Comedian Brendan O'Carroll has revealed how he went up against screen legend Daniel Day-Lewis for the lead role in late nineties flick The Boxer.
Speaking on The Late Late Show on Friday night, O'Carroll said he'd been excited to audition for the part, which he'd been told was partly inspired by real-life Monaghan boxer Barry McGuigan.
"People used to say I looked like him at that time," The Mrs Brown's Boys star said, going on to explain that as soon as he saw Daniel Day-Lewis in the waiting room reading a book for research he knew it was all over.
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The three-time Oscar winner and method actor starred alongside Emily Watson in the Irish sports drama, which was directed, co-written and co-produced by filmmaker and regular Day-Lewis collaborator, Jim Sheridan.
The well-received film tells the story of an IRA member called Danny Flynn who returns home to Belfast from 14 years in prison at the age of 32.
Frustrated with the endless cycle of violence in Northern Ireland, he attempts to build a new peaceful life, and after meeting an old boxing trainer, decides to set up a non-sectarian boys' boxing club in an old gym.
Day-Lewis was nominated for a Golden Globe for The Boxer in 1998 – having already won an Oscar for his acclaimed role in My Left Foot in 1989 and an Oscar nomination for 1993's In the Name of the Father, both of which were also directed by Sheridan.
Appearing on the show alongside fellow comic Jason Byrne, O'Carroll also spoke about how he was told he was "a month away from a heart attack" when he had an emergency operation back in 2018 to insert a stent into one of his arteries to improve the blood flow in his heart.
Byrne, 51, has also suffered from serious heart problems despite living a healthy lifestyle, and said he has had six stents inserted. However O'Carroll admitted he still has no plans to give up smoking for his own health.
Fellow comedian Byrne explained that his problem was hereditary and inherited from his dad, who he played in a recent heartwarming Dublin Fringe solo theatre show.
The Mrs Brown's Boys star also revealed that his long-running sitcom has recently found success in America after airing on Britbox and Prime Video, with a new series set to air on RTÉ One from November 4.
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