Liath Hannon: ‘Acting allows me to explore what it means to be a human being’
Liath Hannon is a model and actress whose performance in Girls & Boys has marked her card as a rising star on the Irish film scene. Here we chat to Liath about the filming experience, her character’s contradictions, and the art that inspires her.
Liath Hannon stars alongside Adam Lunnon-Collery in the tender romantic drama, Girls & Boys, that is said to be like Normal People with a queer flair. Having premiered at Galway Film Fleadh – where it was awarded Best Independent Irish Film – it also screened at the Light House Cinema as part of GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival.
On Halloween night in Dublin, rugby player Jace (Lunnon-Collery) meets aspiring filmmaker Charlie (Hannon) at a college party. They both attend Trinity but come from different worlds. Charlie is trans, and many of her friends are queer and involved in the arts, while Jace mostly hangs out with other straight guys from his team or business course.
Despite their differences, they strike up a connection. After the party is abruptly broken up by the Guards, they continue getting to know each other while wandering around nighttime Dublin, reminiscing and sharing their dreams and concerns for life after college. When a startling connection from their shared past is revealed, Jace is forced to reckon with long-buried actions and the social identity he’s taken for granted.
Was a career in acting something you always aspired to?
Ever since I was little, I loved acting. I had a very big imagination and would force my friends into playing games of make-believe. I used to play Snow White with my granny when I was four. I’d make her stand in the closet and play the Magic Mirror and tell me I was fairest of them all.
Tell us about Girls & Boys, and your character, Charlie. What was it about the role that resonated with you and made you want to get involved with the project?
Girls & Boys, at its heart, is a film about the enduring power of friendship, and how the expectations of the world can tear people apart. What I loved about Charlie from my first reading of the script was her complexity: she’s fiercely loyal yet often myopic; she needs to be loved but she’s terrified to be fully seen. There was something incredibly human in her contradictions that drew me in from the first read.
How do you go about taking a story or character from the page and bringing it to life in front of the camera?
I read and reread the script, write out the character’s backstory, make a playlist the character would listen to, and write and draw visual diaries from the character’s perspective. Once I’ve done that work, I focus on being present in the scene, knowing this prep will serve me.
What was the experience like filming Girls & Boys, and working with director Donncha Gilmore and your co-star Adam Lunnon-Collery?
Our shoot was such a joy. The entire cast and crew became so close, and we felt totally supported to bring our vulnerability and creativity to set every day. Before shooting, Donncha, Adam and I spent months workshopping scenes together. Donncha was so giving and collaborative, he created a really trusting environment where we could experiment with our performances, play, and stay open to new ideas. Adam is incredibly talented, funny, and supportive. He made me feel completely empowered to bring myself and my impulses to every scene.
What makes this film special?
I think what makes it so special is how universal it is. Charlie and Jace’s relationship may have been complicated by her transition, but I think their story is so widely resonant. The expectations of who we should be steal us away from the person we are and the people we love, but by resisting society’s impositions, we can find our way back there.
Who is someone you look up to in the world of Irish film?
I really admire Neil Jordan. He’s such a vivid and creative storyteller, and the scope of his work is a huge testament to that. It would be such a dream to work with him one day.
What is one thing you wish everyone knew about working in film?
How long the process of making a film is. I was cast in Girls and Boys in late 2022, we shot in early 2024 and released in 2025, which is actually a relatively quick turnaround for an indie film.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone hoping to have a career in acting?
Try not to compare yourself to anyone else, whether that be their career, performance or opportunities. Stay open, do the work, and keep honing your craft so when your time comes, you’ll be ready for it.
Liath Hannon’s life in culture
The last thing I saw and loved… All About My Mother by Pedro Almodóvar.
The book I keep coming back to… The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.
I find inspiration in… nature, art, people watching, and spending time around friends and family.
My favourite film is… The Silence of the Lambs. Anthony Hopkins ate that up.
My career highlight is… performing Ois O’Donoghue’s Freeze in Theatre for One at the Cork Midsummer Festival in 2024.
The song I listen to to get in the zone is… too many to just put one, so anything by Roy Orbison or Joni Mitchell.
The last book I recommended is… Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates.
I never leave the house without… my sketchbook, and eyeliner.
The performance I still think about is… Isabelle Huppert in The Piano Teacher.
My dream role would be… Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten… you can’t be the performer and the audience.
The art that means the most to me is… Valley of the Dolls. It’s ostensibly a bad film, but I quote it at least once a day.
My favourite moment in this film is… The Jellyfish Story (if you know, you know).
The most challenging thing about being an actress is… self tapes, ugh.
After a show, I… have a laugh with my mates.
If I wasn’t an actress, I would be… a costume designer, definitely something in fashion.
The magic of acting to me is… getting to explore what it means to be a human being.
On set imagery by Fionnuala McCormack.
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