Brendan Gleeson ‘in bonus country’ as Irish acting legend opens up on his own mortality

Oscar-nominated Irish acting legend Brendan Gleeson said he is “in bonus territory” as the actor opened up about his own mortality ahead of his milestone 70th birthday.

The Irish star, who has featured in films including The Banshees of Inisherin and In Bruges, gave an open and honest interview about the challenges he’s faced as he grew older, and what lies ahead of him in the years to come. 

“I'm delighted to address my own mortality,” began Gleeson. “I've been kind of addressing it my whole life, really. And the 70 thing doesn't faze me. 60 was a bit difficult in the sense that I wasn't sure about the creaky bits. 

“It took me about two or three years to work out about what I should expect from my own body and what I shouldn't.”

Speaking with Newstalk’s Kieran Cuddihy on The Hard Shoulder, the Dublin-born actor spoke about the importance of knowing your age and adjusting to it. 

“You know, there are bits that were kind of falling off a little bit, and you're trying to say, 'Well, can I expect myself to do this' because I didn't want to give in to anything, because you can turn off and get lazy, and that's such a waste. 

“But at the same time, to be driving yourself into a position where you think you're 24 is ludicrous and not sustainable. 

“So I found two or three adjustments difficult, whereas I think I know now what I can expect in terms of moving forward, touch wood, the mortality thing will hold off for another little bit, but I kind of feel I'm in bonus country anyway.”

Opening up about life and death, the Calvary star thinks it’s “extraordinary” that he’s “still getting away with it”.

“I think if you're capable of moving around, if you're capable of being - to a certain degree - independent of thought, you can be actively independent in your life. It's utterly bonus country, you know, all the time.

“I think the longer you keep that in your mind, I mean, I think it's extraordinary that I'm still getting away with it. I honestly do. 

“You know when you kind of think of all the things, and you think about people who fell downstairs and killed themselves. And you know, the most idiotic sort of random things that happened in life that depart people, or you lose your legs in some ludicrous sort of situation, or it becomes very dramatic and people in various situations are harmed, and I'm actually healthy. I don't know how that's happened, I honestly don't.

Addressing the road ahead, while Gleeson acknowledges it will be tough, he hopes to “maintain his dignity”.

“So the mortality comes. I'm not looking forward to it. I hope I can maintain my dignity to it mostly, and that I don't go weeping and falling on anybody who come close to me in a pathetic sort of wish to turn back the clock.

“I think it'll be tough, all that stuff, but that's again come back to the hospice. That's what I love about the hospice, that they contextualize all that stuff.

“They say, look, feeling angry is okay, feeling through all those whatever - seven degrees of grief, or whatever it is that you go through - that rebellion, that acceptance, all that thing. All of those things are just natural. 

“And I think once you can feel reassured that you just park the life cycle, you can kind of, you know, you can get through it,” he finished.