Colm Meaney is best known for playing Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but he's also clocked up a long list of other critically acclaimed acting roles across film and television.
The Irish actor counts the likes of Hell on Wheels, Layer Cake, The Damned United, and The Journey among his credits, and most recently stars alongside Charlotte Kirk in Neil Marshall's action-packed new British action-crime thriller, Duchess.
While Meaney is only in one lengthy scene as the protagonist's father, "Mad Frank," it's another phenomenal performance which sees the actor embrace his dark side.
"Oh, I think [Frank is] straight-up bad," he tells us in the video below. "He says so himself, 'I was born like this. I'm rotten to the core. I'll never be any different, don't fool yourself. You're not going to get redemption here.' He's got a very clear picture of who he is and is at peace with that. [Laughs] It's kind of out in the extremes, isn't it? I enjoy playing bad guys."
"Obviously, he was not a nice man in any way," Meany continues. "Very often, people who are hated like that do [toy with people] and turn it into a game to somehow lighten it. You can see that with Trump from time-to-time [Laughs]. It's almost like deflecting in some ways."
Talking about having Kirk as his co-star, he adds, "She was terrific. Having co-written it and being involved in producing the film, this was very central to her and her character, the relationship with her dad. That also informed what I was doing. It's always great to have a scene partner who is committed and knowledgeable, so that made it very easy."
Having starred in Layer Cake, Meaney is no stranger to the criminal underworld. However, he still views a role like this as a chance to explore a character and situation which, as you might expect, is ultimately a foreign concept to him.
"These films are so outside your lived experience," he explains. "It's like fantasy, almost. Not that I have violent fantasies necessarily [Laughs]. Except on occasion when these right-wing bigots get going. It's that thing where it's so out there and extreme, it gets your juices going as an actor."
You can watch the full interview with Meaney about his role in Duchess below.
0:13 - How he approached a smaller role in the movie that's key to the protagonist's story
1:42 - Whether he discussed any backstory about "Mad Frank" with Marshall and Kirk
2:40 - How Kirk being a co-writer and producer impacted their scene together
3:32 - Exploring Frank's history with Charlotte
4:36 - Working in the confines of a prison visitation room
5:07 - The fun of playing an irredeemable character
5:56 - Working with Neil Marshall
6:36 - Possibly returning for a Duchess: Part Two
7:10 - What he loves about the gangster movie genre
8:00 - The violence bubbling beneath Frank's surface
8:20 - Whether he'd ever return to Star Trek as Miles O'Brien
9:26 - His thoughts on Trekkies
10:58 - The importance for movies like Duchess to thrive
Duchess, a small-time crook, tries to enter the treacherous underworld of diamond trafficking and ends up left for dead when a deal goes wrong. Determined to seek retribution she launches into an unwavering pursuit for vengeance.
Duchess is now available on Digital and On Demand.