John C Reilly wants to be an Irish citizen

The Irish passport is recognised as one of the most powerful in the world in terms of the number of countries it enables you to visit without too much trouble and red tape.

It’s perhaps not surprising then that so many people try to get their hands on one, especially across the water in the UK where the Brexit vote has left thousands worried about losing their right to work and travel freely across Europe.

Americans too value the passport and many are trying to get hold of one, if they can conjure up an Irish granny or granddad. One of the most famous is Hollywood star John C Reilly.

Reilly is best known for his comic roles in films like Step Brothers and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

He’s done some great serious roles in films like Magnolia and We Need To Talk About Kevin. He even turned his hand to a musical in Chicago with Richard Gere and Rene Zellweger.

Reilly was in Ireland recently to promote his latest film, King Kong: Skull Island when he spoke to joe.ie about his Irish ancestry and revealed that he was trying to become an Irish citizen.

He said: “I’m trying to get a passport in Ireland!

“It’s a little harder than I thought it was. I think I’m maybe a generation off qualifying for a passport. I really do feel really at home whenever I’m in Ireland.

“I’m 87% Irish, that’s pretty good. You’d think they’d give me some kind of honorary title or something with the amount of time I’ve spent there.”

Watch the interview here: