Actor Aidan Gillen has admitted he dislikes the fame his career brings – but revealed he’d also miss it, if it were to go.
The Wire star opened up about his new project, Pickups, where he plays a method actor who is recognised as ‘the man off the TV’ in public.
When asked if art is imitating life, the Dubliner insisted he would miss the attention his notoriety brings even though he wants to avoid it.
“It’s a version of me. There’s a sense of ‘I hate it and I’d miss it too’. ” he said.
Fame: Aidan opened up about the fame side of his job | VIPIRELAND.COM
“It’s not a moany-whiny thing. I love my life and what I get to do. But it’s a weird job.”
Although not keen on the spotlight his career brings, the Game of Thrones actor explained he’s enticed to the job because of the experiences it brings.
“You get to experience all the most exciting things from a whole lifetime condensed into two hours,” he told the Telegraph.
“You get to live all these lives and it feels real – it’s the same chemicals inside you as if these things were really happening to you. It’s almost like an illness.”
Passion: Aidan admitted he had to leave Ireland to persue his passion | VIPIRELAND.COM
Meanwhile, the former Love/Hate star insisted he had to leave Ireland at 18 to act in London – admitting he couldn’t of trained to become a teacher like Brendan Gleeson or Gabriel Byrne.
“I don’t know if I could’ve stayed and worked as an actor. Actors in Ireland tended to come from other professions,” he divulged.
“Brendan Gleeson and Gabriel Byrne had both been teachers. But I was ready to go when I left school. I didn’t want to spend five years doing something else.”
