Kenneth Branagh has spoken about a memorable occasion when his grandmother travelled from Belfast to see him perform in a play - where the role involved him having to strip off.
Branagh is set to appear on the Graham Norton show on Friday evening, January 21, where he'll be in conversation about the release of Belfast in cinemas.
The film, which is largely based on Branagh's own upbringing, following nine-year old Buddy and his family during the onset of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
As well as talking about the film and what it meant to revisit his youth, the North Belfast man joked about another memorable family occasion in his early career.
Recalling the only stage performance his own grandmother saw, Kenneth said the role involved him being naked, and that his grandmother defended him when an audience member criticised his appearance.
He said: “It took a lot to get her to leave Ireland, but we finally persuaded her. I was playing St Francis of Assisi and had to be ‘reborn’ naked. My granny was in the front row with opera glasses, but I really went for it.
"When someone at the back shouted, ‘I’ve seen more meat on a dirty fork,’ my grandmother stood up, turned around and said to him, ‘Use the binoculars – it’s like a hot dog!’ she was always protecting me!”
The 61 year old director also spoke about how Belfast was conceived.
Asked what prompted him to tell the story now, he said: “During lockdown everything became about re-establishing human connection.
"That sent me right back to my childhood at a very uncertain time in Northern Ireland and the need for human contact, for laughter and dance, and all the daftness we could grab at a dark time, and I tried to write it as truthfully as I could.”
Asked about working with Judi Dench again, he said: “We have worked together 12 times now. We’ve practically done everything; we’ve been married, I’ve been her son, she’s now my grandmother in this film – it’s like the incest theatre company!
“I did a complete read through for her before she agreed to do the part and about halfway through, I got very emotional and got choked up. She held the pause while I composed myself and then said, ‘I would be delighted to do it.’”
