We had a wild night out with them in Wilmington (North Carolina, where filming took place).

People think we are such great talkers, but there is so much silence in Ireland about certain issues.

The image of Ireland is projected as a male image in the acting world, similar to the way that the word of Ireland is male dominated.

When I first came to Hollywood, I could not break into movies.

I think Irish women are strong as horses, incredibly loyal and for the most part, funny, witty, bright and optimistic in the face of devastating reality.

I'm Irish and always will be, but America has taught me so much. Maybe it's here in the U.S. that we find a healing, for in the broader melting pot we get to look at some of these self-destructive attributes that we bring to bear upon our own quarrels and begin to solve them in ways other than just splitting apart.