The young voices behind new Irish animation The Secret Of Kells talk about voicing the movie
Christen Mooney and Evan McGuire, the young actors behind new Irish animation ‘The Secret Of Kells’ talk about their new found fame as Kellls-fever sweeps the country. Brogen Hayes caught up with the two rising stars recently…
Did you imagine the film would turn out looking as good as it does?
EMcG: No. No offence to the director, but I didn’t expect it to that great. And it is amazing.
CM: When I saw it three years ago I thought “Are we ever going to see it?” I forgot that I was even in it in some parts of it; I just forgot what was going on. It is a movie that you would go see over and over again because there’s so much detail in it that you could just look everywhere and you would never get bored.
EMcG: When you think about it, you could think that it might be boring, but it’s actually sort of educational. Get it into schools!
Did you know the film was going to be scary in parts?
EMcG: Some parts of it are very scary. No I didn’t know, I just did the voice and I would be screaming making noises for about 20 seconds and I didn’t know what I was doing.
Who was the most fun to work with?
EMcG: It was brilliant in the studio because I got to work with Brendan Gleeson and he has just got such a strong voice.
CM: I didn’t get to work with him, I didn’t do any scenes with him, but maybe next time!
Did you like working together?
CM: Definitely, we went around Ardmore Studios and we were playing and when we went back in and we were talking to each other it was just like we were talking normally!
Can you tell us about your characters in the movie?
EMcG: Brendan is adventurous. His uncle is the Abbot Cellach who runs the monastery of Kells to stop the Vikings getting in. Brother Aidan comes from Iona and he is making the Book of Kells and he makes Brendan go to the forest to get berries and that’s where he meet Aisling and she saves his life… All the time! They become friends then and she helps him.
CM: She’s like a fairy who can turn into a wolf. She turns into an old woman and it’s her forest. She’s a bit bossy at the start, she is really annoyed with Brendan for coming into her forest, but then she saves Brendan’s life and they become friends that way. They have a great relationship. Kind of like us!
Did you know what your characters would look like before voicing them?
CM: Yes. We saw pictures of them and some of the actions. We got a booklet and they had to draw an individual picture or each movement.
Were you happy with how your characters looked?
CM: Yes, but in one bit where they are going into the cave Aisling looks up and she is really scary in that bit.
Did you like playing a fairy?
CM: I loved playing a fairy. She’s kind of got a supernatural power, she can leap off trees and save Brendan’s life…
EMcG: All the time!
Do you want to act more?
EMcG: That’s my career! It’s a competitive business but I am keeping an open mind.
CM: Definitely. I did audition for a movie about two weeks ago.
What do people at school think of you being in this movie?
EMcG: it will be great craic to bring the class to the movie because they don’t know that side of me yet. I do a lot of sports so they don’t really know that side of me.
CM: They’re really cool about it. We’re all going to go and see it when it comes out on March 6th and we’re going to have a great time. They can’t wait until it comes out.
THE SECRET OF KELLS is at Irish cinemas everywhere now!