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.
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!
