I had to learn Cork ways, says New York-born actor Cillian

Cillian O’Sullivan, an actor born in New York to Cork parents, is solidifying his star power while staying true to his Leeside roots.

Cillian moved back to Cork with his family when he was around the age of seven or eight, bringing his American accent and charm, which made him the target of jokes, but it didn’t bother him.

“I moved from a school in New York where I wore a blazer and had kids (from all ethnicities), to an all-white, all-boys school in Cork where you’d get a dig in the head for saying something stupid, but that is not a bad thing,” he says.

“I’m very grateful that I was raised in Cork and that I had that kind of school experience.

“I didn’t have that sense of cuteness that Irish people, especially Cork people, had, so I had to learn it.

“My uncle, a taxi driver in Cork, used to lecture me. He’d be like, you’re not cute at all; people are gonna take advantage of you. He taught me the ways of the Corkonian and how to be Irish in general.”

O’Sullivan says he was always doing impressions as a child, so his mother took him to an audition in New York to play Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol. Once on stage, he caught the acting bug.

“I got the part, and I loved it. It came naturally to me. People were giving me a lot of validation. I enjoyed acting, and I enjoyed the validation.”

After returning home to Ballinlough, O’Sullivan set aside acting until he returned to theatre at 15. At 16, he received his first on-screen role.

“I went for an audition for a TG4 show called The Running Mate, and I got the part. I did not know how to act on TV and film back then. The first time I’m on screen, I’m eating a slice of toast, and I can’t even eat the toast properly, but an agent was willing to take on this young actor who was starting out.”

Since then, O’Sullivan has mastered acting on screen, eating toast has become much easier, and he says he loves how far he has come with his acting skills.

“As the years have gone by, I’ve taken it more and more seriously. I love the craft of acting; there’s no better sense of achievement for me than when I look at some work I’ve done and go, okay, that was what I was trying to do.”

After appearing in popular Irish shows like Vikings and Taken Down, O’Sullivan started to talk about moving back to the States to further his career. While it can be a risky move for any actor, he says that he has never seen risks as a barrier.

“I have never been particularly risk averse. I’ve boxed and done combat sports and always assumed I’d be okay. It’s not like things have worked out all the time. I’ve had difficult times in this industry, but I always think we’ll all die, so do the thing. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.”

About five years ago, O’Sullivan packed his U.S port and savings of €1,000 and made the leap.

“I hopped on a plane, landed in a hostel, made friends with people very quickly, got some bar work, and found a very cheap apartment that was riddled with mice, but I didn’t mind because it was part of the gig.

“No-one said getting acting work was going to be easy. After some time, I got with a great agent, Buchwald, and things started panning out.”

Since then, O’Sullivan has booked guest spots on some of U.S television’s biggest shows, including Chicago PD, The Blacklist, and FBI: Most Wanted.

“It was really motivating for me to get those jobs because I’m an Irish man with an Irish accent, even though I was born in New York, and I needed to get those jobs with an American accent. The fact I could book a job as an American was a great feeling.

“I grew up watching these procedural shows with my grandmother and my mother, and now I’m booking shows like Chicago: PD.”

In just a few years, O’Sullivan landed a leading role in hit Netflix show In From The Cold and starred in several episodes of Marvel series Daredevil: Born Again. He notes that booking a job can sometimes hinge on specific factors, as with his character in Daredevil.

“I know I’m a good actor, and I’m always growing, but the reasons you get jobs sometimes often have nothing to do with your skills but how you look or fit.

“When they were casting for Daredevil, they had very specific requirements. They were looking for a large Irish man who could play a leader of men. I’m one of two large Irish men in New York who fit the bill. I am 6ft 4, which is pretty tall for an Irish guy, so it meant I had a far shot at getting the part.”

That job grew into a bigger role after O’Sullivan got the part, so it is safe to assume more than height played a role, but O’Sullivan remains humble about it.

He has just finished filming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and is currently starring in a new movie, The Lost Princess, an adventure romance in which he plays the lead role, a tech billionaire on a quest in Morocco.

He is experiencing great success and loves the chance to travel for work as he did with The Lost Princess, but does not take it for granted.

“There’s a misconception that actors who have a little bit of success are completely loaded, but that is far from the truth. The industry is in a weird place; people are still feeling the knock-on from the writers’ strike, and there is a lot of uncertainty. I’m doing okay. I had a great year last year, but I’m back auditioning again, and I’m just trying to be careful.”

While acting is the love of O’Sullivan’s life, he has another great love: his beloved Doberman, Neptune.

“I was shooting Star Trek for six months last year in Toronto, and Neptune was with me the whole time hanging out my trailer.

“I have a collie at home in Cork called Cú Chulainn, but he doesn’t travel well. Neptune lives here with me in New York; he is my soulmate on this journey with me.”