Kenneth Branagh is always up for a challenge, which is why he took on the Marvel franchise with Thor and Cinderella and now he’s taking on a far more ambitious task — portraying Belfast in full over the course of a period of decades.
Belfast is a thinly veiled documentary of the city’s darkest hour in the 1970s, when Northern Ireland was at its most volatile. With the documentary as the backdrop, Branagh will bring to life many of the murders that took place during the Troubles, as well as much of the individual life and work of Northern Ireland — and its inhabitants — during this turbulent time.
In an interview with the Women’s Voices editor Kelli Hayes, Branagh talked about his performance in the film, and about how having Branagh on set made it much easier for him to do his own research.
“I think I was more able to do my research than would be expected,” Branagh said. “Because I was working in relationship with our guy [Steve McQueen, who is directing the film] who is extremely versed in Northern Ireland and all its history, and what it felt like when he was growing up in Belfast.”
Branagh also credited McQueen with putting him in the position to learn as much as he could about the Troubles.
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