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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.
The awards season darling you`ve been hearing about is finally streaming.
Chloé Zhao`s HAMNET—the haunting exploration of grief, love, and the creation of Shakespeare`s HAMLET—brings together Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley in performances that have kept both firmly in the Oscar conversation.
If you missed it theatrically, now`s your chance to see what the buzz is about before Oscar night. This is the kind of film that reminds you why cinema matters.
More HAMNET at irishfilmtv.com.
Taylor Swift just dropped the OPALITE music video and it`s giving major Irish vibes ☘️✨
The nearly 6-minute visual sees Domhnall Gleeson starring as Taylor`s love interest, playing two lonely souls who find each other. But here`s where it gets even better: eagle-eyed Swifties spotted cameos from Cillian Murphy and Graham Norton, making this a full-on Irish affair.
Want the full breakdown of this transatlantic collaboration? Head to our blog for all the details on how this stunning video came together. Link in bio! 🔗
The creator of DERRY GIRLS just dropped a murder mystery set at an Irish wake, and honestly? It`s the genre mashup we didn`t know we needed 🕵️♀️
Lisa McGee is back with HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST on Netflix, and if you loved how she found humor in the Troubles (Protestants! Toasters! Cupboards!), you`re going to eat this up.
Three friends reunite for their childhood bestie`s funeral, only to realize her death isn`t what it seems. Cue an eerie adventure across Ireland that`s equal parts creepy and hilarious.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
British Vogue just put Jessie Buckley on their February cover and it`s not just a magazine shoot—it`s a coronation.
Shot by Jack Davison on the windswept Norfolk coast near her home, these images are pure cinema. Sky, sea, and a woman at the exact moment her entire life is about to change.
She`s the frontrunner for Best Actress. HAMNET is destroying audiences. She`s a new mother standing at the edge of the kind of fame that alters everything.
And Vogue captured it all—the grit, the greatness, the quiet mastery that got her here.
More Jessie at irishfilmtv.com.
Caitriona Balfe has just landed her next major role in THE HOUSEKEEPER.
Set in a grand historic manor against Cornwall`s dramatic landscape, Balfe plays Danni, a housekeeper who falls into a forbidden affair with none other than writer Daphne du Maurier (played by Mackenzi Laird).
While we`re counting down to OUTLANDER`s final season premiere on Mar 6th, Balfe is already proving she`s so much more than Claire Fraser. 🔥
More Caitriona at irishfilmtv.com.
After over 20 years of mesmerizing us on screen, Saoirse Ronan is ready to call the shots—literally.
The four-time Oscar nominee is making her directorial debut with PAPER PLANE, an Irish short film she`s also writing, and honestly, this feels like the natural next chapter for someone who`s been acting since she was nine years old.
Details about PAPER PLANE are still under wraps, but with Ronan`s track record, expectations are sky-high. What are you most excited to see from her behind the camera? 🎬
More Saoirse at irishfilmtv.com.
Louis Paxton`s Sundance 2026 debut THE INCOMER stars Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, and Grant O`Rourke in a trio that`s equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.
Think fish-out-of-water meets generational grief, wrapped in the warmth of fireside hot chocolate. Sometimes the scariest thing isn`t a legendary Fin Man—it`s letting go of the past.
Have you ever held onto something because changing felt like betrayal?
More Domhnall at irishfilmtv.com.
🎸 THE BEATLES ARE COMING BACK TO CINEMAS.
Four films. Four perspectives. One legendary band.
Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney. Harris Dickinson as John Lennon. Joseph Quinn as George Harrison. Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
The first look just dropped via postcards hidden around Liverpool`s performing arts campus and honestly?
The hype is REAL. 🔥
Sam Mendes is directing all four films, each told from a different Beatle`s POV, and they`re ALL releasing on the same day—April 7, 2028.
Which Beatle`s story are you most excited to see? 👇
Irish talent is absolutely dominating the 2026 BAFTA nominations! 🇮🇪✨
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal both scored major noms for HAMNET, with Buckley up for Leading Actress as Agnes and Mescal recognized for Supporting Actor as William Shakespeare. The film has basically swept the nominations, breaking records left and right.
But that`s just the beginning. Andrew Scott landed on the longlist for BLUE MOON, Robbie Ryan got recognized for his stunning cinematography on BUGONIA, and even Cillian Murphy appears as a producer on the STEVE longlist.
From performers to cinematographers to production companies like Element Pictures and Wild Atlantic Pictures, Irish voices are everywhere in this year`s race.
The ceremony hits London on February 22nd. The world is watching Irish cinema right now, and what a moment to witness. 🎬🔥
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