Q&A: Tom Riley
on bono's bed and a very drunk best man
Friday December 18 2009
Describe Happy Ever Afters for us?
It's a screwball romantic comedy about two couples that marry for the wrong reasons and end up in the same hotel for their wedding reception. It's in the style of the 50s, with a very modern Irish sensibility.
The movie was filmed in Wicklow this year. How was it living here and working with a predominantly Irish cast and crew?
I stayed in Ballsbridge. Because the scenes were all set in the one hotel, it creates an air of bonhomie among the cast. It was a bit like having an eight-week wedding -- with everything that entails.
You attended the Irish premiere of Happy Ever Afters here in Dublin. Lots of fun and frolics?
I hated it. The movie seemed to be received really well, and everyone seemed to enjoy it, which is great, but I can't watch myself or my face 400 times the size. I shut my eyes for most of it. I thought I'd get used to it, but haven't yet. You always see the mistakes and the flaws, thinking, "My, that was a very spotty day wasn't it?"
Was there a party afterwards?
Yes, we had a few drinks before and after. Lots of Guinness. We stayed in the Clarence Hotel, and I was told that my room was actually Bono's suite. I woke up and Bono was in bed next to me. Only joking.
With a name like Riley, you must be more Irish than myself?
I'm not sure about that. I should have done my research beforehand! There must be some link: there are whispers that my great-great-great grandfather was Irish and then moved to Scotland.
Have you any crazy wedding reception stories yourself?
I'm not married, but the best wedding I've ever been to was a week-long one in Mumbai in India. I also once witnessed the drunkest best man -- maybe even the drunkest man -- I've ever seen, stand up, and not even have the ability to speak. He was such a mess that his girlfriend called him from the crowd to say, "Please, sit down". He took the call, and then tried to leave through a locked door, banged into it, and fell down. It was hilarious for everyone except the bride's mother who looked ready to cut his throat.
What type of wedding guest are you? The dancing-sleazy-uncle or the drink-at-the-bar type?
I'd be somewhere in between: drink at the bar until I've had enough to dance. I don't think there's any sleazy-uncle side to me fortunately.
One of your first acting jobs was starring opposite Carmen Electra in I Want Candy. Not too shabby for a new actor starting out.
Yeah, Carmen is very different from how people imagine her to be. She's a very smart, savvy lady, always ready to have a pint. You expect her to have this Hollywood aura, but she was very grounded.
Do you still get starstruck?
I get starstruck around musicians. I love music. I met Damon Albarn during a Make Poverty History gig. He was at a party on a boat on the Thames afterwards. He came up, chatting to me, and all I said was "Damon ... Albarn". Like a twat. As he walked away, I just thought, "there you go, well done". I used to play guitar and piano when I was younger, but gave it up to act.
You starred in a pilot for a US superhero drama series called No Heroics, but it was never picked up by the network. Were you gutted?
It was really cool, very promising. Freddie Prinze Jr was the lead character and he would have walked away with it. He was brilliant, playing a complete arsehole. It was just one of those things. I was disappointed because I made some good friends, and the more I stayed in LA, the more I thought, "Yeah I could stay here."
Happy Ever Afters is released nationwide on December 26
- Declan Cashin
Irish Independent
