Irish actor Simon Delaney has been a very busy man.
In the last few years he has starred in everything from US drama The Good Wife, The Delivery Man with Vince Vaughn to Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie.
The actor will next star alongside Linda Martin in this years panto Aladdin in the Olympia Theatre.
Goss.ie Caught up with Simon on Sandymount beach for a chat.
Genie in a bottle: Simon is set to star in the Aladdin Panto | BRIAN MCEVOY
What are you doing at the moment?
I’ve set up two production companies and going behind the camera a little bit. I have a couple of documentary feature films and developments and then the second company specializes in TV adds.
I’m back in the UK I’ve just done a couple of episodes of Trollied for Sky1 which is a comedy set in a supermarket, but now until Christmas it’s all panto, we don’t start rehearsing until November so we’re kind of finishing off the casting process and doing stuff with the kids.
It’ll be great to be home for Christmas, I directed panto in the UK for two years so it was hard as I have three small kids.
You’ve starred in a few things in the US, do you ever go back?
I was over in April during pilot season, I did a couple of screen tests for a couple of different things which didn’t work out, but that’s the business. I actually am going to my agents office today to film an audition tape which will be sent straight over to the US.
Good wife: Simon has made it big in the US
Is it all about self-taping your own auditions now?
Yeah, well strange enough the last time I stood on this beach was with Sean Penn for This Must Be The Place and that’s how I got that role, auditioning by tape. I didn’t have a lot of confidence doing it the first time, I like to be in a room, making eye contact and talking to them.
Its got bigger and bigger self taping. It’s funny for example, the script could say you’re on a beach and people will actually come to a beach to film their audition tape.
Do you ever speak to the cast from The Good Wife?
Yes they are a really nice group of people, it’s a great cast. The last time I was in the US I went for coffee with Josh Charles (who plays Will). Â He’s such a nice guy, he texts me now and then, we get on really well.
That was a fantastic experience. It’s written in LA, set in Chicago but filmed in New York. It was a huge production and I really enjoyed it.
Panto launch: Louis Walsh, a llama and Linda Martin | BRIAN MCEVOY
Tell us about your role as the Genie in the Aladdin panto
It’s on in The Olypmia this Christmas. I’m playing the Genie. I’m going to re watch the movie before the panto, but any excuse to watch Robin Williams, I’ll take it.
To play the part that was made so famous by Robin Williams is crazy. Initially when he got that it was just a very small part but he just kept talking.
There’s other pantos out there, but we’ve got Linda Martin and Louis Walsh running around with Llamas on a beach, who can beat that?
