Rough Diamond
Conor Mullen plays Aidan Doherty
Dublin-born actor Conor Mullen couldn't have been happier when he won the role of Aidan Doherty in Rough Diamond, 91Èȱ¬ One's new, family drama series centred on the exciting world of horse-racing, because he lives in Dublin and it meant he wouldn't have to travel far to work.
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"It was filmed around North County Dublin, Kildare and County Meath, which was great," says the 44-year-old actor. "It was ideal for me and was one of those dream jobs just down the road. I was very keen to be seen for the part and just felt like I could have a crack at it."
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Set against the beautiful backdrop of rural Ireland, Rough Diamond pits struggling horse trainer Aidan against Charlie Carrick (Stanley Townsend) – the charismatic, scheming, millionaire owner of the successful neighbouring yard, Firebrand.
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A feckless charmer, full of banter and quick wit, Aidan is commitment-shy when it comes to relationships and has never taken that step, except with Yolanda (Lorraine Pilkington) when they were young. She is the true love of his life.
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"Aidan basically took off and Yolanda studied to become a vet," says Conor. "She then met and fell in love with Charlie. Aidan came back, and there she was – married."
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Is the flame likely to be rekindled between the pair?
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"Oh, you never know!" laughs Conor. "But it's always something you wonder about – could anything happen, and would it?"
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According to Conor, Aidan prefers to spend time with his beloved horses: "After all, they don't answer back and they don't want to get married!" he laughs.
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"I found Aidan very intriguing because he's quite flawed in his relationships," says Conor of his character. "He's never been able to commit and he's never been able to go that extra yard. I think he's truly himself when he's working with horses, and that's his world."
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When viewers first meet Aidan, he is prepared to give everything up and leave, but circumstances contrive to make him stay – one of them being a horse coming into his life and another being a young boy, Jonah (Ben Davies), claiming to be his son.
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"All this comes crashing down at the same time," says Conor. "And he's not great under pressure, so he really struggles to deal with all these things that are happening. He's coping with the recent death of his father, and he's also a gambling addict. He's got a lot on his plate!"
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For the first time in his life, Aidan has to take emotional responsibility for someone other than himself, and it's not a smooth ride.
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"Initially, he doesn't react very well," explains Conor, who recently married and has just returned from his honeymoon. "Aidan doesn't have the first idea how to be a responsible adult, let alone a father, so it's a real learning curve. He gets it wrong, and you sometimes wonder who's the adult and who's the child."
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However, Aidan and Jonah's relationship soon grows and strengthens and the pair start to trust one another.
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Though Aidan had been about to sell his yard to Charlie, who wants to expand and had made a handsome offer for his neighbour's land, Aidan and Jonah decide to make a go of the business. So Aidan declines Charlie's offer – much to his chagrin.
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Charlie and Aidan have a very complex relationship, says Conor.
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"Charlie is a certain kind of animal and he realises that, and so does Aidan," says Conor. "At one stage, when they worked together with Aidan's father, their relationship was probably quite good and vibrant and they respected each other. But when Aidan refuses to sign the contract, he messes with Charlie. And Charlie's not the kind of guy you mess with.
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"But there is a mutual respect there, and Charlie knows how valuable Aidan could be to him if he was still working for him."
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Conor was full of praise for his young co-star, Ben Davies, who plays Jonah.
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"Ben is just fantastic," says Conor. "He's so open and genuine. In the first week or two, he was full of questions and he really got to grips with it quickly. He was such a lovely actor to work with – so open and honest."
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So how would Conor persuade someone to watch Rough Diamond?
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"I think it's a nice programme to sit down and watch," he says. "It's quite easy going but it does have a little bit of an edge to it. It's interesting and it's about the characters and the people and how they deal with the issues that come up. But it's placed in a world that's a little bit different."
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Having already watched some of his scenes, Conor is happy with the end product.
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"I've watched a few bits and pieces, and I like it," he says. "I think it's nicely pitched in a beautiful location and it's very accessible. The Irish Tourist Board are going to love it! But it has its own little world that it creates and there's quite a lot of integrity in it."
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Working with such a great cast, too, made Rough Diamond all the more enjoyable for Conor, and he had also previously worked with Stanley Townsend (Charlie), who he met on the Dublin scene.
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"It took 14 weeks to film – 14 pretty gruelling weeks!" laughs Conor. "There was a lot of working with horses and some very long days, but it was fantastic and it was a really enjoyable experience. The cast was great, the directors were fantastic and the scripts were good from the beginning."
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Aside from Rough Diamond, Conor's film and TV credits include The Honeymooners, Silent Grace, The Clinic, Murder Prevention, Proof 2 and Soldier Soldier.
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But, for now, newly-wed Conor has left the beautiful Irish countryside behind and travelled to South Africa, where he is about to start filming on a new project.
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"I just arrived this morning, actually, and should be learning my lines!" he laughs.
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