Brian Kennedy is a member of Fringe Benefits Theatre Company and recently played the part of Bassanio in their production of the ‘Merchant of Venice’ in Belfast at The Strand, the Crescent Arts Centre and the Lyric Theatre. His next acting role is in ‘Sitting up for Michael’ a new play at the Crescent Arts Centre at the end of this month.
I was born in Derry
I grew up in Strabane
I now live off the Saintfield Road
I was educated at St Colman’s High School, Strabane and Queen’s University
My earliest memory is playing on the swings at a park in Strabane when I was about three or four
When I was a child I wanted to be a vet, a chef, a fisherman, in fact it changed weekly
I actually ended up working in campaigns and communications for local charities and then discovered the joys of acting about three years ago and have not stopped since
Worst job I’ve ever had was working in a fish packing factory in Holland, putting 40 fish into a bucket for eight hours a day.
Best job I’ve ever had would be this present acting job on ‘Sitting up for Michael’ as it is my first professional acting role, but hopefully not my last
The bravest thing I've ever done was getting up on stage for the first time, it takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there like that. But then you can’t stop, you’re just hooked
The stupidest thing I've ever done, well there is just too many to choose from really, I mean it, way to many to mention
The biggest thing I've yet to do is to travel around Africa and South America
The people who inspire me most are those who really know what they want in life and push for it to happen, as for many years I did not know what I really wanted to do
The most important thing in the world is to be happy and content in what you do. I have not got there yet, but I’m working on it
I'm very bad at knowing when to go home when the party is over
I'm very good at enjoying myself, it takes a lot of practice.
My best friend would say that I don’t do things by half
I like to relax by having a few pints with friends
My favourite saying - ‘Life is not a dress rehearsal, you only get one go!’
The last book I read was ‘Dance with Dragons’ the latest in the Game of Thrones series by George R R Martin
My favourite movie is ‘Once Upon a Time in America’
The actor that would play me in a movie of my life would be, well George Clooney of course, he would have to put a few pounds on though
The song that makes me dance is ELO’s Mr Blue Sky, you can’t beat a great classic
The song I would have played at my funeral would be well ELO’s Mr Blue Sky again, why not have a good sunny, cheery song on your way out
The best place I've ever been would be India, I was lucky to travel in India a few years ago and it was a real experience, even with the Delhi belly
The place I have to visit before I die is Timbuktu... why not?
The last person I talked to on the phone was a friend, who I had not been in touch with for a while
The last text message I received was from one of those PPI insurance claims offers, I didn’t reply
If I was a politician I would get tougher on the banks, invest more in health and ensure people have proper pensions
If I won the lottery I would give away a lot of money and then quietly go off travelling for a few years.
If I could describe myself in five words they would be… generous, fun, stubborn, passionate and at times grumpy
If I could invite five people (living or dead) to a dinner party they would be... Oliver Reed, Johnny Vegas, Joan Rivers, Che Guevara and Ingrid Bergman
If I could change one thing about South Belfast it would be to make it sunnier, the world looks so much better on a good day
My favourite thing about South Belfast is it has a great mix of people and places to go, it’s a nice place to live.
