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Lenny Abrahamson leaves door open for TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s third book

Lenny Abrahamson, his wife Monika Pamula and daughter Nell at the Lighthouse Cinema, Smithfield. Photo: Maxwells Expand

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Lenny Abrahamson, his wife Monika Pamula and daughter Nell at the Lighthouse Cinema, Smithfield. Photo: Maxwells

Lenny Abrahamson, his wife Monika Pamula and daughter Nell at the Lighthouse Cinema, Smithfield. Photo: Maxwells

Lenny Abrahamson, his wife Monika Pamula and daughter Nell at the Lighthouse Cinema, Smithfield. Photo: Maxwells

Melanie Finn Twitter Email

Oscar-nominated director Lenny Abrahamson has left the door open to a possible trilogy of adaptations of Sally Rooney's acclaimed work.

Speaking at a special screening in Dublin of the new 12-part adaptation of her debut 2017 novel Conversations with Friends, Abrahamson did not rule anything out.

He and the Element Pictures team including producer Ed Guiney were brought back for a second outing of Rooney's work, given the worldwide success of lockdown sensation Normal People.

Asked about completing the trilogy with her third book, Beautiful World Where Are You, he said his priority in the short-term was to "do some writing and take time off and then work towards a film".

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"I think for Sally as well - and I don't know this directly - but I think she would like it to exist in the world as a book before she thinks about it being anything else. But I love her writing," he said.

He also spoke about the importance of bringing back intimacy coach Ita O'Brien for the new mini-series, which was majority funded by the BBC and Hulu in association with RTÉ.

He said that the "risky thing" in the old way of doing things is that a younger actor may automatically agree to something as they don't want to upset a more experienced director.

"There's always that worry so previously I've been very tentative about approaching those scenes. What having an intimacy co-ordinator does is just to provide a way of talking. You just get past that. The actors have somebody that they can talk to, separately, who is really encouraging them - as am I and everyone else - to be really candid that they might not feel good about doing.

"And with that confidence, you can actually go about thinking about the scene. It's like dance choreography. We are all about the making of images we are all collaborating on that.

"The actors are lending their bodies to the making of the shapes. And when you think about it like that, it stops it becoming an awkward, embarrassing pretend. it becomes more of a dignified thing where all of you are very respected in that context and very listened to."

The red carpet was rolled out at the Lighthouse Cinema on tonight for the special screening, which saw several cast and crew members in attendance.

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The audience gave a huge round of applause after the screening of the first two episodes, followed by a Q&A session hosted by writer Edel Coffey.

The series will run for six weeks and feature two episodes every Wednesday night on RTÉ One, debuting to Irish viewers on May 20.

Like Normal People, it features relative newcomers in the leading roles including Alison Oliver in the leading role of writer Frances.

Sasha Lane plays the role of Frances’ ex-girlfriend Bobbi alongside married couple Nick (Joe Alwyn) and Melissa (Jemima Kirke).

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