Irish actress Niamh Algar has made a name for herself in the past few years in film and television. She plays Ursula, a single mother who attempts to help get her son’s father, an ex-boxer turned mob enforcer, out of the dangerous life in The Shadow of Violence, which will be released in select theaters this Friday from Saban Films.
WorldFilmGeek had the opportunity to talk to Algar about her role in the film.
Niamh, it’s great to talk to you. I saw The Shadow of Violence just last night and I felt it was a gripping film about dreams and redemption. And you were great in the role of Ursula.
Cool! Thank you so much!
What inspired you to take the role?
I had read the short story “Calm with Horses” by Colin Barrett a year before shooting and I read Joe Murtagh’s script. I was so intrigued at Joe’s interpretation of the story. I felt like I read such an important character because she is strong, yet complex and flawed at the same time. And I was happy to be working with Cosmo Jarvis, who plays Arm in the film.
Ursula is the mother of a special needs child, something that is very close to me. Was the actor who played Jack really a special needs child, because he was really good in the film.
Kiljan Moroney actually doesn’t have special needs. He’s actually quite verbal. Which astounded me, because Nick [Rowland, the film’s director] discovered him and he has this amazing talent. Nick told him how to go about it and for a 5-year old, he was really emotional, intelligent, and phenomenal.
That’s amazing because he really convinced me to the point where if he decides to continue acting, we got a future star in the making.
It’s funny because when we weren’t shooting, he would be kicking the football around or making jokes. He was a sweet kid all around.
You share most of your scenes with Cosmo Jarvis, who I thought did an excellent job as Arm. What was it like working with him?
Cosmo is a great person and an amazing actor. His performance was very inspiring. Nick put Cosmo and I together and he gave us a chance to really explore our characters and how to go about it. He pretty much let us create our characters. A few weeks before shooting, Cosmo and I got to rehearse how we wanted to bring that emotional range together and I really got to know him in the process.
That’s one thing that struck me because you and Cosmo brought this natural chemistry where it’s part-bickering couple and part, could this work out type of deal.
Exactly. There was this balance that we brought where we didn’t just want to be a bickering couple, but possibly have the potential to get back together and move on from what we were dealing with in the film.
What I loved about the film is the fact it’s about dreams and redemption. The dream comes from Ursula, who wants to have a better life for her and Jack, and even bring Arm in the fold if he would get away from his life as a mob enforcer.
Exactly! Arm is emotionally holding onto his past but his present actions are affecting him. And that’s one thing that Nick and Joe wanted to really show. They wanted to bring to life Arm’s relationship with Jack, and how Arm gets worried that if Jack sees what he is doing, it will be a varied opinion. Arm doesn’t want Jack to go down the path he is taking, but there is that fear that the son may possibly follow in the father’s footsteps and that’s why Arm can be seen as reluctant when it comes to Jack at times.
That’s excellent and intriguing. Well, with film and TV production slowly coming back on the rise, are there any new projects on the horizon?
Yes! I am excited to be working again with the new COVID measures. I have a project I believe we will be shooting in the end of the year, if not the beginning of next year. So I’m really looking forward to getting back into doing it.
That’s great! The Shadow of Violence comes out this Friday and this is a gripping film about redemption and dream. Niamh, you were great in this film and I hope the film is a hit and I look forward to seeing more of your work.
Thank you so much!
A Special Thank You goes to Katrina Wan PR and Niamh Algar for making this interview possible.
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