- guardian.co.uk,
- Wednesday March 12 2008 13:06 GMT
Who is he?
Actor turned director of Battle In Seattle.
What's so interesting about him?
Primarily, the fact that he's made a mainstream movie about radical protest. Bravely anti-corporate and anti-establishment, Battle In Seattle was made with Canadian backing, but boasts a high-profile cast. He's also the partner of Charlize Theron.
What's his most strongly held opinion?
That the War on Terror has pushed other important issues into the background. "I moved to Los Angeles in 2001. Hearing Bush's rhetoric about freedom and democracy made me think: 'This is all bullshit. I want to do something, I want to say something.' I was researching globalisation and I'd become pretty environmentally aware. Once you start hearing what's going on with the oceans and the forests, it's a Pandora's box. You can't just close it again."
What's his background?
He grew up in Howth, a fishing village in County Dublin, Ireland. He went to drama school "because of a girl", ran his own theatre company for five years, then gravitated into film roles. You'll have seen him in Shooting Fish, Wonderland, Queen Of The Damned and The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
What's next?
Not acting. "I love acting but I just don't want to wait around any more for romantic comedy roles, I've got a chance now to tell my own stories." Instead, he's developing a movie about Paul Watson, former Greenpeace member turned direct environmental activist, who's been tussling with whalers on the open seas for the past 30 years.
Comparisons are odious, but ...
Could he be the next Sean Penn?
