Clare Dunne

here I'll put the kettle on and she makes a cup of tea or whatever and um I remember she was like what's going on and I was like I didn't like look a total mess but she kind of knew something was up because she's my mom and I remember I just said to her what had happened in that meeting and a really lovely thing happened where she was pottering away in the kitchen and she was like um

well I don't know like I just know you and I know that like you always get told you can't do something and then you just kind of you'll just you'll just it's not that you'll go at it hard you'll just kind of go but like if I really want to maybe there's a way yeah you know it's not it's not that I would think like it's not that I would ram hard at the person and then just be like no it's almost like I just kind of go

There's probably another way, though.

You know, and that's ended up being a real benefit, actually, to me.

And I, honest to God, like, I'm so grateful now for all the people that said no, because it meant I went, yes, in a whole other direction where I became a writer and a person, as you call it, a world builder.

When I was in drama school in second year, they said they did this thing in a class where you had a real like realistic, like kind of business-y class where you just learn how to like do your CV and your headshots and write to agents and stuff, right?

But also Martin was brilliant because he used to be like, what's your worldview?

Like, what do you care about?

Because this will have an effect on the choices you make as an actor, as a storyteller.

And little did I know what he was tapping into there.

And it was really funny, though.

I remember one day he went around the whole class.

He was like, what's your dream?

Where do you want to see yourself in five years?

Kind of thing.

Right.

So this is the second year in drama school.

And I was like, oh, I just really want to work with Druid Theatre Company.

And I've never actually been to Galway, even though I live in Ireland.

And I just want to live in Galway and like work with this deadly theatre company.