Eccleston praises community spirit on Irish film set

Christopher Eccleston and Madeleine Madden have spoken about the sense of community they experienced while filming Chasing Millions in Dublin and Dundalk. Directed by Stephen Burke, the upcoming movie takes inspiration from the 2004 Northern Bank robbery in Belfast, when £26 million was stolen in what became one of the biggest bank robberies in British and Irish history. But rather than telling the story as a conventional crime thriller, Burke has taken a character-driven and darkly comic approach to the aftermath of the robbery, setting the story against a Northern Ireland still coming to terms with the legacy of the Troubles. Eccleston plays veteran Northern Irish detective Crayford, while Australian actor Madden plays Diana, an ambitious young Australian police officer who becomes determined to solve the case. Although the story is set in Belfast, much of the film was shot in Dublin and Dundalk. For Eccleston and Madden, one of the most memorable parts of the production was the response from the communities where they were filming. Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment, Madden recalled shooting a scene in Dundalk in which Crayford confronts a group of children. "When we were shooting the scene where Chris gets out of the car and confronts the kids and got the fake money, it was just so wonderful. Even in Dublin too, when we were shooting these exterior scenes, in some of the suburbs and neighbourhoods the whole community came out." Watch: Madeleine Madden and Christopher Eccleston on new movie, Chasing Millions Eccleston agreed, saying the experience was markedly different from some of his previous experiences filming projects in the UK. "I've been on sets in England where they'll try to disrupt us and make a few quid out of you, but here it was like, 'Oh, can we be a part of this?’" The actor said the presence of local people even contributed to the film’s documentary-like quality. "In Dundalk, when I had to deal with the kids on the bikes, we were picking up documentary-style stuff because people knew we were creating something and adding to it." For Eccleston, that relationship between the production and the communities was particularly important. "And also you could see the crew loving going into communities that they came out of, filming in and recognising things and integrating it. Stephen would shoot stuff and instead of saying, 'We are the creators, you are separate, we’re exploiting your environment,’ it didn’t happen." Much of the film was shot in Dublin and Dundalk The Northern Bank robbery took place in December 2004, at a time when the peace process was well established but tensions and mistrust remained. For Madden, that historical context is one of the reasons the story still feels relevant today. "I think there is an underlying message in this movie of embracing peace, and that's a line that is used throughout the film. I think it’s something that rang through 20 years ago and rings through now," she explained. Eccleston believes the film’s timing is equally significant. "There are certain activities and issues going on which kind of threaten the peace process, and this film is a reinforcement of how that has been embraced by the country and needs to be preserved," he said. "I think that’s one of the reasons he did it and why he wanted to do something in a light way." Christopher Eccleston and Madeleine Madden pictured with writer/director Stephen Burke and producer Jane Doolan at the World Premiere of Chasing Millions at the Lighthouse Cinema. Picture Brian McEvoy The film uses the robbery and its aftermath as the basis for a comedy-drama, raising the question of how to find humour in a story connected to such a difficult and traumatic period. For both actors, the answer lies in understanding the difference between laughing at people's suffering and using humour as a way of dealing with difficult experiences. Madden believes comedy can be a powerful coping mechanism. "Stephen handled it in a very sensitive way, but I think it’s also a coping mechanism for a lot of people, like you laugh to stop yourself from crying. It’s a wonderful way that we can process this grief and trauma and sometimes try to find closure." Eccleston said he could relate to that personally, having experienced profound loss in his own life. "I know with profound loss in my life - terrible grief - that finding something comic about it welcomes people in, they’ll help you more if you can laugh at yourself in the depths," he said. Chasing Millions hits cinemas on Friday, 9 October. For more movie news, click here