Irish actor Barry Ward has described his new queer romance film, set in a Welsh fishing village, as a universal story that transcends its specific setting. The film, titled On The Sea, is directed by Helen Walsh and stars Ward as Jack, a mussel harvester who falls in love with Daniel, a younger itinerant worker played by Scottish actor Lorne MacFadyen.
A Universal Tale of Forbidden Love
Ward, 55, known for his role in Bad Sisters, portrays Jack, a man married to his childhood sweetheart and living in a community shaped by the church and the fishing industry. His world is turned upside down when Daniel awakens desires he has suppressed for most of his life. Ward emphasized that the Welsh setting could represent communities anywhere in the world.
“I think that’s the point of the movie, in a way, that the Welsh location we chose can stand in for anywhere in the world,” Ward told the Press Association. “I think specifically in the more traditional working-class towns and industrial towns where, given the nature of manual labour, there’s often a bit more of a macho culture.”
Ward noted that he and MacFadyen were both reading Édouard Louis, a French writer from an industrial town in southern France, during filming. “It chimes very much with On The Sea. So I think it’s a universal story,” he added.
Challenges of Accent and Dialogue
Ward, who is Dublin-born, adopted a Welsh accent for the role, which he described as an interesting challenge. “The accent, first and foremost, was a tricky one, and Welsh is notoriously difficult,” he said. “It was such a specific part of Wales as well, up north, closer to Liverpool, that it was a strange hybrid accent.”
He spent considerable time working on the accent, but also noted that the dialogue was sparse due to Helen Walsh’s restrained writing and the macho world of the film. “The dialogue is so sparse, given Helen’s beautiful and restrained writing, but also because of the world we’re in, which is very macho,” Ward explained.
Lorne MacFadyen on the Script and Setting
MacFadyen, 36, who has starred in Vigil and The Lazarus Project, said he loved the writing and connected with the setting because he is from a fishing community in Skye. “I felt that that world was depicted very well, the close-knit, somewhat closed-off community and the pressures that come with trying to exist within it as someone who is a bit different,” he said.
He praised the dialogue for its space between the lines, allowing actors to fill silences with loaded context and back story. “It’s a really beautiful script, and it went through several iterations, it was an ever-evolving process. So a big part of it was the script, but a big part of it was the team as well,” MacFadyen added.
Class and Sexuality in Macho Environments
MacFadyen reflected on how the story might differ if set in an Irish or Scottish village. “It’s interesting to think about how different it would be if you set the story in an Irish or Scottish village, in an equivalent community, like a rugged island compared with Craggy Island. I think there are a lot of similarities.”
He highlighted class as a common factor. “The way sexuality is dealt with and perceived in certain trades and professions can make it more difficult for people who are queer, or who are living with some kind of alternative identity, to work in these very macho, heteronormative environments,” he said. “I think that would be the common theme I recognise, but it would be interesting to see where the differences lie. I’m sure there would be some big ones that I wouldn’t know until I experienced it. It would be interesting to see.”
On The Sea is set to be released in UK and Irish cinemas on Friday.
