest in FLEABAG to tom ripley`s calculated desperation, he chooses roles that make you uncomfortable—and that`s exactly why you can`t look away.
In a new @sxsw interview, Scott gets candid about his most famous roles!
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
Happy St. Patrick`s day everyone!☘️
Forget the green beer for a minute and grab your coziest blanket and dive into some of the best Irish movies to watch on St. Patrick`s Day 🎬✨
From epic adventures to heartfelt dramas, there`s something for everyone. Which one`s making your watchlist? 🍿
More at irishfilmtv.com.
She swept the Globes. She swept the BAFTAs. And last night, Jessie Buckley swept the Oscars — becoming the first Irish woman in 98 years of Academy history to win Best Actress 🍀
For a girl from Killarney who started on a TV talent show, this wasn`t just a win. It was a coronation.
More Jessie Buckley Oscar glory at irishfilmtv.com.
✨ From years of hopeful texts to the role of a lifetime ✨
Now he`s playing Cillian Murphy`s son in PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN and audiences are absolutely losing it over his performance.
Barry Keoghan opens up about what it took to land this dream role, reuniting with Cillian (they bonded on DUNKIRK).
More at irishfilmtv.com.
