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.
✨ 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.
Cillian Murphy lit up LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS on THE IMMORTAL MAN promo tour.
Murphy talks about reprising his Peaky Blinders role and asking Barry Keoghan to play his son via a Father`s Day text!
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
She`s not just a talent—she`s rewriting the rules!
Irish cinema darling Saoirse Ronan just announced something that has the industry buzzing: THREE INCESTUOUS SISTERS, a gothic fever dream directed by Alice Rohrwacher and co-written by Ottessa Moshfegh.
Starring alongside Jessie Buckley for the first time, this Audrey Niffenegger adaptation promises psychological sabotage, dark fairy tales, and everything we didn`t know we needed.
More Saoirse at irishfilmtv.com.
Domhnall Gleeson is being honored with an Oscar Wilde Award!
Twenty years ago, a theater audience first glimpsed his gift. Today, his filmography reads like a masterclass in selecting roles that matter. HARRY POTTER. STAR WARS. THE REVENANT. ABOUT TIME. BROOKLYN. CATASTROPHE.
More Domhnall at irishfilmtv.com.
✦ EXCLUSIVE INTEL FOR THE INITIATED ✦
Steven Knight just gave us the inside scoop. Before THE IMMORTAL MAN drops Mar 6, there are three episodes every true fan needs to re-watch.
These aren`t random picks—they`re the episodes that define Tommy Shelby`s entire journey. The moment that reveals who he really is. The turning point where he chooses life. The goodbye that haunts every frame before his return.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
BAFTA winner. Red carpet royalty. 🎬
Fresh off her latest accolade, Jessie Buckley hone at the World Premiere of THE BRIDE!
Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Buckley alongside Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Penélope Cruz, this is the gothic crime romance you didn`t know you needed.
Arriving in cinemas March 6. ✨
WALK THE BLUE FIELDS is adapting Claire Keegan`s devastating short story into a film that`s already drawing serious talent including Andrew Scott (FLEABAG, RIPLEY), Emily Blunt (OPPENHEIMER) and Ciarán Hinds (IS THIS THING ON?)
Set in Ireland, this is a romance about impossible choices, buried secrets, and the moment everything changes.
Link in bio to read more about what promises to be one of the year`s most emotionally powerful films.
One week. Two brothers. One dead. But which one?
THE UNDERTOW is the psychological thriller that will have you questioning everything—and everyone.
Jamie Dornan delivers a career-defining dual performance as identical twins Adam and Lee, embodying two completely different men while suggesting the psychological unraveling beneath.
More Jamie at irishfilmtv.com.
Colin Farrell`s THE SLIGHTEST TOUCH is a documentary about friendship, resilience, and refusing to accept limitations.
It`s the story of two people who`ve built their lives around each other, and one extraordinary day that proves what`s possible when someone truly shows up for you.
Directed by Rachel Fleit (BAMA RUSH), the film premieres at the 2026 Dublin International Film Festival before coming to HBO and HBO Max globally later this year.
More Colin at irishfilmtv.com.
