Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson has praised his mother and described her as “a brilliant woman”.
The star is the son of Hollywood stalwart Brendan Gleeson and social worker Mary. He admitted to the Sun that he is a total Mammy’s Boy and wouldn’t swap her for anyone in the world.
Gleeson was speaking ahead of the release of his 2017 movie Goodbye Christopher Robin in which he plays the writer of Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne.
He said: “My mother is every bit as important to our family as my father. Both of them are fantastic parents.
“Keeping a family together is pretty artistic too and takes a lot of creativity, I would think.
“My mom’s just a brilliant woman. She’s her own person, there’s no way to describe her quickly.
“She’s amazing. I couldn’t have a better mom. You know, Irish guys and their mothers is a thing.
“We’re all mad about our mams, but I’d take mine over any other one.
“She’s the business and very supportive and realistic at the same time.”
Gleeson grew up as the eldest of four boys and said that he and his brothers felt protective of their farther when he became famous for his own acting work.
“The first time I experienced fame was as a teenager, out with my father and seeing how people reacted to him differently. And I remember being very protective of him.
“When we would go out and people would come up to him looking for autographs — it wasn’t pictures in those days — and everybody wanted a word, even though we’d be trying to have a family dinner.
“I used to notice myself and my three brothers angling around him to try to keep him guarded from the points of view of other people, because he’s your dad first, before he’s an actor that people know.
“It was weird. I was coming at it from the other point of view as a teenager. I’ve been the one saying ‘Leave him alone! He’s ours!’”
The success of Domhnall’s father Brendan on the big screen may have frightened some sons into another field, but Domhnall is relishing following in his father’s footsteps.
He said: “I’m lucky that my father is a complicated, amazing man. He’s just the best dad in the world, so all of my memories of being a child are closely wound up with him.”
Take a look at the trailer for Goodbye Christopher Robin.
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