An upcoming Netflix series about the Guinness family could well be a springboard for the next crop of Irish stars to break Hollywood, according to insiders. The main cast for House Of Guinness was announced this week, with 10 of the 13 performers hailing from the land of the black stuff. Filming in Liverpool and at a Cheshire mansion has already begun.
And while the eight-part series – written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and set in 19th century Dublin and New York – is unlikely to do stout sales any harm, it could be an even more significant promotional vehicle for the acting talent involved. An Irish casting agent based in London predicted the two ‘breakout stars’ of the period drama will be Hilda Fay and Danielle Galligan. While Fay is known to Irish audiences as Tracey McGuigan in Fair City and a fixture of theatre here, the source said she is ‘unknown internationally, and that’s about to change’.
‘She’s a fabulous actress and this is her time to shine,’ the agent told the Irish Mail on Sunday. ‘I know she’ll be brilliant.’ Galligan, called ‘a star in the making’, is already known internationally – albeit to a niche audience – for playing Nina Zenik in the Netflix show Shadow And Bone.
She is known to the wider Irish public through roles in hit RTÉ shows Kin, and Obituary and was IFTA-nominated last year for her performance in the Irish film Lakelands. The casting agent said: ‘I’ve been in the room with her at a casting a.