Olwen Fouéré is an actress and writer renowned for her original and often physical performances. She was born in Galway to Breton parents and when not away working, lives in the west of Ireland. 

What were you like as a girl growing up in Galway?

I was the youngest in the family and I was quite solitary. I was completely wedded to nature and a tomboy. Intensely shy, I had no understanding of social skills. I grew up in Aughris Head Peninsula, way out the extreme west coast of Ireland, surrounded on three sides by the wild Atlantic. The next stop was Nova Scotia. As a child I used to say that I wanted to be a fisherman’s wife and have ten children. Now I think I’d prefer to be the fisherman. 

Choose three words that describe you.

Solitary, independent and passionate. 

Explain “being Breton”?

Both my parents were Breton, and it goes back in the family for centuries. I don’t really know what it is to be Breton because I grew up in Ireland. But it’s strongly in my DNA. When I hear Breton music or singing I feel something physically. It’s a sense of recognition. Culturally the language is close to Irish. The Breton character is famously stubborn and I’m extremely stubborn. I won’t let a project go until it’s completed. 

How did that influence your life in the arts?

When I was growing up there were very few foreigners in Ireland so as a family we were distinctly foreign. That made me really want to become assimilated in Ireland. That could be what led me into the arts. Being an artist is your way of communicating with the world. 

What drives you?

I think I’m just a natural seeker. 

Years ago you had a serious bike accident. How did that brush with mortality change you?

It crystallised my thoughts and made me realise that you are only here for a short time so do the things you care about.

Who are your role models?

Clint Eastwood. Growing up, I completely identified with that cowboy Western iconography – a gang of guys with their big long coats walking in the wind.

Sarah Bernhardt is a role model too. When I was in hospital after my bike accident, there was a real chance that I could lose my leg. My one thought was: “Well, if Sarah Bernhardt can do it so can I." She had lost a leg but carried on performing/directing/producing, including sailing up the River Lee to play Hamlet.

Best advice you give

Never let anyone else tell you what you are. 

Tell us about your new play To The Lighthouse

I play Carmichael, a man. In the book, he is described as an opium addict with a big belly and a long beard. We’re going more in the androgynous direction. Marina Carr’s adaptation is quite masterful.

How did Covid affect you?

I know it was extremely difficult for a lot of people but I felt it was a time for quiet. My role was to be still and listen. On my street, everybody started to get to know each other. Normally people are too busy but a community was created by the pandemic. That happened all over the country.

Did you work during Covid?

I did a six-part TV series about the witch trials in Ireland – Mná Mhallacht. We filmed out in the west of Ireland. Since the middle of August I was out of Ireland for five months. I went to Bulgaria to shoot the sequel to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a big Hollywood production in which I play the only survivor from the first film.

After a two-week mandatory hotel quarantine, I was part of Force Majeure’s The Last Season which was premiered in the Sydney Festival. Then I stayed on to develop a solo dance piece with a trumpet player called Duets for the End of the World. I also worked with Robert Eggers on his historical thriller film The Northman.  

What do you do for laughs?

Everyday life makes me laugh a lot and the stupid things that happen. I laugh a lot. 

Olwen Fouéré performs in Hatch Theatre, Everyman Theatre and Pavilion Theatre's new adaptation by Marina Carr of Virginia Woolf’s 'To the Lighthouse', broadcasting from the Everyman Theatre stage at Cork Midsummer Festival 2021, June 25-27;

everymancork.com

This article was updated on June 11, 2021.