When you are a child who has been abused by people who are supposed to protect you, how do you feel safe?
That question is the heart of Bikers Against Child Abuse International (B.A.C.A.), an organization dedicated to creating “a safer environment for abused children.” With specific training and extensive security checks, the frequently big and burly members of B.A.C.A. serve as protectors of chid abuse survivors, giving vulnerable children people to call on when they feel scared, and even showing up in court when a child asks them to.
In short, they become an abused child’s “biker family,” and they let the child—and everyone else—know that no one messes with their family.
As the B.A.C.A. mission statement says:
“We exist as a body of Bikers to empower children to not feel afraid of the world in which they live. We stand ready to lend support to our wounded friends by involving them with an established, united organization. We work in conjunction with local and state officials who are already in place to protect children. We desire to send a clear message to all involved with the abused child that this child is part of our organization, and that we are prepared to lend our physical and emotional support to them by affiliation, and our physical presence. We stand at the ready to shield these children from further abuse. We do not condone the use of violence or physical force in any manner, however, if circumstances arise such that we are the only obstacle preventing a child from further abuse, we stand ready to be that obstacle.”
B.A.C.A. members do whatever they can to make abused kids feel safe, which is huge for children who have been hurt, especially by the adults who are supposed to love and protect them.
First, they set up an initial ride to welcome a child into the biker family. Kids are offered a vest and a patch, which they have the option of accepting or not—there’s never pressure put on a child. They take a photograph with the child, which the child keeps to remind them that they have family to call on whenever they feel afraid. They serve as escorts when kids feel frightened to go somewhere. They show up at court hearings to help kids feel less intimidated. They come to kids’ houses when called to help support the family or serve as a deterrent for further abuse.
Though B.A.C.A. absolutely does not physically confront perpetrators, simply their presence provides the message that a child has a band of protectors behind them. Watch these bikers in action:
2019 Bikers Against Child Abuse International informational video. Visit www.bacaworld.org or find us on Facebook – Bikers Against Child Abuse International
And check out the B.A.C.A creed to see how dedicated these folks are to this work:
“I am a Member of Bikers Against Child Abuse. The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past has prepared me, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by the faith in my works, and lean on the strength of my brothers and sisters. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with power.
My fate is set, my gait is fast, my goal is the ultimate safety of children. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are tried and true, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and showed up for all wounded children. I must go until I drop, ride until I give out, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me, for He will see my B.A.C.A. backpatch and know that I am one of His. I am a Member of Bikers Against Child Abuse, and this is my creed.”
I always so happ to see my lil bro 😋 #dogsoftiktok #petsoftiktok #dogs #goldenretriever
Anyone who’s had a dog with a favorite stuffy knows that it’s a bit like a child with a favorite stuffy. As long as the stuffy is there, all is well. If stuffy goes missing, all hell breaks loose. Nobody take the stuffy away. Nobody lose the stuffy. Nobody mess with the stuffy.
Ain’t nobody touching my Mr. Quackers 😋 #dogsoftiktok #petsoftiktok #dogs #goldenretriever
“There, see it!” Oh, Charlie. His love for Mr. Quackers is unrivaled, which is why his owner decided to pull an incredible pet prank and dress up as Mr. Quackers himself.
Dressed up as our dogs favorite duck toy. Full video on FB & YouTube. Link in bio. #dogsoftiktok #petsoftiktok #dogs #goldenretriever
Charlie practically wagged his tail right off his body. And he never let go of the original Mr. Quackers the whole time—at least on TikTok.
The extended video on YouTube shows Charlie dropping Mr. Quackers and trying to get a hold of Huge Mr. Quackers by the neck. Not in an aggressive way—more like in a “Hey, lemme carry you around like I do Mr. Quackers!” kind of way.
And then the slow discovery that Huge Mr. Quackers smells an awful lot like his hooman … just too precious.
Animals can bring such joy to our lives, especially when we take the time to play with them. Thanks, Charlie’s parents, for sharing this moment of adorable delight with us all.
Follow more of Charlie and Mr. Quackers’ adventures on TikTok and YouTube.
While millennials and Gen Zer’s often get lumped together as the “young group,” they are certainly not the same. (Although, it is kind of hard to tell with all the Y2K fashion floating around.)
But speaking as a millennial, we definitely have different approaches to life, a lot of which seems to come down to a sense of self-assuredness. That goes for shopping, socializing, self expression…and even going to the hair salon, apparently.
Alexis Rex (@rex.artistry), hairstylist and owner of Rex Artistry Salon in Maryland, gave a brilliant (and hilarious) demonstration of some key personality differences between her millennial clients and her Gen Z clients in a now viral TikTok video.
First, Rex played her Millennial Customer.
Millennial Customer gently knocks on the door and immediately expresses her gratitude. “Hey girl! So good to see you! So excited!”
But at the same time, Millennial Customer wants in no way to be an inconvenience, so she immediately comes back with, “Where should I put my purse? It’s okay, I’m just going to shove it in my own personal space so it’s not in your way. At all.”
Never one to demand attention, Millennial Customer wants a very subtle hair color change. Really, “it shouldn’t even look like I got my hair done.” Not “super bold,” not “in your face.”
Then after flooding the hair stylist with compliments, Millennial Customer (ever wanting to be a good student) will ask a bunch of follow-up questions about how to maintain the style.
Gen Z Customer bolts through the door with a “Hey queen!” like a hurricane (who has time to knock?!) and is ready to plop her stuff down anywhere. Unlike her millennial counterpart, Gen Z Customer is perfectly fine to take up space unapologetically and even show up with hair that “hasn’t been brushed in a month.”
Gen Z Customer also knows exactly what she wants, and it’s anything but subtle. “I wanna do like in-your-face, bold contrast…I wanna look like a different f**king person. Let’s do it.”
The confidence…it’s…palpable.
Gen Z Customer has a different approach to complementing her hairstylist: “Oh my god! F**king Queen! You did that! God I love you.”
No further questions. Gen Z Customer already knows her brand of hair care products, and it’s “Olaplex. All Olaplex.”
Rex’s post quickly racked up 8.6 million views, generating literally thousands of comments discussing how spot on her imitations were.
Millennials in particular chimed in, many of whom couldn’t help but applaud its accuracy of depicting how millennials seem to constantly be apologizing for simply existing.
“I’m a millennial and once I missed the armhole for a sec when putting the cape on. I was convinced I had ruined the appointment,” wrote one person.
Another added, ‘I’m sorry for my hair. I’m sorry my hair takes so long. I’m sorry I had to move my head, omg I’m sorry. You offered me a drink? I will say yes. And then sorry.”
Many were also quick to applaud how Gen Zer’s seemed to have no issues in this arena.
“Gen Z just fully owning the ability to take up space,” one person commented.
“As a millennial I love Gen Z so much. They’re so free to be themselves and so open,” wrote another.
While there may be differences between generations, we can all learn something from one another. And we all enjoy getting our hair did.
By the way, Rex didn’t leave out her Gen X or Boomer clients. She has plenty videos of her imitating them, as well as some nifty style predictions on her TikTok, found here.
But one favorite Costco feature that might just top them all? The Costco cake.
Costco cakes are legendary. If you’ve never had a Costco cake, I’m so sorry. If you have, then you know. They are the trifecta of awesome—huge, cheap and utterly delicious. I don’t even like cake that much and I can’t stop eating a Costco cake. Like, if you ordered a fancy cake from a fancy patisserie and it tasted like a Costco cake, you’d say, “Oh yeah, that was worth the $ I just paid.” Only at Costco, you’d get that delicious of a cake that would feed a thousand people for just $25. (Okay, 50 people, but still—cake for days.)
This is why people have a serious loyalty to Costco cakes, which writer Lucy Huber discovered when she dared to question the Costco cake ordering process on Twitter.
Huber took to the social media platform to share her anxiety over the antiquated way you have to order a Costco cake. You can’t call it in. You can’t order it online. You have to physically go to the Costco bakery, fill out a paper form at an unmanned cake ordering kiosk, drop your form in the drop box without speaking to a single human being, and then trust that your cake will be there when you return at your requested time.
It was the last part Huber poked fun of when she wrote, “Ordered a cake from Costco and their system is from the 1800s, you write what you want on a piece of paper & put it in a box then nobody follows up and you just show up and hope they made it? I tried to call to confirm & they were like ‘if you put it in the box, it will be there.’”
u201cOrdered a cake from Costco and their system is from the 1800s, you write what you want on a piece of paper & put it in a box then nobody follows up and you just show up and hope they made it? I tried to call to confirm & they were like u201cif you put it in the box, it will be thereu201du201d
“Oh also,” she added, “when I called I had to call the main office bc there was no number listed for the bakery and they told me ‘the bakery has no phone’. Truly living in 1802 right now.”
Everything she wrote is true. But as she quickly learned, one does not question the Costco cake ordering system, as the Costco cake brigade demonstrated with a deluge of “Trust the system!” and “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” sentiments.
Multiple people said they’d ordered more than 50 cakes from Costco with their dropbox system and had never had a problem. And any slight anxiety that might cause is worth it for cakes that are that cheap and that delicious. (As one person wrote after their first Costco cake experience, “100/10.”)
u201c@jonathangraf @clhubes Hahahaha Iu2019ve ordered many cakes from Costco this way and have only had one problem: one time I tripped walking out of the store and it fell upside downud83dude01. Manager came out and gave me one to replace it. It wasnu2019t decorated but it was a cake. Thanks Costco!!!u201d
They won us over with the 5 dollar chicken, cheaper gas and 1.50 hotdog plus drink. If the ceo of Costco was a murderer I’d need to see court documents from the trial before saying anything negative, let alone dissing the 1802 box
Only the Costco fanbase is built on a solid foundation of awesome business practices, fabulous food and great deals.
u201c@SlackfulCyclops @clhubes They do make dough and love working there. 20 workers at my local Costco won a $200 million lotto jackpot, and half of them stayed on after they were paid out. Like the door greeter has several mill in the bank and still as cheerful as ever.u201d
Huber got a kick out of the response, sharing that she’s never had a tweet go viral that fast and she was no longer worried about the box system.
u201cThis is the fastest one of my tweets has gone viral. The people LOVE Costco ud83dude02 Excited to get my cake and no longer nervous!!!! I believe the box system works!u201d
Time in the life of a WWE superstar is precious. There’s a shelf life, whether it’s injuries, interest, or a combination of both before Father Time comes calling.
For Big E, it’s been three years since he competed at WrestleMania and for the second consecutive year, at least part of his media availability has revolved around questions regarding the health of his neck. He’s had no pain issues, no headaches, no strength issues, and calls himself fortunate that his neck injury wasn’t much worse.
So when posed with the question of how he handles the emotions that come with consistent questions about his potential in-ring return, Big E says he’s just grateful that people still care. Whether he’s aware or not, the interest will likely never dissolve. He’s one of the transcendent stars who is equally as talented as he is likable.
“The product has been so hot, The Rock’s involved, Cody’s been hot, so many incredible things. And the fact that people still care enough to ask how I’m doing means a lot,” Big E tells Uproxx Sports ahead of WrestleMania 40, presented by Snickers and WWE 2K24. “I’m really just grateful to still be involved, to still be with the company, to still be in the mix around WrestleMania time. I could be sitting at home just twiddling my thumbs, but they’ve got me busy. I’ll be in Philly for nine days. More than anything, that’s kind of the takeaway for me is just grateful that people still care.”
Big E says he’s still taking his recovery day by day and doesn’t have any definitive updates on a return to the ring. Despite the annual questions and occasional predictions of a surprise return ahead of big events, Big E says he’s not closing the door on a return anytime soon.
“I feel like that door will be open for awhile,” Big E continues. “It’s one of those things in wrestling where you just never say never. You’ve had so many people during my time in wrestling who were told they can never wrestle again and end up coming back and having great careers. That’s been cool to see people retire and then have this second lease on their career. I wish I had something more concrete, but right now, the door is still ajar.”
Big E calls the idea of him performing in an onscreen role a possibility as well, with others floating an idea of him becoming a manager.
“If I feel like I can offer something that helps to move things forward or helps to elevate the group, that’s something I’d consider. But I never want to be a drag on things,” Big E says. “If I’m the focal point when I don’t need to be, that’s not beneficial to anyone. So it’s just an active conversation. Even the stuff that I’m doing outside the ring, we haven’t had a sit down. It’s all just kind of week to week and things come up. And if it makes sense to do something on screen regularly, then we’ll have that conversation. If it doesn’t, then so be it.”
Big E has been plenty busy over the last few years. In addition to his occasional commitments to WWE, his past work on the NIL program, and his upcoming participation in WrestleMania week events, the former WWE champion was also recognized recently with an NAACP Image Award nomination for his short film that shares the story of Ruby Bridges.
While he’s continued to have success outside of the ring, his New Day partners have paved new paths inside the squared circle. For Big E, his consistent ambition to be better and strive for greatness in everything he does is part of why he, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods have all meshed so well. As they approach a return to WrestleMania as part of the 6-pack ladder match for the Undisputed Tag Team Championships, Big E says he’s proud of how they’ve continued to push their limits.
“Getting to the top is hard, but staying on top is even harder. Staying relevant, having people still care. Kofi is now pushing into his forties, still doing it. He’s been incredible,” Big E says. “It’s one of those things, where I can sit back at home, seeing their run in NXT, what they did with Pretty Deadly. Those guys never rest on their laurels. There’s never a moment where they think, ‘all right, we’ve made it, we could just coast.’ They’re always looking for a new challenge, always looking to take another step and just prove that they are indeed one of the greatest teams to ever do it. I’m just proud to be associated with those two men.”
This WrestleMania could turn out to be one of the most memorable events in recent memory. Big E feels The Rock elevates things to a degree, but he’s excited about essentially the entire card. He says he’s ready for the Damage CTRL match against Naomi, Bianca Belair, and the WrestleMania debut of Jade Cargill. He hypes the Bloodline, Cody Rhodes, and calls this the best run of Drew McIntyre’s career. Big E says it’s hard to pick one match, but he’s really excited to see Bayley get her moment at WrestleMania.
“I think the match quality is going to be great. I love the spectacle nature of things. I love seeing the wrestling gear that people come out with, the entrance stuff. I know Bayley has been pushing for Paramore. Do we see Paramore perform her out? There’s a lot to really sink your teeth into this WrestleMania,” Big E continues.
The only thing missing from the show is “big, meaty men slappin’ meat,” arguably Big E’s most famous contribution to the wrestling community. It’s not something he ever envisioned taking off, but it’s become a staple of social media and can be used universally across practically any sport at this point.
“I think it’s been about five years now. And it’s kind of nuts to me that it’s even broken outside of the bounds of pro wrestling,” Big E says.
“Those are some of my proudest moments, as silly as it is, of my career is the popcorn gif and that silly big, meaty men rant. But the fact that crowds are chanting meat at wrestling shows, that people want a big meaty man invitational at WrestleMania is all pretty wild to me. More than anything, I feel like it doesn’t even belong to me anymore. I feel like it belongs to the people. It’s kind of taken on a life of its own. To have left a mark on the industry in a way that I probably didn’t conceive of when I first started wrestling, it’s pretty cool.”
Unless something changes between now and this weekend, we’ll have to settle for quite possibly a meatless ‘Mania without a certified Big Meaty Men Match.
“You think of guys like an Omos, Otis, Ivar, Bronson Reed are our biggest guys right now aren’t in anything. I don’t know if we currently have [a match] that qualifies,” Big E says. “We might have a meatless ‘Mania. And you know, ‘Mania is going to be incredible, don’t get me wrong. But that’s a bit of a travesty.”
WrestleMania kicks off on Saturday and Sunday night at 7 p.m. ET.
With just a few more weeks to go until Taylor Swift drops her new album The Tortured Poets Department, the anticipation is building — and other music companies are preparing to join the party.
SiriusXM unveiled that they’ll have a Swift-themed station that will play solely her songs. Swifties will also be able to share their stories and love for the pop star. Then, after the album is out, it will play on repeat throughout that weekend.
Here’s how fans can tune in.
How To Listen To Taylor Swift’s Channel 13 (Taylor’s Version) On SiriusXM
SiriusXM will launch their Channel 13 (Taylor’s Version) station on April 7, fittingly 13 days before Swift’s album is released. Fans in North America will be able to listen to it from their cars or the SiriusXM app. It will also only be available until May 6 — but does provide a month worth of pure Swift content.
“The versatility of Taylor’s music and the phenomenal impact she’s had in her career across so many musical genres will be on full display on Channel 13 (Taylor’s Version),” Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer, shared. “We’re all experiencing a legend at work and are so thrilled to work with Taylor to present a one-of-a-kind channel that connects her fans with her extraordinary body of work.”
The Tortured Poets Department is out 4/19 via Republic. Find more information here.
Did you think that the Summer Of Suitswas going to be a 2023 thing? Well, it’s time to call your dry cleaners because Suits is sticking around in 2024! Much like every other cult favorite show, Suits is getting a rewatch podcast, since that seems to be the next logical step until the upcoming spinoffs come to life.
The Suits rewatch podcast will be hosted by Patrick J. Adams and Sarah Rafferty as they break down each episode and share behind-the-scenes info and tidbits, and they are expected to be joined by select cast and crew. We know that one infamous Suits alum has some podcasting experience, but she likely will not appear.
The podcast will be available on SiriusXM, and the duo shared their excitement in a statement (via Deadline): “On the heels of the record-breaking Suits resurgence, it feels like the perfect time to rewatch the show that changed our lives. We are thrilled to collaborate with the incredible team at SiriusXM and look forward to connecting with our friends from the cast and crew, as well as the Suits fans who made it all possible.”
This is just the beginning of the next Suits phase as the upcoming spinoff recently went into production and the flagship series is expected to premiere in the UK later this year. Maybe next they will come out with an actual suit line, just for fun.
The New York Jets had high hopes for the 2023 season with Aaron Rodgers joining the team to give them a star-caliber quarterback for the first time in ages.
Given how well their defense played in 2022, having even league-average quarterback play figured to make them a playoff contender, with the hope that Rodgers could tap into the form that made him a 4-time MVP and give them a chance to compete for a Super Bowl berth. However, the excitement for the Rodgers era lasted all of four plays before the then-39-year-old was sacked and tore his achilles, ending his season on the first drive of his Jets career.
This week, the league sent out paychecks as part of their “performance-based pay system,” which was created to reward players, particularly at premium positions, who make less but play key roles for teams. The money doesn’t count against the cap and allows guys who thrive early as a lower-round or undrafted player to get at least some extra cash for playing well above their pay grade — for example, Brock Purdy nearly doubled his salary last year thanks to the system.
Even though it was designed for those players, everyone is a part of it, including Rodgers, with Adam Schefter bringing word that for his four plays in a Jets uniform, the QB was sent a check for $81 — the lowest payout in the league this year.
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers earned $81.14 through the NFL’s performance-based pay system, the lowest amount among all NFL players last season.
The system rewards all NFL players based on their play time and base salary. If a player has a low base salary but plays a significant number… pic.twitter.com/dldDmr338f
Listen, every bit helps, but it is a bit funny to send a man who made almost $37 million last season a check for $81. Aaron can at least get a lunch or two off of that sudden windfall.
After co-starring with Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan in the Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg-produced Masters Of The Air and playing one of American history’s most reviled figures in Abraham Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth in Manhunt, you could say Irish actor Anthony Boyle is riding a wave. The action verb is key. One can also be carried away by these kinds of waves, right into some bad career choices. But that isn’t going to be Boyle.
My interest in talking with him was partly related to that. How does someone about to break out process the reality of that? We get into that. There’s also the intensity of his on-screen work as Booth, an absolute demon of a man. How did Boyle make such a giant villain digestible? How could he stomach wearing him around for a while? That part of the conversation dips into a really interesting counter to the idea of method and actors who never break character while shooting. That is very much not Boyle’s style, and he breaks down the why not of that perfectly. Also, I may have talked him out of buying a horse and provided a sense of hope that Americans can, occasionally, do a passable Irish accent.
This is a gargantuan monster villain of history. How do you shrink that down and find a way into him as a character?
Always go back to the childhood. The Jesuit priests say, “Show me the boy for the first eight years and I’ll show you the man.” And with Booth, I went back and looked at all these letters that he had. He had all these letters when he was 15 until he’s 26. But before that there’s lots of books written about him. His family were called The Mad Booths of Maryland. They were known as this crazy, eccentric actor family. There’s one bit in the book, which is insane, which is when his one sister dies, his father goes back, his father’s playing Hamlet. He comes back and he digs up his little sister’s corpse. She’s been rotting for a month or two, but turned this on Booth and parades him around the town saying, “She’s fine, John. Tell her she’s fine. Tell her she’s fine.” His childhood was just so fucked. The whole family exhibited really severe mental health issues, but obviously this is 1830, so they were just called eccentric. They were called actors, so no one really knew what was going on.
So yeah, how I got into him, how I humanized him was going back to the childhood, looking at how growing up in that environment would affect someone’s psychology. And a lot of things, a lot of what happens to kids is when severe trauma happens to them the brain breaks in two and you have one version of yourself that that happened to and another version, and it’s a way of protecting yourself to be like, “It happened to him. It didn’t happen to me. I’m Booth, I’m godlike. My mother says I’m going to be special. I’ve got these special hands. I’m God, I’m the most beautiful, I’m the most talented.” This innate narcissism and arrogance thing comes into him.
Is it harder for you to play a character where there is nothing you can identify with, there’s nothing that’s likable about the person? Do you have to sympathize with them in a way?
I don’t like bringing too much of myself into the work in that respect. I like it being something that I step into.
Has that always been the case or is that something that has evolved over time?
I’ve always done that. I’ve always liked performances like that. I’ve always done that or tried to do that. I just enjoy it more and I think I produce better work when I don’t try and make him close to me. If I separate it and step into it, it always feels more interesting.
Obviously, there are schools of thought where some actors do that, some don’t. Is there a part of you that is afraid that it might fuck with your own hard wiring if you get too close? The horror stories about people going a little too method and things of that nature, is that a part of it, that you’re a little concerned about the impact of that on you, the person?
It is an interesting question. I mean, maybe. I’m usually quite good at leaving it at work. I’m usually quite good at once they call cut stepping away, but sometimes you do it and it lingers a little bit because you’re walking around as someone for 12 hours a day.
The shaving scene with Lovie Simone (who plays Mary Simms) is super close, super intense. The threat of violence is… you’re so menacing in that moment and you’re saying some horrible things that I know obviously you don’t feel in your heart. It’s very hard to say to a person that you are working with. When you’re able to separate like that, does it make it easier to do those scenes without feeling the anguish of that physical action of what you’re doing and the actual pain of having done that, even though obviously it’s acting and it’s not real? Is that separation a defense for that?
Yeah, the separation’s easier for that because you’re saying some racist things and no matter what context, you’re acting and everyone is in communion with each other and you know that you’re acting, but you’re still a white person saying the N-word to a black person. That’s still a fact of what’s happening and I think it’s easier if you’re not feeling like yourself in that moment and they’re not feeling themselves in that moment. And if you’re both in the character thing. And it’s also easier if you have a decent relationship with the person and after the take come up to Lovie and hugging her and saying, “Are you okay? How are you?” And checking in. That also helps. I think it doesn’t help if you’re doing that work and you stay in it and you’re not speaking to that person and stuff. I think it helps if at the end of the day to go, “That was tough. Well done.” It’s just humanizing. That makes it feel a little bit easier. She’s such a brilliant actress, man. She’s so good in that scene.
Very good. Yeah. I know you’ve talked about this a bit, but you’ve been in a lot of historical dramas of late. I know you’ve got another one on the horizon. Is that also a genre that you yourself like as a viewer? Or are there other genres that you love that you want to explore?
I just watch reality TV. I don’t watch any prestige period dramas. I just watch Love On The Spectrum, Down With Love, anything that’s just nice, anything that it’s good fun. (Laughs) I watch a lot of quiz shows. There’s a quiz show in England called The Chase.
Do you try to keep up? Is it a spectator sport or do you actually try to participate?
I play it with people. It’ll be on the TV and I’ll go, “Capital of France, Paris!” and try and count them and beat the other people in the room.
How does a project like this imprint on you? What’s the lesson you take away? Maybe it’s a lesson about villainy. I’m just curious about how these things change you. As you said, there’s a separation between you and the role, but anything you put your passion into is going to change you.
How has it changed me? I mean, I learned how to ride a horse for Booth, and I’ve been riding horses ever since. My mate’s uncle tried to sell me a horse a couple of days ago.
Are you going to buy it?
I don’t know, I mean, it’s $3,500, but then the horse stays in his stables and I’m like, “Wait, so I’m just going to give you $3,500 and then you just have a horse.” I’m not sure.
I used to own a horse — well, my wife did, but it was quite the upkeep. It’s like buying an old house. There’s always a vet bill. I’m not anti-horse. I’m just saying it’s an investment. But you do get to say that you have a horse. That’s a good conversation starter.
That’s all I got though.
Get a picture. It’s like people with kids, you just say, “This is my horse,” and you come up with a charming name and it works.
(Laughs) Yeah, yeah. So I don’t know if I’m going to buy it because, I mean, it is in Donegal and when I live in Ireland, I’m like an hour away from Donegal. I don’t know, it’s a different thing. But yeah, maybe I might buy a horse.
What I took away from Manhunt was horse riding and I don’t ever think I take away too much like parables that I can transfer into my life or whatever. It is very rare that it changes the molecular structure of me as a human being.
Is that because the structure of you is in a really good place and you just like where you are?
I feel like I know who I am and I’ve always just known who I am. Doing a role, I don’t come away with a big life lesson. I usually come away with amazing experiences and loads of new friends and I really love doing it. But it’s very rare that I’ll come away from a job and go like, “Wow, that’s changed me. I’m going to now become a monk.” You know what I mean?
I’ve seen things where people are saying, “You’re the Internet’s next Irish boyfriend.” Or that you’re, “going to blow up” and all this stuff, all the buzz. All very helpful when you’re promoting a show. But is there a pressure felt by you where it influences how you pick your next project and you feel like, “Okay, well, I need to really capitalize on this,” or are you just going about things the same way you always have?
No, I’m going to do a small, independent movie next. There may be pressure from other people on me. But I am just always going to follow the role, the character, the writing. As you say, all that stuff’s helpful when you’re promoting something. But I don’t pay any mind to it. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing and keep working away and yeah, I just like the work, man. I just really like it.
You’ve had a couple of roles where you’ve channeled the American accent. How do you find that? Is that a product of pop culture? Is that a product of speech coaches?
Watching The Simpsons every day after school, listening to Kanye West growing up. Yeah, we constantly have the American accent in our ear. You come home and Friends is on the TV, the movies that you’re watching, you’re watching Scorsese or whatever. We constantly have an American accent just in our ear. So I think it’s easier for Irish actors to do the American accent more than it would be for an American to jump into, say a Belfast accent.
So I do voices, but I can’t do a voice to somebody who does the voice. I will literally stop breathing if I try it. I don’t know what it is.
Come on, give me a Belfast. Come on.
(Shames ancestors by doing a mildly passable Irish accent) “All right, come on give me a Belfast. Come on.”
That’s good!
That’s as close as I can do. It’s not bad. That is impressive that you got me to do that.
I’m actually impressed. I work with a lot of American actors that can’t get close, so I’m very impressed, man. That was good, bro. Genuinely.
This was great. I really appreciate it. If I get to talk to you again, we will talk about the horse. I want to know an update on the horse.
I’ll give you an update on the horse.
And I’ll do the whole interview in an Irish accent.
I look forward to it.
New episodes of ‘Manhunt’ release on Apple TV+ every Friday
American-born TikTok user Kayleigh Donahue is going viral on the platform because of her unflinching take on why it was a mistake for her to move back to the U.S. after spending 4 years in Ireland.
She now lives in the Boston area.
Kayleigh moved back to the U.S. from Ireland to make more money, but that didn’t go as planned. Even though she got paid more, the cost of living was so much higher that she saved less money than she did in Ireland. She also missed the generous number of vacation days she got in Europe as compared to America.
popping off always #americanabroad #usavseurope #movingabroad #livingabroad #europevsamerica #fyp
“Basically, I really got sucked into the American Dream way of living when I was abroad, which is funny because I loved living abroad,” Kayleigh said. “But you know, making more money, that’s enticing. Good job, that’s enticing. It’s not true. It used to be. It definitely used to be. You could come here and make a ton of money, make a great life for yourself. But the younger generation today, in this country — screwed. It’s literally all a lie that is sold to you. It’s such a struggle, and the older generation doesn’t seem to see how much of a struggle it is for the younger generation here.”
In the end, who wants to work harder for a lower quality of life?
“Needless to say, I will most likely be moving back to Europe where 20-plus days of paid vacation a year is literally the law, and I will make less money, but somehow, you know, the cost of living is lower there and I can save more,” Kayleigh concluded the video.
This article originally appeared on 1.17.24
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
