Look, I’m going to begin with a confession. On Tuesday night last week, I was skimming through Netflix for something good to watch (you know how it is: 47 minutes of browsing, 20 minutes of watching). My flatmate Emma strolls in and sees me hovering over “This Is Going to Hurt” and goes, “Oh, that’s brilliant. But warning: you’ll fancy the boyfriend.”
She wasn’t wrong.
The boyfriend in question? Rory Fleck Byrne. And honestly, I’ve been a bit obsessed ever since.
The Accidental Discovery
So this, see, is the thing with Rory Fleck Byrne, and I had to Google it because I’m nosy like that. Rory Fleck Byrne was born in West Sussex but raised for the most part in Ireland. This explains his accent, which is a unique blend of English and Irish, perfectly suited for everything he does on screen.
After watching him in “This Is Going To Hurt”, I went down one of those internet rabbit holes. You know the ones. I went from his IMDb page to reading some random interview he did with a theatre magazine back in 2019. Three hours of my life I will never get back, but worth every minute.
It turns out that he went to RADA, which is the posh drama school where they teach you how to cry on cue and project to the back row. But here’s what struck me: in one interview, he said that ten years after leaving drama school, he still didn’t feel like he’d landed on his feet as an artist.
Ten years! Can you imagine? Most of us would’ve given up and become accountants or something.
The Thing About Harry
In “This Is Going To Hurt”, Rory Fleck Byrne is Harry, who is dating this junior doctor who’s being destroyed by the NHS, crushed. Note that I’ve watched plenty of shows in which the supportive partner is just… there. They exist to make concerned faces and ask, “How was work, darling?”
But Harry felt real. Like, properly real. In this particular scene, he attempts to discuss casual weekend plans while his boyfriend experiences a full-fledged nervous breakdown over a patient who didn’t survive. And Rory Fleck Byrne just… gets it. You can see Harry wanting to do the right thing but not having any damn idea what that is, wanting to be helpful but also just human enough to feel a bit neglected.
I actually rewound that scene twice. Not because I fancied him (though Emma was right about that), but because the acting was so good I wanted to see how he did it.
The Pandemic Pivot
That then is where it becomes interesting. It was during COVID, when everyone was baking banana bread and learning TikTok dances, that Rory Fleck Byrne moved back to Ireland and decided he might have a go at directing. His first short film was a thing called “Dash” that seems like he did, in fact, write, direct, and act in.
Then, and here’s the bit that really impressed me, he made another called “In Heat”, which screened at the BFI London Film Festival last year. That’s not small potatoes. That’s the kind of recognition that gets industry people to sit up and pay attention.
I haven’t seen either film (they’re not exactly playing at my local Odeon), but the fact that he managed to get funding from BFI and Film4 tells you something. They don’t just hand out money to anyone with a camera and an idea.
Theatre Lad Through And Through
Before I knew anything about Rory Fleck Byrne, I’d actually seen him on stage. Last year, my mum dragged me to see “The Duchess Of Malfi” at the Trafalgar Theatre. Although Jacobean revenge tragedies are not exactly my cup of tea, I remember thinking that one of the actors was particularly good.
Guess who it was?
He’s done loads of theatre, actually. National Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, all the places where proper actors go to do proper acting. There’s something about watching him live that’s different from seeing him on screen. More intense, maybe? Like he’s using every inch of the stage even when he’s standing perfectly still.
My theatre-mad friend James saw him in “The Phlebotomist” a few years back and wouldn’t shut up about it for weeks. “There’s this actor,” he kept saying, “and I can’t work out what it is about him, but he’s magnetic.”
Now I know what James meant.
The Bit Where He Nearly Wasn’t An Actor
Here’s something I found in one of those deep-dive interviews: if acting hadn’t worked out, Rory Fleck Byrne wanted to be in a band. As a frontman, no less. You can sort of see it, can’t you? He’s got that performer energy, that thing that makes you want to watch him even when he’s not doing anything particularly interesting.
He’s also openly gay, which shouldn’t matter but somehow makes his performance as Harry even more meaningful. There’s an authenticity there that you can’t fake.
What’s Coming Next
So here’s where we are now. Rory Fleck Byrne’s got a film called “Dope Girls” coming out next year, and his directing career seems to be taking off. He’s represented by Hamilton Hodell, which is one of those agencies that only takes on people they reckon are going somewhere.
But honestly? I don’t think any of that matters as much as the fact that he’s just really, really good at what he does. Not in a showy way, not in a “look at me being brilliant” way. Just solid, honest, compelling work that stays with you after the credits roll.
Why You Should Care
Look, I know you’ve probably got enough actors to keep track of already. But trust me on this one; Rory Fleck Byrne is going places. And when he gets there, you’ll want to be able to say you knew about him before he was properly famous.
Plus, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably end up fancying him a bit. Emma was definitely onto something there.
Disclaimer: This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute any advice. Readers should independently verify details and consult with qualified professionals before making any decisions. The information presented is not intended to promote any specific individual, provider or service. We are not responsible for any actions taken based on this content.
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.