DAMIEN MOLONY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW! Brassic 3 is "wilder than ever"

damienmolony.org | 4 October 2021

IN a new interview ahead of the Brassic 3 premiere on Wednesday, Damien has shared an exclusive and detailed insight into all we can expect from the new series.

Our fave actor discusses filming for the third instalment of the Sky comedy, and the gang's antics on screen as well as behind the scenes, including stealing bulls, wrangling snakes and getting naked - and that is just for starters.

The interview also touches on the show's themes of mental health and how Damien feels about being recognised by fans.

Read the full in-depth interview below!

DAMIEN MOLONY, DYLAN

Here we go for series three, how excited are you to
be back?
SO excited! We begin on the beach on the Costa Del Sol,
then a tour of continental Europe; Rome, Athens, Istanbul,
which is a big change from previous years…Yeah right!
We’re back on the farm, back in the Bedford Rascal, Vinnie’s
out of prison and we’re back to our old tricks again… Things
have really gone up a notch for series three; And it’s wilder
than ever. If you thought the sewer in series one was gross,
just wait until you see the bull...

The fact that you’ve managed to get this series wrapped
in such extraordinary circumstances, did it bring you
closer as a team both on and off camera?
We are a very close gang anyway, both cast and crew. Most
of us have been part of the Brassic family since day one.
And we all felt incredibly lucky to be back on set. And thrilled
to be back together, after lockdowns and isolating… so we
were able to hit the ground running. And laughter brings
everyone together. If you’re working on a comedy, whether
it’s being stuck in a car with a 12ft snake, or getting covered
in urine or worse, it usually means that a day at work on
Brassic, is always a fun day.

Series three finds Dylan in a different frame of mind
than we’ve seen him before, what’s going on?
He’s a mess, a bit all over the place, really. He hasn’t really
recovered from the bombshell in series one, that Erin got
rid of their baby, he’s drinking and he’s doing drugs and
he’s sleeping around. He hasn’t really admitted to the
depression he’s sliding into. But he’s got these great mates
to try and shake him out of that, that’s what Brassic is all
about. And his relationship with Vinnie goes from strength
to strength, there’s a newfound respect there. Previously,
Dylan and Vinnie’s conversations are about how Vinnie’s
doing. This series there’s a lot more of, is everything okay
with Dylan?

How is he feeling about the whole Vinnie/Erin situation?
In Dylan’s mind, he think’s he’ll always end up with Erin, but
he’s still very hurt by what she did. And this series, he’s
more obsessed about losing his relationship with her son,
Tyler. He’s been a father figure to Tyler for so long. But he
can see that Vinnie and Tyler are now forming this uniquely
strong bond and Dylan has a hard time coming to terms
with that. Caring for Tyler was pretty much all Dylan had left,
in terms of responsibility and a focus. What happens to him
when that’s taken away?

He supported Vinnie in the past through his mental
health struggles, is it nice that the roles have reversed in this
series, that Vinnie’s the one actually helping Dylan?
I think the role-reversal is really important, not only for
Vinnie, but also for Dylan… like many men with mental
health issues, Dylan doesn’t want to talk about it because
of the perceived stigma attached to it. It’s one of the
aspects of Brassic I’m most proud of… mental health is
addressed. There are no stigmas. And for Dylan, it’s his
mates that pull him through.
There’s plenty of the usual craziness that fans know and
love, starting with a very random theft…
We decide to steal a bull! No, we HAVE to steal a bull
because (who knew!) bull semen is incredibly valuable…
Unfortunately, as usual, things get a bit sticky, and very,
very messy! I don’t know what substance the make-up
department used on us, but it was so thick, and so cold and
it was trickling down my neck and into my ears; Faye, the
make-up artist, actually retched as she was applying it on
me! So, let’s just say… the bull theft does not go well.

When you got the script for that episode, were you glad
to discover it was Ryan who had to be the focal point for
the bull, shall we say?
I sent our writer Danny Brocklehurst a close-up picture of
me and there was a real tear rolling down my cheek when
I read that scene. “I’ve just read the bull wank scene.”
I laughed and laughed. And on set, I was even worse.
I couldn’t stop laughing, let alone try to keep a straight face.
It was just preposterous, what we were doing! And Ryan is
hilarious in that scene. I think he got cramp. I sent a picture
of the fake bull’s penis to a friend, who replied, “What is
that?!” Just a normal day filming Brassic!

The same episode sees all the lads end up naked, what
was that like to film?
It was cold. And windy. And decided very last minute.
I thought we were taking everything off. But everyone else
left their boots on. So I had to spent the rest of the day
barefoot walking round the farm… raging!

Of all the things you were worried about taking off!
Exactly! Someone had an idea about doing a Brassic
calendar for charity, different shots of us naked in various
parts of Lancashire… watch this space!

Did you all hit the gym before filming that scene?
Well there was definitely zero carbohydrates consumed by
anyone in the week leading up to it. Everyone was playing it
very cool, “No, I’m not worried about that scene, I haven’t
even thought about it”. There were press-ups, squats
before-hand, any opportunity to get a little bit more pump
into the muscles, it was very funny! But of course, no one
can compete with Aaron! At least I had the benefit of hiding
behind Joe and Ryan.

As well as the bull, you also film with a real snake…
In episode three, we are looking for a snake because we find
out that the snake is worth thousands of pounds. We got
on set with the snake and I swear to God, this thing is 12
foot long, it is enormous! And he’s a python called Monty.
Thankfully, it had been fed the previous week, so the snake
‘probably wouldn’t be interested’ in us. Honestly, it was
enormous, I was absolutely terrified. The wrangler asked if
I would like to put the snake around my neck. I didn’t enjoy a
moment of it!

This series we see that Erin has got herself involved with
McCann. What do the lads think when they find out just
how badly she’s caught up in his world?
Dylan’s really surprised and really worried because it’s very
unlike her. And as these things often do, it’s spiralled out of
her control. She’s in very murky territory with a very
dangerous, nasty man.

The lads are more than happy to move a dead body to
protect her. Do you think that shows just how
committed they are to each other?
No question, to save Erin and Tyler, Dylan will absolutely risk
moving a dead body, he’ll do anything. Her life is collapsing
in front of her, she stands to lose everything. And the lads
will never let that happen.

Filming took longer this time around because of Covid
restrictions, how did you entertain each other?
We play lots of board games and lots of quizzes. And we got
to know the local countryside very well. Personally, the
Yorkshire Sculpture Park was a saving grace. Tatton Park,
Arley Hall and Dunham Massey too.

What you’d like to happen to Dylan in series four?
Please send us to Marbella, the gang would get in to so
much trouble. And the actors would love it too!

How does it feel to be a part of something that’s
become so successful and so loved by viewers?
You never know when you’re auditioning for something, how
people are going to respond. But it was obvious, reading the
scripts, how special Brassic was. You put all these
characters together in these bizarre circumstances and
it just seems to work. We’ve never for a moment taken
the foot off the pedal in terms of trying to maintain the
high standards we had originally set, and it’s never played
for laughs. The more serious the characters are, the funnier
it is.

Do you get recognised by fans in the street?
Being up North filming series four, I get recognized for
Brassic a lot. It’s really, really lovely. We sometimes have fans
come to watch us filming, in the hills or on the street, so
sometimes like theatre, you have a live audience! We have
great fun making Brassic, and it’s lovely to be in a show that
people love.

The new series of Brassic promises to be "wilder than ever" and we cannot wait., and we hope to see the naked Brassic charity calendar soon!

Brassic series 3 airs 10pm Wednesday 6 October on SKY Max, with all episodes available on Sky and Now TV in the UK and Ireland.

For more Damien interviews, click here!

For Brassic series 3 info, episode guides, trailers and news, click here!