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Irish Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Eight facial reconstruction surgeries later, my cancer and most of my face were gone. Until the cancer came back
When I was younger, I used to hear the phrase, 'your health is your wealth!' In truth, in my youth I didn't fully appreciate or understand it. But as one enters life's departure lounge, reflection takes its own hold. My first encounter with the word ' cancer ' came in the late 1990s. I had spent two months in the Bon Secours Hospital in Glasnevin when my illness was first discovered. It was a large tumour on my face making its way steadily towards my brain. Eight facial reconstruction surgeries later and it was gone, along with much of my face – only to return again 10 years later. There is something truly terrifying about looking at yourself in a mirror and not recognising who is on the other end, an Elephant Man moment that lingered, with only the passage of time a real healer. There is a deep sense of loss, a finality, yet a sense too of the beginning of something brand new. Having had more than 50 growths removed, part of an illness called Gorlin syndrome, and then to find out you have severe Crohn's disease, certainly has an impact on the mind. READ MORE For me there is almost a beauty in facing these obstacles. Time and time again, I have had to push myself through the pain barrier to realise there is a freedom that awaits on the other side. Before I helped to form the band Stockton's Wing in 1977, it was my intention to join the priesthood. I had applied to enter the seminary in Kiltegan. My mother thought it was not a good idea, so I took her advice. The name Stockton's Wing is something I get asked about a lot. The band had entered a music competition called Céili '78, as part of Limerick Civic Week. It was a Sunday night and we had to decide on a name by first post on Monday. Sitting in Mike and Kieran Hanrahan's house in Ennis, their brother Gerard had just bought Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run album. He was reading the lyrics to the song Backstreets with its line 'Slow dancin' in the dark on the beach at Stockton's Wing, where desperate lovers park to meet the last of the Duke Street Kings.' And that is where we first came across the name Stockton's Wing. It's a little place in New Jersey. There were 35 bands in the traditional music category at Céili '78 and 35 in the rock section. Both events took place simultaneously, ours at the Glentworth Hotel; the rock section at the Savoy Cinema. Stockton's Wing won out among the traddies, while U2 won the rock event. That is about all we ever had in common. But we had our own modicum of success too. We went on to tour the world and share the same stage as Prince, Michael Jackson, Jackson Brown, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli and Sammy Davis jnr in the US. Closer to home, we performed with Planxty, Moving Hearts, De Danann and many more. This was commonplace too with those groups throughout Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. After more than 30 years with the band, I decided to concentrate on my own music, and spent many happy years accompanying singers Seán Keane and Finbar Furey. More recently, I feel very blessed and privileged that my music has been recorded by groups such as Lúnasa, Capercaillie, Four Men and a Dog, Cherish the Ladies, Natalie MacMaster, the Nova Scotia Symphony Orchestra, Mike McGoldrick, the Kilfenora Ceili Band, Noel Hill, Scythian and many, many others besides. From those early days, fast-forward 35 years to when my illness began. As a young man, I felt very connected to Our Lady, both parents having a devotion to Lourdes. So, I sought the intercession of our Blessed Mother. I went to visit a grotto on one of my first days in recovery. Like Henry David Thoreau, I sat and listened to my thoughts and there was a song in them. I sat for what seemed like minutes, but in fact I was there for hours. Overwhelmed with a feeling of joy and elation, I felt the true meaning of my life had yet to reveal itself to me. Within weeks of what for me was a form of spiritual newness, I began writing words and music at a prolific rate. The language was universal and the music was of the heart, almost bypassing the mind. Reach out for the love that surrounds you, see it in yourself, see it in others, be humble, share in it, for love is truly all there is. The results have found their way into a book, featuring these various compositions and musings. Titled Duchas, Dóchas sa Dorchadas. From Heritage, Hope in the Darkness, it will be published later this year. Maurice Lennon won the senior All-Ireland fiddle title in 1977 at the age of 17. Founder member of Stockton's Wing he performed with them worldwide and, in 2023, was awarded the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Award for composition. Based between France and Ireland, he tours with his own trio, which includes Ciara Brennan and Chris Dawson
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New The Elephant Man Movie Casts A Different Man Star in Lead Role
Adam Pearson has officially been tapped for the leading role in the Elephant Man movie based on the award-winning play of the same name by Bernard Pomerance. This marks Pearson's first movie project following the critical success of the 2024 psychological dark comedy movie A Different Man, which was also led by Sebastian Stan. The upcoming project will be written by Bernard Pomerance's son Moby Pomerance, with daughter Eve Pomerance also serving as a producer for Major Motion Pictures. The movie will be produced by Stephen Nemeth for Rhino Films. Production is expected to begin in the spring of 2026. In the film, Pearson is set to take over the role Joseph Merrick, an English man known for his physical deformities. This will be the first time that a disabled actor will be playing Merrick on screen after he was previously portrayed by David Schofield, David Bowie, Mark Hamill, and Bradley Cooper in different productions of the Pomerance's play, and by John Hurt in David Lynch's 1980 movie. 'Joseph Merrick is a man I have a long and complex relationship with. From having his name used as a term of derision to learning about the man himself in documentaries I've presented,' Pearson said in a statement. 'It's been a cathartic journey of growing to love and respect a man who I as a child I avoided even thinking about. Now as a disability advocate and actor, I can think of no greater honour (yet heavy responsibility) than to tell the true story of Joseph Carey Merrick.' Eve Pomerance added, 'My father never wanted prosthetics to be used on stage as he felt it took the audience out of the story. He wanted them to empathise fully with Merrick, to see themselves in him. Lines like, 'I am not an animal, I am a man' which have become synonymous with the play, will take on greater meaning with Adam telling this story and enable the audience to finally stand in Merrick's shoes. My father would be beyond excited to see his dream becoming a reality.' (Source: Variety) The post New The Elephant Man Movie Casts A Different Man Star in Lead Role appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Perth Now
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Adam Pearson 'beyond honoured' to star in Elephant Man remake
Adam Pearson will star in a new adaptation of 'The Elephant Man'. The 'A Different Man' actor - who has neurofibromatosis - is "beyond honoured" to have been cast as Joseph Merrick in a new feature film, which will be written by Moby Pomerance, the son of the late Bernard Pomerance, who wrote the original 'Elephant Man' play. Adam wrote on X: "Well — here's the announcement — I am beyond honoured to be playing this role and involved in this project. "Shout out to my reps and family for their unwavering support and huge shout out to those who follow and support my work. I love you all." John Hurt played the role in David Lynch's 1980 'Elephant Man' film while the likes of Bradley Cooper, the late David Bowie, Billy Crudup and Mark Hamill have all played Merrick - who got his nickname as an exhibit in 19th century freak shows due to his physical disfigurements - on stage, but 40-year-old Adam will be the first disabled actor to take the role on screen, Variety reports. The acto noted Merrick "is a man I have a long and complex relationship with." He added in a statement: "From having his name used as a term of derision to learning about the man himself in documentaries I've presented. It's been a cathartic journey of growing to love and respect a man who I as a child I avoided even thinking about. "Now as a disability advocate and actor, I can think of no greater honour (yet heavy responsibility) than to tell the true story of Joseph Carey Merrick.' The 'Under the Skin' actor previously criticised the BBC for casting 'Stranger Things' star Charlie Heaton as Merrick in a TV adaptation which appeared to later be shelved. He told LBC Radio in 2018: "I think the job ultimately should go to the best actor, however, actors with the condition you're trying to portray should absolutely be the first port of call, irrespective of how much extra effort that is for a casting director or production crew. "Don't be lazy, be authentic." And Adam admitted he would always be subjected to ridicule when he was younger if 'The Elephant Man' was ever on TV. He told People magazine last year: Anytime 'The Elephant Man' or 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' was on TV, the next day I'd hear that nickname." Filming is scheduled to begin on 'The Elephant Man' next year.
The Independent
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Inside Demi Moore's Oscar-nominated Substance transformation: 20,000 litres of ‘blood' and 5 hours of make-up
Hailed as one of the most grotesque films in recent times, Coralie Fargeat's body horror The Substance has made waves with its striking visuals and gruesome depictions of the female body. Fargeat's insistence on practical effects over VFX meant that Demi Moore, who has scored her first Oscar nomination for her performance in the film, endured hours of prosthetic enhancements. The film follows Moore's character, Elizabeth Sparkle, a has-been actor desperately clinging on to relevance by taking a mysterious substance to retain her youth. Pierre Olivier Persin, the lead special effects and make-up designer, who has also been Oscar nominated for Best Make-Up and Hairstyling, oversaw a team of 15 people across a gruelling 11-month process to implement Fargeat's vision. The result were scenes that catapulted the film to unprecedented word-of-mouth and award-winning success. 'Demi was like the best friend you can have from a professional make-up artist's point of view,' Persin tells The Independent of working with the movie star. 'Her make-up took an average of four to five hours and she could be up in the chair for up to six or seven. But she was a consummate professional, she wasn't scrolling on her phone for hours or asking for breaks every 15 minutes like some people do. She had her little dog, a chihuahua, on her lap and that was it.' Some of the movie's most memorable moments include Sparkle birthing her younger double, Sue (played by Margaret Qualley), as her skin splits open all the way down her spine. The double then sews up the torso-long gash, and viewers are treated to close-ups of the needle piercing flesh, complete with juicy sound effects. 'We were like kids in a candy store,' says Persin. 'I really enjoyed doing the back ripping effect.' He used a mixture of a soft appliance and special silicone for the edges of the wound to achieve its flesh-like appearance, with a special form of the plastic used for the inside lip for the needle to pierce through. Another unforgettable scene that's already achieved cult status is the creation of the monster, named Monstro Elisasue. The grotesque creature is an amalgamation of both Moore and Qualley's characters, the result of taking their obsessions too far. Persin's Elephant Man -inspired designs for the bulbous horror covered in boobs, stray hairs, teeth, and Moore's screaming face protruding from its back, are what earned him the gig on the film after Fargeat deemed alternatives too 'masculine'. 'They'd submitted designs that made her look like a hag. Coralie said: 'You can tell straight away that a man did these,'' shares Persin. 'The suit was worn by a stunt double, she was a gymnast but it was really difficult for her,' Persin explains. 'It wasn't as heavy as it looks because it had suspenders to hold the various parts, so it was quite hollow actually. 'We used Margaret for the close-up of her eye because Coralie wanted the scene to have a tragic quality to it.' As for Moore's face, which is trapped in the flesh of the creature in a permanent scream, Persin says that Coralie had written the visual into the script as a non-negotiable. 'She was very clear about that,' he says. Persin keeps the body of the Monstro in his workshop basement and says that it smells as pungent as it did on set. 'It smells like the set of The Substance – just lots of chemicals and latex. A monstrous smell, actually.' In a climactic scene that had audiences running for the doors, a fire hose sprays the film's extras with 20,000 litres of fake blood after Monstro Elisasue's head explodes on stage. 'That was Coralie's idea,' says Persin. 'When we did the blood rig, it was quite powerful but she said, 'I want it twice as powerful'.' The film has been considered groundbreaking as a rare example of a horror breaking through to the mainstream. 'Some days I was unhappy with what I was doing,' says Persin reflecting on the film's success. With a small budget of $17m (£13m), it went on to gross over $76m (£61m) worldwide, granting Moore her first taste of awards success by the industry, including her first Golden Globe for Best Actress. 'When you love what you're doing, you don't think about how many hours you're working. On The Substance, I'd go back to my car some days and you know, you're dirty and sticky and whatever,' he says. 'You only see the little details and you miss the big picture. So, it's such a surprise to be nominated, it's been a blur.'
