SOPHIE MURDER MOVIE:
ACTOR John Connors has lifted the lid on his role in Jim Sheridan’s controversial film about the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.
Connors, who shot to fame in acclaimed crime drama Love/hate, claims the veteran filmmaker is the only director “mad” enough to give him a role.
Sheridan, 77, has been in the headlines since revealing his upcoming feature Recreation will attempt to clear prime suspect Ian Bailey’s name.
The French mum-of-one’s badly beaten body was found by neighbours in a laneway beside her holiday home near Schull, West Cork on December 23, 1996.
Bailey was tried and convicted of murder in absentia in Paris. He was twice arrested here but nobody was ever charged with Sophie’s death.
Bailey died of a heart attack on the street in Bantry last November. Gardai later raided his flat and sources said he remained the only suspect in the cold case murder investigation.
Sheridan – who believes Bailey was innocent and was “hounded” to his death – himself plays one of the jurors in Recreation, with Snapper actor Colm Meaney playing the lead role. Sophie’s family have criticised the movie as have their supporters. An outspoken activist for the Traveller community, Connors, 34, plays one of the jurors. He told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “The reason I’m in the film is because Jim couldn’t give a f**k about what I’m perceived as politically. “It’s now a proper drama, based loosely on the events. It‘s mainly based on the jury. I play a juror who doesn’t have to be convinced about Bailey. “I didn’t have to do as much research as the other actors, I didn’t want to either as I wanted to be as innocent as I could. “I wanted to be raw, you were