How many hours does Eddie Marsan have in a day?
We’d forgive you for thinking that’s twice the amount the rest of us get, considering his colorful and diverse year, or, you know, the last 30 years or so. This is a man who has traversed more terrain than most of his peers, and has starred in blockbuster action films (Mission Impossible III, Sherlock Holmes), dear box office (Deadpool 2, Mowgli, Snow White and the Huntsman, End of the world), and famous films from beloved authors (Alejandro González Iñárritu 21 gramsMike Lee Vera Drake And Steven Spielberg War horsebut not limited to).
He’s no stranger to TV either — in fact, you might know him as Terry Donovan, the older brother of Showtime’s titular anchor Liev Schreiber. Ray Donovanor recently Heart stopper, The king and the conqueror and Supacil. This born-and-bred Londoner has done it all, and he’s truly grateful: “I’m not a big movie star, and I’m really proud to be an actor,” Marsan says. Hollywood Reporter. “I love what I do.”
He’s catching up with us before launching his next project. No ordinary theftin US theaters on Friday. The film, directed by Colin McIvor and co-written by McIvor with Aisling Corustin, received its world premiere at the Santa Barbara Film Festival in February, before screening in Belfast and Dublin. “It was great to show the film in Belfast, because the film is a tribute to the city of Belfast,” says Marsan. “It’s part of their modern heritage, you know?”
No ordinary theft Inspired by the true events of the 2004 Northern Bank robbery, when more than £25 million (about $35 million in 2026) was stolen from the company’s Belfast headquarters in one of the largest bank robberies in British history. Marsan plays branch manager Richard Murray, who, along with his lowly colleague Barry (Eanna Hardwicke), is forced to help the perpetrators while their family members are held hostage. The cast includes Eva Birthistle, Michelle Fairley, Andrea Irvine and Patrick O’Kane.
“To be honest with you, films are always set within a particular cultural, geographical or ethnic context [context]“And with any good movie, within 10 minutes, you realize it’s a universal story,” Marsan says of the film’s broad appeal. “This is a story about: What would you do in this situation, if your wife or your mother was threatened with death? […] Could you cooperate with someone you hated? “Richard and Barry hate each other, which is a great premise for the movie.”
He also has a slew of buzzy projects coming up this year, including season three of Power ringsDC ClayfaceAnd Peter Gould Deprived For FX. Taking a moment to catch his breath, one of Britain’s most prolific actors leads us through mastering the difficult Belfast accent in No ordinary theftAnd why filmmakers have to balance being political without becoming didactic, with the excitement of being an actor: “I don’t even know who I really am. And I don’t think any of us do.”
Eddie, how was your Northern Ireland debut?
It was great. It was great to screen the film in Belfast, because the film is really a tribute to the city of Belfast. It makes Belfast look really cinematic and everyone loved it. It’s part of their modern heritage, you know? I was walking around Belfast during the day, [I] I had a few hours to kill, and people came up and asked me what I was doing there. And I said I was there for the premiere of a movie, which is about the Northern Bank robbery. Everyone had an opinion about what happened, who did it, and where the money was. It’s like an urban legend.
It’s cool, because I know this movie premiered in Santa Barbara and at the Glasgow Film Festival as well. Have you noticed a difference in reaction with their fans?
I wasn’t in Santa Barbara and was working so I couldn’t be in Glasgow. But yeah, the Irish response was great. People have been very kind, very generous, and things have gone really well. It’s a beautiful movie. It’s a really good movie.
How much did you know about the Northern Bank robbery before this?
I didn’t know anything about that. It shows you how English-focused our news is. But it is the largest cash heist in British and Irish history. When I read the script, I just realized how great it was. I love the premise of the bank manager and security guard robbing their own bank, and the high stakes that their wife or mother will be killed. But I also love the fact that they have history together. It’s a story, really. It’s a heist movie, but it’s actually about two men overcoming their prejudices in many ways.
This is based on a true story and your character is loosely based on a man named Kevin McMullan. Was any research done on it during your preparation?
The research I did was based on everything in the text. The way I create a character is to have it all be sensory data. I’m not a literal or academic person. So it’s all about the images, sounds, smells and trying to achieve what their character is trying to achieve. I mean, what was amazing was that a lot of people thought it was a political story, and they were surprised that both characters were Catholic. But I never realized how much social hierarchy there was within the Catholic community in Northern Ireland, the kind of snobby Catholics [versus] Working class Catholics. Richard Murray is a snooty Catholic and Barry is a working-class Catholic. And I love it. I love this nuance. It’s not a movie about a Protestant and a Catholic. It’s a film about class, money and inequality.
Did you find that this was a learning experience for you?
Very much! Every film for me is a learning experience. This is one of the joys of being an actor for me. I never went to university, but I’ve had a great education over the past 35 years.
What immediately attracted you to Colin and Aisling’s script?
I love the opening sequence. I thought it was set up really well. I’m used to reading scripts, and I know that the first ten minutes are the most important. The scenario is kind of like a winding ride where you go up very slowly, get to the top, and then swoop down. And it is how get up there, how Get to this point. I was really impressed with Aisling and Colin’s writing. I thought it really defined the story. You know exactly what these guys are trying to achieve, and the obstacles, and it’s really exciting. Then I realized I was going to work with Ianna, I’ve always been a big fan of his [since] He did The sixth commandment With Timothy Spall. Tim is a good friend of mine, so I watch everything Tim does, and then I saw this young Irish actor playing this role, and I thought he was amazing. So the idea of working with him was something I wanted to do. I always want to work with good actors. They make me look better.
I assume you’ve crossed paths with Michelle before?
No, I never did that. It was great. And Eva. Me and Aisling [were] I was sitting in the theater last night watching it and realizing how great they were. I mean, Michelle carries so much into the story, and she does it so beautifully. She is an incredible actress.
Your Northern Irish accent was very impressive as well.
Oh, thank you very much. Yes, I worked hard on it. I have a voice coach, Liam Robinson, who I work with all the time. I kind of take it with me. I do a lot of accents. I’m rarely asked to play my own accent. I hate that. I like to do different things all the time. I like to become different people. I think I’d give up if people asked me to just be me, because to be honest with you, I don’t even know who I really am. I don’t think any of us do. When people say, “Be yourself,” you imitate yourself, you know? Acting is an exercise in empathy.
As someone who has had such a colorful career, what continues to challenge you?
One thing that continues to challenge me is the technical aspect. I’m challenged by the accent, the cultural understanding, the cultural context. I’m a firm believer that any actor can do it anything. There’s a school of thought that says you need live experience, and I don’t believe that. I was almost insulted by that. I think any actor can do anything, but it’s not who does it, it’s how they do it. The challenge is to understand, be humble, admit your ignorance, and get rid of any biases or generalizations you have. Go ask people about the cultural context.
In order to master an accent, you have to be prepared to sound like an idiot on set. I keep my accent up all the time, and I look like an idiot to the people of Northern Ireland, but they are so generous. You are asking them for help. I’ve performed Welsh with Welsh actors, and Scottish with Scottish actors. I’ve been Ray Donovan for nine years, working in Boston. I do a lot of American accents. So the trick is: it’s not about you. You have to really be willing to come in and say, “I need some help with this. Can you help me?” And people always help. If you’re going in with arrogance, I think people resist it.
Do you feel like you had any generalizations or preconceived notions that you were going to make? No ordinary theft?
Yes, I did, because I didn’t realize that both characters were Catholic. When I read it, at first, I was surprised. When Colin explained it to me, I thought it was a wonderful, nuanced approach to the story, and it was more about class and money than religious faith. A lot of films after the Troubles deal with the same issues. This was so much more than that. This is more about the money, really. Barry is poor, penniless, and facing unemployment. Richard has to make everyone redundant, the Northern Bank has been taken over by a major corporation, and bank robbers come and steal the money. So it’s all about who controls the money, really.
Obviously this film will have huge appeal in Ireland and Northern Ireland, but hopefully it will Broader appeal too. What do you hope the audience takes away from it?
To be honest with you, films are always set within a particular cultural, geographical or ethnic context [context]. And with any good movie, within 10 minutes, you realize it’s a universal story. This is a story about: What would you do in this situation if your wife or mother was threatened with death if you did not steal 24 million pounds? What will you do and how will you react? Could you cooperate with someone you hated? Richard and Barry hate each other, which is a great introduction to the movie. As an actor, it’s great, because the audience is with you all the way. It’s very clear what they are trying to achieve. It’s very clear what the obstacles are.
I’ve played a lot of opponents. I know there are shades of gray with Richard Murray, and he has a tough job. But did you enjoy being someone who wasn’t the bad guy?
I don’t play good guys or bad guys. I just play unhappy people looking for happiness. The artist’s job is to portray human nature and to portray human nature without judgement. So I never judge my characters. If I did that, I’d be a bad actor, you know? I’ve played a lot of bad guys, but I’ve never played them as bad guys, because bad guys don’t think they’re bad. They think they are the heroes of the story. This is the essence of their narcissism.
And often what makes them good villains is when we strip away that facade and there’s something human and relatable about them.
Yes. We did it in Dinosaur. We studied all these case histories of all these abusive spouses and we realized that they wanted to be loved. This is even scarier – to play someone who wants to be loved but is willing to do terrible things in order to be loved. Because we all want to be loved.
With a resume as rich as yours, what kind of roles grab your attention when a script comes your way?
Well, acting has never been a performative thing for me. I’m not really a very performative person. It’s always been a way for me to understand people, if I’m honest. So I like to play people in situations that seem strange to me at first, and then once I dig deeper, I realize I can relate to them. I like to play people from different cultures, different backgrounds, different accents, because once you get past that, you’re able to understand it from a more personal context. I like to bring my own experiences, use those experiences, and place them in a different historical, cultural, or political context. I enjoy doing this because it reassures me. I come from a very diverse community, something I realized while living there [the London borough] Tower Hamlets was that one of the joys of diversity is discovering commonalities. I love discovering commonalities, especially in acting.
And you are like a chameleon. This is partly a beautiful political film in context. Do you think the films we watch should be political?
Yes I do. I think films should be political. But the problem when people make political films is that they become didactic. And I don’t like educational films. I presented a show a few years ago for the BBC Ridley Roadwhich was about Jews in the 1960s confronting fascists and anti-Semitism in London. A friend of mine was a Jewish writer [on it] There was a rise in anti-Semitism [at the time]She said people were trying to win the argument on social media. You can never win an argument on social media. We all think we’ll come back with the perfect tweet or say the perfect thing that will win the debate. You never do. Sarah Soleimani, an actress and writer, lives in Los Angeles, and she told me, “But art is persuasion.” I like it. I mean, for example, Sinners. I think Sinners It is a great critique of white supremacy and the black experience in the South through the context of vampires. But then that’s brilliantly convincing, isn’t it? Because it’s evocative.
What have you enjoyed lately?
I believed Adolescence It was amazing. I saw a movie called recently dragonfly Written by my friend Paul Andrew Williams. I thought it was a great performance by Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn. I don’t like films where you lose the authenticity of the characters because you want to give a political message. What I loved about Mike Lee Vera Drake It is a film about a woman having an abortion and it is a film that defends a woman’s right to choose, but it is not an educational film. It’s a very spiritual film in many ways, because it makes you sympathize with the abortionist. I believe this is the best way art should be.
So, in answer to your question, I think one of the problems with political discourse right now is that it’s too binary. There is a great saying of [Danish] Physicist Niels Bohr said: For every great truth, the opposite is also true, and for every simple truth, the opposite is always false. On social media, where the main form of political discourse [is happening] Right now, people demand that you stick to their simple truths. I don’t think the film can handle simple facts. I believe that cinema and art must deal with greater truths, which are always contradictory, otherwise the characters become two-dimensional.
Do you feel optimistic about the future of British film and television and the stories we tell?
Making movies is more difficult now. It has become difficult to make low budget films, films under five million, but creativity is like water. Finds a way through. I find that what filmmakers are doing now, for example, seems like that No ordinary theft. And I made a movie issued last year, All the devils are hereand they’re nice movies, but for less than five million, all you can do is write a really good screenplay. Because the script, the development, doesn’t cost a lot of money, really. It just takes time and patience to get this right. So now I find myself playing lead roles in well-written films under five million. And I love it. I much prefer that to television, if I’m honest.
What do you enjoy about making films on TV?
Since the film has a limited duration – it’s 90 minutes – you feel like you’re creating a piece of art within it. You feel like you are creating a piece of art inside it. And I love TV. I did TV. I’ve had a good life in television. I’m very proud of him Ray DonovanI’m very proud of the way the characters have developed. But there’s a craft I like when someone writes and directs and you get the whole crew together and you make a movie that’s under 120 minutes. This is my greatest pleasure.
What did you come up with that you can talk about?
I have a movie [that premiered] At SXSW he was contacted Campion Japacho It is directed by Jonas Cuaron, and it is a Mexican film. It’s a rich, beautiful story about a young Mexican immigrant who comes to the United States, struggles to get there, and becomes a boxer. It’s his story of trying to build a life for himself in the U.S. I play the role of a bookseller he first meets when he comes to the United States. It’s a great story about an immigrant, so with all this going on in the United States – with ICE and anti-immigration. [policies] — It’s great to make a film about the immigrant story. That’s what I mean about it being persuasive, not didactic. Because anyone will go and see this movie. Some people may have a very biased idea of immigrants, and may think they have a fixed idea. What stories can do is they can become universal. You see, suddenly you sympathize with that young man. This is the compelling nature of art.
You have too Clayface Coming this year?
Yes. And an upcoming show for Sky, prisoner, [this month]. I do Power rings For an Amazon release later this year, I’m doing a show for FX called DeprivedWritten and directed by Peter Gould. It’s been picked up by FX and Hulu, so hopefully we’ll be shooting it later this year.
How many hours do you have a day, Eddie?
Well, it’s like everyone else [else]. Bus drivers work every day… I’m not a big movie star, I’m really proud to be an actor, and as an actor, I love the work. I love working with actors. I love working with the crew. I love what I do, really. I enjoy it very much.
Can you think of the highlights of the last 20 or 30 years of your career for you?
I think realizing how much people love you Ray Donovan. People come up to me all over the world and talk about me Ray Donovan. They love that family. I’ve never played a character that people liked before. People loved Terry. I usually play villains.[[He laughs.]Suddenly I was playing someone that people loved, and people were very disappointed that I wasn’t Terry. Well, they would hear me speak with a London accent and realize that I wasn’t as charismatic as Terry. You could see the disappointment in their eyes!
No ordinary theft It will be released in theaters on April 24, 2026.
