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.
DERRY GIRLS darling @nicolacoughlan returns to our TVs in I AM HELEN.
This critically acclaimed BAFTA-winning anthology series pairs Coughlan with PEAKY BLINDERS star Joe Cole!
Watch new trailer now via 🔗︎ in bio!
BROOKLYN fans, this one is for you 🎬
Caitríona Balfe is back in a Colm Tóibín adaptation, and A LONG WINTER lands in cinemas this January 2027. Based on Tóibín’s 2006 short story, the film casts Caitríona as Louise, a mother at the heart of a stark, emotional drama.
More details via 🔗︎ in bio!
Mayo`s own @philippa.dunne is pure joy!
On this week`s @latelaterte, Philippa shares childhood memories of growing up in Mayo that shaped her, and what it’s really like to bring unforgettable characters to life on screen.
If you love Irish screen stories told by the people who live them, watch now via 🔗︎ in bio!
Everyone`s favourite Andrew returns to the @britishfilminstitute London Film Festival with his new film ELSINORE.
Few actors of the stage and screen have attracted as much acclaim in recent years as Andrew Scott, both for the emotional depth of his performances and for the subtlety and nuance he brings to them.
Watch now via 🔗︎ in bio!
Like father, like son!
Aran Murphy is following in his father Cillian`s footsteps with a major role in the new @sharonhorgan show YOUTH.
The 19-year-old is relatively new to the acting world but has had a very busy few months as of late, stepping out on red carpets and giving plenty of interviews for his first roles.
Let`s hear it for Ireland`s next wave of amazing acting talent!
Colin Farrell hit the @thegrahamnortonshowofficial couch this weekend!
Farrell reveals a new haircut (!) and how he was initially reluctant to take accept his role in the classic IN BRUGES.
Watch now via 🔗︎ in bio!
One question that has haunted Ireland for decades ⚖️
In RE-CREATION, the new film from Jim Sheridan, the story is built on the real 1996 murder of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier, and Colm Meaney never hands you a verdict. The veteran actor trusts you to argue it out yourself 🎬
More details via 🔗︎ in bio!
“This is the Ireland I always believed existed.”
July 13, 1985. Two stadiums. One mission. Queen, U2, Bowie, Elton John, Madonna, McCartney, all on one day to fight famine in Ethiopia. And five Irish women who wanted to donate their wedding rings!
More details of Bob Geldof`s LATE LATE SHOW appearance via 🔗︎ in bio!
Let’s hear it for Jamie Dornan 👏
He’s back as an American career criminal, always one step ahead, in 12 12 12 on Apple TV, going toe to toe with Anthony Mackie in a cat-and-mouse game across Europe. And this time he’s also an executive producer, helping shape the story as well as starring in it.
NEW trailer via 🔗︎ in bio!
