Niall Wright has enjoyed “the perfect year”, starting with his wedding and ending with his honeymoon, and a few months in Donaghadee in between with his “Hope Street family”.
The 32-year-old Belfast actor is known to many as Constable Callum McCarthy in the BBC crime drama Hope Street.
However, long before donning the PSNI uniform, Wright was one of the two young stars of Terry Loane’s 2004 Northern Irish drama film Mickybo and Me, when he played nine-year-old Jonjo Wright.
Further TV roles in the CBBC show Dani’s Castle and later 6 Degrees, which featured a group of university students living in Belfast, followed.
Whilst obviously showing a talent for acting, Wright was persuaded to study commerce at University College Dublin (UCD) – though he admits his love for sport played a big role in that decision.
“I was set on going to drama school, but mum and dad persuaded me that I would go to university and get a ‘proper degree’ and keep playing football. Then, if I still had that passion for drama school, they would support me.
“Looking back, it was the best decision. I wasn’t ready to go to drama school when I was 18. I looked about 12 and was very, very immature. University gave me the best life experience,” he laughs.
Although he played for Bredagh GAC up to senior year, it was soccer that he played at UCD for five year. Even now, in London where he is based, he is a member of London Hibernian FC.
Whilst he already had an agent and was securing acting work, including making his debut at Dublin’s Abbey in By The Bog Of Cats, alongside Susan Lynch, Niall was still determined to go to drama school.
“I simply wanted to study the craft and learn more. That’s why I went to a prestigious school such as Bristol Vic and I definitely came out a better actor,” he reflects.
It was also there that he met his wife and fellow actor Verity Blyth. She mainly works in theatre and earlier this year starred alongside Beverly Knight in Sylvia, at The Old Vic in London.
The pair got married in her native Wales in January in fairytale weather conditions, with a carpet of snow on the ground. Guests included fellow Hope Street cast members Ciarán McMenamin and Kerri Quinn.
“It snowed the night before, but we had blue skies and sunshine, it was perfect,” recalls Niall, speaking to me before jetting off on his belated honeymoon to the Maldives.
“We’ve both been busy with work. Christmastime is usually quiet enough in our industry, so it’s a good time to get away.”
Whilst they performed together at college, Niall and Verity haven’t worked professionally together – yet.
“I would like to. We actually auditioned together last year. Weirdly, it was to play a brother and sister, which would have been very strange.”
With both working in the same industry, they are more understanding of the demands of their jobs – including kissing scenes.
In series three of Hope Street, Niall’s character has had an on/off relationship with new Detective Constable Jo Lipton (Karen Hassan) and the final episode of the BBC crime series before the Christmas break, saw a heartbroken Callum jump into bed with Nicole Divine Dunwoody (Niamh McGrady).
“The kissing stuff is going to bother you to a degree. Verity’s done it before on stage - which I think is worse - because you’re doing it every night, over and over. But you are in character, and you have to be truthful to the script and make it work,” adds Niall, who finds it difficult to watch himself back on screen anytime, let alone in an intimate scene.
“That would be just too weird,” he shrieks.
So can he reveal what happens to Callum in the next half of this series of Hope Street?
“With Callum and Niamh it was just a case of two people who were quite vulnerable at the time. I think he will probably wake up and regret it.
“He has genuine feelings for Jo and I think they are reciprocated to an extent, so viewers will have to see if love is still in the air,” he teases.
One of his highlights of the latest run was getting to film at the top of Donaghadee lighthouse.
Unlike his character, Niall doesn’t suffer from acrophobia, though he admits his own height did prove problematic.
“Climbing up, I hit my head about four times, which was annoying. We also had to be harnessed and have special trousers underneath our clothes. And of course, every day in Donaghadee is windy,” he laughs.
“But the lighthouse is such a major focal point of the show, so it was great getting up, and the views were amazing.”
Niall can next be seen in the film Magpie – a thriller directed by Sam Yeats, about a couple whose lives are turned upside down when their daughter is cast alongside a controversial star.
His career goals for 2024 also include getting back on stage. “It’s about finding the right production at the right time, but it would be great to do theatre again,” adds Niall, who starred in the West End and on Broadway in Jez Buttterworth’s The Ferryman, as JJ Carney.
Set during The Troubles, it tells the story of the family of a former IRA terrorist, living in their farmhouse in rural County Armagh and won four Tony Awards, including Best Play.
“I was very fortunate to get cast in The Ferryman when I was finishing my final year at Bristol Vic. I went from being with my fellow peers on the Friday to sitting in a room surrounded by all these well-established actors, like Paddy Constantine, Des McAleer and Brid Brennan and director Sam Mendes. It was surreal. Your first experience as a professional sticks with you, and I still remain friends with them all.”
Hope Street, which is also broadcast globally on BritBox, has earned a loyal following and Niall is optimistic that he will be spending another few months in Co Down next summer.
“We’ve seen a lot of the lighter, lovable and gullible side of Callum, so it would be interesting to see a darker side and him being put through a little bit of pain.”
