It’s an unlikely one to stumble into, butKerry Condon’s niche role of playing a mediator between two whining men clashing due to their own egos and insecurities is working out quite well for her. The Irish actor, whofirst garnered attentionfrom American television viewers as Octavia of the Julii inRomeand Stacey Ehrmantraut inBetter Call Saul, was anointed as an actor with serious credentials due to her Oscar-nominated performance inThe Banshees of Inisherin. After stealing the show inMartin McDonagh’s black dramedy about dissolving friendships, Condon is now being pitted against two feuding racers on the brink of a head-on collision inF1, the new summerblockbuster byJoseph Kosinski,starringBrad Pitt. An actor with fortitude and the flintiness of a classic Hollywood leading lady,Condon is the woman to call when your movie features two thick-headed men who just won’t shut up and swallow their pride.
Kerry Condon Earned an Oscar Nomination for Settling Differences in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
When Kerry Condon was an Irish theater actor, appearing in Martin McDonagh’s plays beforestarring in his feature films, the prospect of being third-billed in a $200 million motorsport action movie led by Brad Pitt seemed far-fetched,but her rise as a recognizable name is a confirmation of her exceptional craft.She elevated a relatively thankless part inBetter Call Saul, capturing the woes of a struggling single mother grappling with the moral implications of being supported by her father-in-law with a criminal background in Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks).
It was her role as Siobhán Súilleabháin inThe Banshees of Inisherin, the sister to Pádraic (Colin Farrell), who finds himself at an impasse with his lifelong friend, Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson), that put Kerry Condon on the map internationally. In a film that received a staggering four acting nominations at the Oscars, Condon is the ultimate revelation,blowing everyone off the screen and embodying McDonagh’s essence as a filmmaker.The broken bondbetween Pádraic and Colm, which arises abruptly due to the latter finding the former boring, results in dark turns and morose meditations on humanity.
If it weren’t for Condon’s rollicking turn as Pádraic’s sister fed up with this nonsense,Bansheescould’ve been too brooding for its own good. Siobhán is the closest thing to an audience avatar, as she both cannot comprehend the nature of this unbonding, nor can she stomach the sullen, woe-is-me demeanor of her brother.It’s a performance evocative of someone insisting that men just go and seek counseling instead of bringing everyone else down with them.Siobhán does her best to settle this seemingly childish but ultimately consequential (especially for Colm’s fingers) stand-off, but she struggles to find peace, which genuinely bums her out. What the role required the most was a radiant, sparkplug energy, and that’s what Condon brings in all her impeccable line readings. It’s impossible not to fall for her no-nonsense attitude.
InThe Banshees of Inisherin, seemingly innocuous exchanges have broader implications regarding a character’s worldview and attitude, which is evident in a scene in the pub during one of the plethora of melodramatic quarrels between Pádraic and Colm. The latter, who wants to pursue his music career and abandon his longtime friend, erroneously claims that Mozart belonged to the 17th century, but it was actually the 18th. After the fight,Siobhán steps in to correct him.It’s a moment that inspires chuckles, and Condon gives some of her finest eye-acting as Siobhán defends her brother’s honor. Condon often yells throughout the film, shouting “feckin” at every turn,but here, she quietly deconstructs his musical genius persona and haughty attitude.
Siobhán, who prefers to live a quiet life with her brother and remain unmarried, is a bastion of hope inBanshees, someone who is not self-conscious and concerned with societal norms. Being the official bickering mediator becomes too much of a burden after a while, as she eventually moves to mainland Ireland for a job at the library. While Siobhán cares for the two friends' livelihood, we are reminded that she has a life of her own. It would’ve been easy for Martin McDonagh to make her just a device for their conflict, but instead,her decision to leave creates autonomy for Siobhán and more uncertainty between Pádraic and Colm.
Kerry Condon is Stuck in Between Two Bickering Racers in ‘F1’
As a noisy action blockbuster that focuses its attention on theimmersive driving sequencesand shining a light on Brad Pitt’s stardom, Kerry Condon certainly has less to chew on inF1, but, similar to her co-star,Javier Bardem, she capitalizes on another opportunity to mend fences between seasoned vet Sonny Hayes (Pitt) and hotshot newcomer Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). Condon plays Kate McKenna, the racing squad’s technical director, whose challenging job of constructing new vehicle innovations and coordinating the race flow is compounded by the pressure of being the first female director on the tour.The last thing she needs is two raging egos barking at each other while she’s stuck in the middle.
One of the best decisions made by Joseph Kosinski and the creative team behindF1was to let Kate be Irish, allowing Condon to speak in her native accent. As a result, Condon, making a huge leap by being in abig action movie with Brad Pitt, feels wholly comfortable.Condon’s razor-sharp delivery matches the deafening sounds of the rubber hitting the racetrack, and her jargon-filled commands in the control room do a lot of the heavy lifting to make the races seem like life-or-death.
A crucial character moment inF1takes place in Las Vegas, the night before the big race, as Sonny, JP, and Kate play poker. With Kate dealing the cards, she puts them through a character assessment, getting them to admit their flaws and upend their egos by emphasizing the mental component of racing. Not only does this scene put Kate on an even playing field with her racers,but it also explicitly positions her as the ultimate mediator between Sonny and JP.
Condon’s role inF1is obviously not as thematically rich as her Oscar-nominated performance inThe Banshees of Inisherin, but it’s a treat to have someone of her talent be granted the opportunity to give a blockbuster some edge. Although Kate eventually does fall back into the stereotypical love interest who falls for the troubled protagonist seen ineveryJerry Bruckheimerproduction,she helps to diffuse the unbridled testosterone of this boys' club by identifying the often childish behavior of her two drivers. Come to think of it, maybe all men’s bickering would cease to exist if Kerry Condon stepped in front of every dispute.
F1is in theaters now.
