Junior Minister Michael Healy-Rae believes he was the inspiration behind Pierce Brosnan’s accent in his new crime drama. The Hollywood actor said he took inspiration from a 'Kerry politician' for his latest role as Irish gangster Conrad Harrigan in Parmount+’s new series MobLand.
Deputy Healy-Rae said while he hadn't heard of the new drama, he was sure that the politician from the Kingdom that Bronsan based his accent on was him. When asked if he was the inspiration for the role, the independent politician laughed: "Sure, of course I am. In my opinion, yes it is me, alright."
The 58-year-old also believes it's a positive that bigwigs in the entertainment industry had their eyes on the Kingdom. He told the Irish Mirror: "Isn't it good to have Kerry politicians being looked at by people in this regard."
On his first day of shooting, the Irish-born actor - who moved to England at a young age- was told by director Guy Ritchie to "go Irish" with the role. He told the Los Angeles Times: "The Irish aspect of him happened on the day. I was going for a North London or South London accent.
"But on the very first day of shooting with Tom (Hardy) and myself, Guy said, 'Go Irish'." Pierce, 71, then rang his dialect coach Brendan Gunn, who advised him to take inspiration from a Kerry politician.
The A-lister continued: "I said, ‘Brendan, I’ve got 15 minutes. Give me a Kerry accent’. Brendan gave me a man who I based the voice on — he’s from Kerry and he’s a politician — and I jumped in with both feet.
"I wanted something where you could take someone’s head off with the words." While Pierce was born in Louth, he said his Irish accent has been diminished as "an Englishman in California."
The first episode of Mobland dropped on Paramount+ on March 30, with episodes being released weekly. It follows The Harrigans, a London crime family, who find themselves in a battle with the Stevensons.
Pierce plays the patriarch Conrad, while Tom Hardy is Harry Da Souza, a fixer for the powerful family.
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