McGowan Raises IRA with Pro-Cause Comments

Historians await Rose McGowan’s next piece of political commentary.

Producers of the film Fifty Dead Men Walking were scrambling to apologize after Rose McGowan, one of the film’s stars, got a  little too political for their comfort.

Discussing the film at the Toronto Film Festival last week, McGowan said she would have been one hundred percent behind the IRA and would have joined up if she had lived in Northern Ireland during the troubles.

According to The Hollywood Reporter last week, McGowan said, “My heart just broke for the cause…Violence is not to be played out daily and provide an answer to problems, but I understand it.”

In the film, McGowan plays an IRA leader who unknowingly works alongside an undercover agent for the British government, played by Jim Sturgess.

Now today THR reports that people associated with the film have put out a flurry of responses to McGowan’s comments. The producers said they:

“…regret any distress [caused] to people of Northern Ireland and particularly those who were victims of or caught up in the shocking events that existed during the conflict…Ms. McGowan’s views were private ones, and as such they greatly saddened the film’s producers.”

Guy Collins of Handmade Films added that he was “surprised and disappointed by the comments made by McGowan.”

Director Kari Skogland said:

“Rose’s personal opinions of Northern Ireland do not reflect the perspective of the film in any way. Our goal was to present an even, nonjudgmental point of view so the audience could follow the path of an informer with empathy no matter what the politics.”

Then also in THR today, Martin McGartland, whose life as an IRA infiltrator inspired the film’s story, took the occasion to criticize the filmmakers for using ex-IRA members as consultants on the film, seemingly implying a pro-IRA bias in the film. It was a tough day to be involved in Fifty Dead Men Walking. 

Look, I know this is an extremely, extremely sensitive subject, particularly in the UK, but in regard to McGowan’s comments, I just have to say this: consider the source. She’s not a government official. She’s not a diplomat. She’s not a member of any armed force or political group. She is an actress. An actress that a large part of the world population wouldn’t be able to pick out of a lineup. An actress who is inches away from having the adjective “B-Movie” applied in front “actress.” She has every right to express her views, no matter how distasteful they may be to others, but they really are meaningless. You just can’t get all worked up about anything she says.