In a remarkably candid and wide-ranging interview, Brenda Fricker, the revered Irish actress and Oscar winner, has pulled no punches in her critique of one of the world's most beloved family Christmas films.
The 78-year-old screen legend, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in My Left Foot, described the 1990 blockbuster Home Alone as a "vicious" piece of cinema. Fricker revealed she was deeply uncomfortable with the film's premise, which sees a young child left to defend his home from two incompetent burglars.
"I thought it was a vicious little movie," Fricker stated. "I hated the idea of a child being left alone and these two stupid men trying to break in. I just thought it was a very vicious thing to do."
But her criticisms didn't stop there. Fricker also addressed her time on the iconic British soap opera, Coronation Street, where she played the character of Maggie Redman. Despite the show's immense popularity, Fricker asserted she has no intention of ever returning to the cobbles of Weatherfield.
Her reasons were starkly practical and deeply personal. The actress explained that the demanding filming schedule, which often involves learning up to fifteen pages of dialogue a day, is no longer feasible for her. Furthermore, she expressed a strong desire to remain in her native Ireland to be close to her family, firmly ruling out any potential move to Manchester for filming.
This forthright interview offers a rare glimpse into the uncompromising principles of one of Ireland's most celebrated acting talents, who values artistic integrity and personal life over fame and recurring pay cheques.
