Telly 22nd January 2019 by Valerie Loftus

A Vikings Actor Had To Apologise After Saying Fair City Is ‘Embarrassing’

That's verrry dangerous territory to find yourself in.

Whatever you think about Fair City, you have to admit it’s pretty tightly woven in the fabric of Irish culture, and you have to be careful in how you choose to criticise it.

This is what Dublin actor Elijah Rowen, who plays Asbjorn in the TV show Vikings, learned earlier this week when he claimed it was “embarrassing” for an actor to work on the show. Eeek.

Talking to the Irish Mirror, Elijah said that being on Fair City was not the way to being “accepted in the acting world”:

Personally I think Fair City is embarrassing. I understand actors might do it for financial gain, but if you really want to be accepted in the acting world, you wouldn’t do it. If you want to talk artistry or expression, it’s a joke.

It didn’t take long for the wider Irish acting community to hear about this – including former Fair City actress Hilda Fay and ex-Mrs Brown’s Boys star Rory Cowan, who defended the actors working on the show.

https://twitter.com/HildaFayActor/status/1086641970410385409

At first, Elijah warned his Instagram followers not to believe everything they hear online, and that he respected “anyone who’s grinding away in this industry”.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs1FwjXlCXC/?utm_source=ig_embed

However, today he issued an apology via the Irish Independent, saying his comments were a “mistake”:

I have the deepest respect for any actor out there working and making the grind. I was caught off guard at a social event in the early hours and spoke in error. This is absolutely my mistake, and I apologise for any hurt my foolish words have caused.

“I’m a young actor – new to the industry with a lot to learn,” he added. “I feel bad especially as I know some of the great actors who have been on Fair City and how hard they work.”

What a whirlwind.

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