Oscar-nominated actor Stephen Rea was honoured with the Irish Academy Award for his Lifetime Achievement, and for his outstanding contribution to the Irish and international screen industry at the 21st Anniversary IFTA Awards Ceremony. Rea has been the winner of 3 IFTA Awards, with 9 overall nominations. This intimate documentary explores the development of his outlook through the actor’s life and work.
Stephen Rea: The Fire in Me Now follows Rea from where he grew up in north Belfast, to his family home north of Dublin, to London’s Maida Vale where he spent time as an actor and to his much loved Donegal.
The documentary film depicts intimate conversations with friends and collaborators of Rea’s, including actor Sinéad Cusack, director Neil Jordan and Civil Rights activist Eamon McCann.
Speaking about the documentary, Stephen Rea said: “I was initially reluctant to do the documentary in lots of ways because I am a deeply private person, and I’ve always believed that the work has to be bigger than your ego. But I did want to pay homage to the friendship and generosity of the collaborators I was lucky to find, like Nancy Meckler and Neil Jordan, who helped me personally and in my career. I am a proud North Belfast man, and I hope the film shows younger people in the business that no matter where you’re from, there’s not one set path to being an actor. It’s about being true to yourself.
The documentary showcases archive extracts from Stephen Rea’s most prolific performances over the course of more than fifty years which spans from his rarely seen student sketches at Queen’s University Belfast in the 1960s, to his collaborations in recent years with Vicky Featherstone, former Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre, London. Stephen Rea: The Fire in Me Now highlights his commanding presence on stage and screen.
The title The Fire in Me Now is a homage to the final lines of Krapp’s Last Tape, the documentary demonstrates that Stephen Rea’s enduring passion and commitment to theatre has remained steadfast as enters his seventh decade as a professional actor.
Stephen Rea: The Fire in Me Now airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player Thursday April 10, 10:15pm