`I'm working on the fiddle every chance I get," Meryl Streep said after dinner at Dublin Castle, following Wednesday night's Irish premiere of Dancing at Lughnasa at the Savoy. Despite her hectic schedule in Dublin, the star of the movie and the centre of attention for the evening was making time for violin practice while she was here. Well-known for her fastidious preparation for her roles, she is "working on the fiddle" as she gets ready to play a violinist in the new Wes Craven movie, 30 Violins. "God, we start shooting in two weeks," she said with a slight hint of panic.
Seated next to her was Mary O'Rourke, who was talking about the film's theme of "repressed womanhood". Did the minister cry at the movie. "Of course I did!" she said. We didn't get to ask the other ministers present, Sile De Valera and Jim McDaid, if they wept, too.
The man of the evening, producer Noel Pearson, knows better than most how to throw a good party. Wednesday's premiere broke with tradition by starting at the earlier time of 7 p.m. at the Savoy, ensuring that the guests were quaffing champagne as they entered the State Apartments by 9.30 p.m. before sitting down to dinner.
Catering was organised by John O'Byrne of Dobbins restaurant and, appropriately for a movie about Donegal women, the MC was Bibi Baskin, accompanied by Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Billy Gaff. Pat O'Connor, the film's director, sat with Sophie Thompson, sister of Emma and one of the stars of his movie; Tom Hickey, his longtime friend and collaborator; and his wife Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, the Oscar-nominated American actress who has just finished shooting the new John Sayles movie, Limbo.
Fresh from filming Guinevere in the US with Sarah Polley, Oscar-nominated actor Stephen Rea was deep in conversation with fellow Field Day founder, Brian Friel, who declared himself well pleased with the film version of his play, which was adapted by Frank McGuinness.
And Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey, about to star in the Dublin crime movie, Ordinary Decent Criminal, was accompanied by its director, Thaddeus O'Sullivan and producer Jonathan Cavendish.