Director Fintan Connolly made a splash with his no-budget feature Flick, now he returns with low-budget romantic drama Trouble With Sex. Paula Shields talks to Connolly, producer Fionna Bergin and the two main actors, Renee Weldon and Aidan Gillen.

Paula: You famously made your first feature Flick with no money on an 18-day shoot. What is the main thing you learned from such a baptism of fire?

Fiona: How do-able it was. When you're making films on no budget it's a different creature altogether. When you're funded it's more orthodox. Expectations are more realistic about getting paid. There were good things about having money; you have more resources, more choices about what you can do. They were two different experiences.

The subject matter of Trouble With Sex couldn't be more different from Flick. How did it come about?

Fintan: Trouble With Sex coincided with the Irish Film Board announcing their low-budget initiative two or three years ago. When I was making Flick I really liked the idea of the relationship in the movie, but I didn't have enough time to explore it. So after that, a relationship movie was what I wanted to make. The story is very straightforward, it follows that journey of a relationship beginning.

The casting of the two lead roles, Conor and Michelle, was crucial. Do you have certain actors in mind when you are writing your scripts, Fintan?

Fintan: Not really. When I wrote Flick I had no idea it was even going to be made. With Trouble With Sex, Renee Weldon came to an open casting. We went over to London, where she's based, and we auditioned four actresses in an afternoon. She came in last, and the light was kind of going down in the room. I really liked her. The same with David Murray in Flick; he just walked in the door. He told me afterwards he nearly wasn't going to come in.

The full article is printed in Film Ireland 104.