The New Yorker Radio Hour: Martin McDonagh Talks with Patrick Radden Keefe

Episode Date: February 14, 2023
Host: Patrick Radden Keefe (sub for David Remnick)
Guest: Martin McDonagh
Occasion: Recorded at The New Yorker Festival 2022

Overview

This episode features acclaimed playwright and filmmaker Martin McDonagh discussing his Oscar-nominated film The Banshees of Inisherin. In conversation with Patrick Radden Keefe, McDonagh delves into the film’s themes of friendship, heartbreak, his creative process, and his relationship with Ireland. The discussion also covers his transition from theater to film, and the distinct qualities of his dialogue and storytelling.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Core of The Banshees of Inisherin

• Breakup as the Central Theme

  • McDonagh describes the film at its core as a breakup movie:

    "That's all it is for me. I mean, that was definitely the starting point of it, to be as truthful to the sadness, I suppose, of a horrible breakup where you can kind of understand both sides in it."
    (Martin McDonagh, 02:08)

  • He emphasizes balancing perspectives between the two main characters, played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

• Acting Dynamics and Writing for Farrell & Gleeson

  • McDonagh wrote the film specifically for Farrell and Gleeson, referencing their immense chemistry from In Bruges:

    "We've sort of been wanting to get together in the 14 years since we made that... We always hoped that something like this would come about."
    (Martin McDonagh, 03:20)

• Fear of Setting Himself Up for Comparison

  • There was trepidation about reuniting the cast due to the cult status of In Bruges:

    "When you're getting the team back together, you don't want to fuck up that love, you know... I hope we've done something that's stranger, but definite something that isn't not as good."
    (Martin McDonagh, 03:51)

2. The “Ireland” of McDonagh’s Work

• Fable Quality & Irish Setting

  • The fictional island is purposeful—a blend of real and mythical:

    "I think it's a sort of theatrical Irish place... But I think if you set anything 100 years ago and lean into mysticism and banshees and folklore... It's going to have some semblance of that kind of thing."
    (Martin McDonagh, 04:59)

• Authenticity and Belonging

  • On cultural trespass and identity as a Londoner with Irish parents:

    "Untroubled by it until the Irish reviews come in, then things get troubling... We grew up in London. All of the families around us were Irish... London Irish is probably a good way to describe me... I've always also always sort of been anti nationalist and anti patriotic..."
    (Martin McDonagh, 05:46)

3. Language, Dialogue, and Artistic Influences

• Discovering an Irish Idiom

  • Early in his writing, McDonagh found his own voice by channeling Irish idioms influenced by family:

    "It was when I tried to do that in a West of Ireland context that things did open up and allowed the dialogue and the characters even to be a bit more poetic and heightened than the everyday London kind of stuff that I was trying to do."
    (Martin McDonagh, 07:24)

• Influences

  • Names Pinter and Mamet as early influences, but his own breakthrough came when applying a lyrical style to Irish rural context.

4. Theatre vs. Film: Creative Priorities

• Early Interviews & Film Ambition

  • McDonagh’s desire to make films, even at the peak of his playwriting success, is revisited:

    "I would be unhappy If I wrote 90 good plays and didn't make a good film. But if I made one good film, if I made one brilliant film, one really, really good film, I'd be happy. One would be enough." (quoted, 09:19)

    • McDonagh responds wryly:

      "What an arrogant little dick."
      (Martin McDonagh, 09:38)

• Choosing Format: Play or Film?

  • His process for deciding if an idea is for stage or screen:

    "If it's got four characters and it's set inside, it's a play. And if it doesn't have any donkeys or dogs." (Martin McDonagh, 10:15)

• Why Film Now? (Longevity, Practicality)

  • As theater becomes more time-consuming and ephemeral, McDonagh is drawn to the permanence and accessibility of film:

    "A film every couple of years is going to last more than a play."
    (Martin McDonagh, 11:46)

5. Setting as Character

• Locations in McDonagh's Films
  • The West of Ireland, often his family's ancestral region, is both beautiful and central to the film’s atmosphere:

    "I always wanted to set something there and capture the beauty of it... I do like the locations to be characters in the movies as much as possible."
    (Martin McDonagh, 12:13)

6. Tone of Banshees: Hopeful or Sad?

• Audience Reaction
  • When polled, the audience overwhelmingly felt the film was sad, which did not surprise McDonagh:

    "I was always trying to make it as sad as possible... I guess it's a sad film. Yeah, we're definitely not going to win the Oscar."
    (Martin McDonagh, 13:22)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Writing for Farrell & Gleeson:

  "The fear was because, you know, we all loved In Bruges... you don’t want to fuck up that love."
  (03:51)

• On Cultural Identity:

  "London Irish is probably a good way to describe me. I don't have a British passport, which is probably a good move these days. I've only had an Irish one, but I've always... been anti nationalist and anti patriotic."
  (05:46)

• Self-deprecating Humor on Old Interviews:

  "What an arrogant little dick."
  (09:38)

• On the Ephemeral Nature of Theatre:

  "The plays that we got good, like, 25 years ago, you can't see them. They're all gone, you know, forever. And there's a sadness to that, I feel."
  (11:22)

Important Timestamps

• 02:08 – McDonagh on the emotional core of the story as breakup
• 03:20 – Reuniting with Farrell and Gleeson; working relationship
• 04:59 – Creation of a “theatrical” Ireland
• 05:46 – Cultural belonging and authentic voice
• 07:24 – Discovery of dialogue style by channeling Irish idioms
• 09:38 – McDonagh reflects on cocky early ambitions for film
• 10:15 – How McDonagh distinguishes play vs. film ideas
• 11:46 – On the permanence of film vs. theater
• 12:13 – Choice of film locations and why they matter
• 13:22 – Audience votes “sad” as the dominant tone of the film

Conclusion

The conversation offers an honest, layered look at Martin McDonagh’s creative philosophy, relationship to Irishness, and the emotional forces behind The Banshees of Inisherin. His candid humor, self-awareness, and insight into writing for both stage and screen provide valuable context for his signature blend of melancholy and dark comedy. This episode is essential listening for fans of McDonagh, playwrights transitioning to screen, or anyone curious about how a sense of place and personal history shape great storytelling.