Rory Cowan has opened up about leaving hit show Mrs Brown’s Boys after 26 years working with Brendan O’Carroll.
Last week, the actor, best known for his role as Agnes Brown’s son Rory, announced his departure from the show – admitting that he’s been “unhappy” for quite some time.
However, Rory has revealed more details about his decision to leave, and told how Brendan O’Carroll’s reaction left him shocked and hurt.
“I said to Brendan in Cardiff that I wanted to hand in my notice and asked how much notice does he need. He said I can leave at the end of the week if I want. After 26 years, he said I could leave at the end of the week! Can you believe that? He never asked why I was leaving and I never told him,” Rory told the Irish Mail on Sunday.
No going back: Rory has insisted that he’s closed the door on returning to Mrs Brown’s Boys | VIPIRELAND.COM
“The next morning I got a text that said that my sudden notice caught him by surprise and that it would be impossible for me to leave at the end of the week and asked me to stay until the O2. I said okay and did that.”
Last Sunday, Rory performed with his Mrs Brown’s Boys cast mates for the last time at London’s O2 Arena, and then packed up his belongings into a plastic bag, and left.
Five days later, show creator Brendan announced that Pat ‘Pepsi’ Shields, better known for playing Agnes’ eldest son Mark Brown, would replace Rory.
“This wasn’t a shock decision, I haven’t been happy there for a couple of years,” he said.
“The show became bigger and new people came in and I could deal with that, but it seemed that the people who were there the longest became irrelevant. People were making decisions on my behalf and that didn’t suit me. The door is closed now and I have no interest in going back.
Goodbye: Rory performed alongside his Mrs Brown’s Boys cast mates for the last time last week | VIPIRELAND.COM
“I don’t think they would want me back after the way I left. Before this, I was a marketing manager in EMI Records and when people would come and hand in their notice, the first question you would ask is ‘why?’
“You might be glad to get rid of them but you would always ask the question, wish them well and maybe offer a reference.
“There was like a divide. I would go to work and there were some people that would talk to me and many others that wouldn’t say a word. I don’t know if they were embarrassed or what but they didn’t speak to me at all. I had absolutely zero conversation with Brendan O’Carroll apart from just before we went on stage and that was it.
“He never asked me why I was leaving. He came into my dressing room a few weeks before the O2 shows and asked would I consider staying on until the end of the year and finish in the home town.
Unhappy: Rory was shocked that Brendan O’Carroll didn’t ask him why he wanted to leave | VIPIRELAND.COM
“I just said no. I handed my notice to him in June and that show is December. It would be the longest notice in history and I was miserable. I don’t care who replaces me or what happens, I am gone and it is not my business. Was he disappointed? Probably, I don’t know, but I had to do what was right for me and good luck to them.
“I did find it odd that after 26 years you wouldn’t even ask, why? That sort of sums up the relationship,” he explained.
“There was no send-off, no goodbye, nothing. Some members of the cast came into my dressing room with cards and said goodbye and hugged me. But it was very telling to me those that didn’t – and there were loads of them.
“People wouldn’t come in because they perceived that I had gone against Brendan. There was that attitude all the time. There were two people in particular, and I won’t say who they are, but I always knew who was in the bad books by who these two people were ignoring. It was a weird environment but I am glad I am out of it now.
“I felt it wasn’t a nice company to work for in the last couple of years, it really wasn’t,” he said.
Go way back: Rory has worked with Brendan for 26 years | VIPIRELAND.COM
When asked if he’d like to sit down with Brendan to try to reconcile their differences, Rory said, “I wouldn’t want to sit down with him now. No, it doesn’t matter now because I am gone.”
“The time for that would have been when I told him I was handing in my notice. That didn’t happen then so it is gone now. That’s the way it is and I don’t dwell on things like that. I am gone and that is that.
“The man is a genius and I have learned so much from being on that show. I have learned about timing and when to deliver a line and to leave a pause. One thing I can’t fault Brendan for was that he was an incredibly generous employer, he really was. When things were hard we all took a hit, but when things were good he shared it out.
“And when things became really good we did very well. So much so that I doubt that there was anyone acting out here regularly who was earning as much as we were. He was generous to a fault. The one thing I didn’t leave over was money. I never had an argument with him over that.
Thankful: Although he wouldn’t sit down with him now – Rory praised Brendan and his generosity over the years | VIPIRELAND.COM
“You could get a text from him one day that money was being lodged in your account and it was a share in merchandising and you would check your bank balance and there was about €50,000 more in your account. He was incredibly generous like that.
“But he must have known I was unhappy, because I am sure I was a nightmare to work with the last couple of years. Maybe he knew it was coming,” he continued.
Rory and Brendan have worked together since the beginning of Mrs Brown’s Boys.
In 1991, he took redundancy from EMI and started working with Brendan as his manager, booking him for stand-up gigs in the local pub before becoming his publicist.
They landed Mrs Brown a radio slot on 2fm, before it was eventually booked as a show by MCD head Denis Desmond, when an act cancelled at the last minute.
Ready to leave: Rory says there were ‘lots of issues’ which caused him to leave | BBC
“There were loads of other issues as well, but that was an ongoing one. I just thought, it is time to go. I’m 26 years here and it is becoming a chore to work with this group.
“Jenny [Brendan’s wife] sent me a text saying that she was really sorry that I was going. And I did reply that there were lots of issues. There wasn’t one big issue – there were lots of them.
“I just got a text from her back saying she was sorry to hear that and that I must do what is right for me. That made me think that they are happy I am going as well. IÂ was happy to go, this is not a tragedy. I was ready to leave.
“There are a lot of things that I don’t want to get into because I don’t want to be slugging it out with him in the media. But I saw things happen to other people that I felt were not right. And I couldn’t put up with that.
“My issue was never really with Brendan, it was always with the producer’s office and how they were handling things and how other people were handling them. There were things going on that I didn’t like and it got to a stage when I was going to work and I was afraid to open my f*****g mouth.
“I couldn’t work in that environment any more. I had 24 years of loving the work and if I forget why I left I will miss it, but as long as I remember the bad atmosphere I will be okay,” Rory added.
