Latest news with #TheComeback
Irish Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Former Eurovision star considered taking his own life after song contest
Former Eurovision star Joe McCaul has revealed he considered taking his own life after the song contest. Joe was part of brother and sister duo, Donna and Joe McCaul, who represented Ireland at the Eurovision in 2005 in Ukraine with their song Love while Joe was still just 17. After failing to qualify, Joe revealed he faced months of ridicule and only got a holiday to Crete out of it. Speaking to Brenda Dennehy on The Comeback podcast, he said: 'I remember when we didn't get in, the devastating effect that had on me. "I went back to my room, I was only 17, and I struggled very hard because that was more shame, more embarrassment, more rejection. Everyone was going out, and they (Donna and the crew) went to the finals on Saturday night, I didn't go, I just stayed in my hotel room.' He said when he returned to Ireland, he was ridiculed regularly. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week 'I think over the years, I was nearly taken advantage of. I was made an eejit out of by people, people in the media. That was hard because I was saying, 'Where is my self-worth, why can't I be assertive?' 'I found it very hard to be assertive because I didn't like conflict, and then because I didn't like conflict, if I reacted a certain way, some people would say 'Oh that was very aggressive'. So I couldn't even stand up for myself.' Joe said he thought they'd be 'millionaires' but all he got after Eurovision was 'a holiday in Crete'. 'I thought we were going to be millionaires. I thought I was going to be able to buy my mother out of the council estate. I got a holiday to Crete, that's what I got.' Joe is the youngest of six siblings and his mother raised them on her own. 'My dad, unfortunately, passed away a couple of years ago, but I had no kind of relationship with him. Alcoholism, unfortunately, took over his life and then he moved to London.' Joe said when a media outlet discovered his father's issue with drink it caused massive stress on the family. 'Once or twice I thought of taking my own life.' He said he had suffered recurrent intrusive thoughts about suicide from an early age. 'The intensity of it then would probably get a little more if I was under any increased stress or anything significant was happening in my life or something bad was happening… I was always terrified of the thought… I would always be going, 'f**k, I need to see a psychiatrist'.' After a stint on X Factor in 2015, where Simon Cowell called him an 'awful performer', Joe suffered at the hands of social media trolls again. 'And then there was the shame, the embarrassment, the rejection, and I just wanted it to be over there. 'The s**t that was put online, I remember my friends used to be sending them to me and the horrible stuff that people were saying. I used to have to say 'please do not send me this, I don't want to be looking at it'.' Joe revealed in 2014 that he had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the end of 2013. 'I literally just lost the plot then. I think I went on a self-destruct button that was hit. I went off the rails for months.' He said he was on medication that didn't suit him at the time but has since changed medication and is currently symptom free and in remission. 'Fitness, running, doing kind of high-intensity interval based kind of training has been my saviour. Not just for my physical health because that's quite good but for my mental health, which is an ongoing struggle that some days I'm really, really shit. 'But I have really good coping tools and I have a really solid support group around me,' he added.
Sunday World
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Eurovision star says he considered taking his own life after mental health turmoil
'I thought we were going to be millionaires. I thought I was going to be able to buy my mother out of the council estate. I got a holiday to Crete, that's what I got.' Former Eurovision singer Joe McCaul has told how he has struggled with mental health for years and even thought of taking his own life – but is coping much better now and is engaged to his partner Mark. The brother and sister double act Donna and Joe McCaul were selected to represent Ireland at the Eurovision in 2005 in Ukraine with their song 'Love' while Joe was still just 17. However, they failed to qualify for the finals – coming 14 out of 22 in the semi-final – and Joe has told how he was ridiculed and trolled in the aftermath. 'I thought we were going to be millionaires. I thought I was going to be able to buy my mother out of the council estate. I got a holiday to Crete, that's what I got.' The Athlone man revealed his lifelong struggle with his mental health and negative side of becoming a household namewhen he spoke to Brenda Dennehy on The Comeback podcast. Donna and Joseph McCaul News in 90 Seconds - June 18th 'Remember when we didn't get in, the devastating effect that had on me. I went back to my room, I was only 17, and I struggled very hard because that was more shame, more embarrassment, more rejection. Everyone was going out, and they (Donna and the crew) went to the finals on Saturday night, I didn't go, I just stayed in my hotel room.' He said when he returned to Ireland he was ridiculed regularly. 'I think over the years, I was nearly taken advantage of. I was made an eejit out of by people, people in the media. That was hard because I was saying, 'Where is my self-worth, why can't I be assertive?' 'I found it very hard to be assertive because I didn't like conflict, and then because I didn't like conflict, if I reacted a certain way, some people would say 'Oh that was very aggressive,' So I couldn't even stand up for myself.' Joe is the youngest of six siblings and his mother raised them on her own. 'My dad, unfortunately, he's passed away a couple of years ago, but I had no kind of relationship with him. Alcoholism, unfortunately, took over his life and then he moved to London.' Joe said when a media outlet discovered his father's issue with drink it caused massive stress on the family. 'Once or twice I thought of taking my own life.' He said he had suffered recurrent intrusive thoughts about suicide from an early age. 'The intensity of it then would probably get a little more if I was under any increased stress or anything significant was happening in my life or something bad was happening… I was always terrified of the thought…I would always be going, f**k, I need to see a psychiatrist.' In 2015, X Factor producers asked him to audition for the UK show in front of Simon Cowell. He agreed, hoping it would go okay. 'I thought maybe I could have a little breakthrough here.' However, Cowell described him as an awful performer and stopped him halfway through. 'And then there was the shame, the embarrassment, the rejection, and I just wanted it to be over there.' They asked him to perform another song. He took solace from the empathy of presenter Caroline Flack, who died by suicide in 2020, after he was given another chance to perform in front of the judges. 'Caroline Flack, God love her, was with Olly Murs back then, and she was so kind to me and so nice and help me pick a song. She was even singing with me… Caroline Flack had an energy about her. She had her hand over me and it was like a way of apologising for the way I was treated. She had empathy.' Joe said it was one of the lowest moments of his life. Joe was trolled online in the aftermath. 'The s**t that was put online, I remember my friends used to be sending them to me and the horrible stuff that people were saying. I used to have to say please do not send me this, I don't want to be looking at it.' He said on the plus side he did a bit of media again in the aftermath and got a few gigs but he still 'really just wanted to forget that whole moment ever existed'. Joe revealed in 2014 that he had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the end of 2013, 'I literally just lost the plot then. I think I went on a self-destruct button that was hit. I went off the rails for months.' He said he was on medication that didn't suit him at the time but has since changed medication and is currently symptom free and in remission. He said he got back into running that has helped a lot as well as support from his partner Mark and his therapist and family and friends. 'Fitness, running, doing kind of high-intensity interval based kind of training has been my saviour. Not just for my physical heath because that's quite good but for my mental health which is an ongoing struggle that some days I'm really, really shit. But I have really good coping tools and I have a really solid support group around me.' His sister came out as gay years ago and Joe said when he told his family he was gay as well, it didn't surprise any of them. 'It was like they all kind of new. Donna was more of a shock. He said he went back studying in recent years doing a business course and a course on mental health before starting teaching in stage schools doing vocals. "...I met Mark. Mark is already a teacher. He said why don't you go back and do your teaching degree – so I went back and did my degree and I have that nearly four years now. So I am secondary school music and special educational teacher now.' If you have been affected by issues in this article, call Samaritans free on 116 123 or email jo@ or call Pieta on Freephone 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Carol Ofori steps into a new chapter with 'The Comeback' podcast
Award-winning radio personality and author Carol Ofori is charting new territory with the debut of her inspirational podcast, "The Comeback". Designed to spotlight the extraordinary resilience of everyday people, this series is set to share heartfelt experiences of individuals who have risen above life's most daunting challenges. 'In a world flooded with perfection on social media, I wanted to create a space where real stories could be heard, stories of grit, grief, healing and hope,' said Ofori. ''The Comeback' dives deep into the personal journeys of individuals who've hit rock bottom, faced life's toughest moments, and found their way back, stronger, wiser and more determined than ever. This podcast is for anyone who needs to be reminded that no matter how hard life gets, it's possible to rise again.' The first season of "The Comeback" highlights a compelling array of guests, each sharing deeply personal accounts that resonate with themes of transformation after trauma.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chile's Antonia Zegers, Star of Pablo Larrain's ‘The Club,' Boards Peruvian helmer Joanna Lombardi's ‘The Comeback'(EXCLUSIVE)
Chilean actress Antonia Zegers, whose notable credits include several of Pablo Larrain's films, including 'Tony Manero,' 'The Club,' 'No,' and his Pinochet-as-Dracula pic, 'The Count,' has boarded the upcoming drama 'The Comeback' ('El Regreso') by Peru's Joanna Lombardi. Zegers, who also toplined Lucia Puenzo's lauded series 'The Pack' ('La Jauria') serves as a juror at the Ibero-American Fiction section of the ongoing 40th Guadalajara Film Festival (FICG), wrapping on June 14. More from Variety Netflix, Incentives and Location Perks Spur Growth in Mexico's Film and TV Industry Boxing, Uprisings, LGBTQ+ and Coming-of-Age Stories Power Guadalajara Co-Production Meetings Lineup Climate Change Hell, Military Coups, Big Industry Pollution, Fractured Families: Guadalajara Gives a Bracing Latin American Take on World Collapse 'What first drew me in was the chance to work with Joanna – there's a quiet strength in her, a way of seeing the world that speaks to me. I trust that together, we'll create something truly special,' she told Variety. Lombardi is a former creative executive for Movistar in Latin America and leading Peruvian shingle Tondero Films. Her directorial feature debut 'Casadentro' won Montreal Festival's Golden Zenit as well as the international critics Fipresci award. She also directed Peru's first Netflix Original 'How to Get Over a Breakup' ('Soltera codiciada'). Set against the little-known Aug. 28 festivities in the coastal border town of Tacna in Peru, 'The Comeback' follows Martha, a once-famous actress in crisis, who returns to Tacna to sell her family home and use the proceeds to fund a play that she hopes could revive her career. As the city celebrates Aug. 28th, which marks the anniversary of Tacna's return to Peru after its war with Chile, her plans are upended by her sister's sudden illness, forcing Martha to stay in the place she hoped to leave behind. 'This film is about memory, but it is also about identity as Martha left home at 18 for Chile, which upset her family. She was seen as a Peruvian in Chile but when she returns, she is seen as Chilean because she has picked up a Chilean accent,' said Lombardi who has put together a crack – mostly female – team that includes Inti Briones ('To Kill a Man,' 'Jayro Bustamante's 'Rita') as her DP, Chile's Soledad Salfate ('A Fantastic Woman') as her editor and Luciano Supervielle ('The Freshly Cut Grass') as her music composer. Chile's Florencia Larrea ('My Tender Matador') and Uruguay's Agustina Chiarino of Bocacha Films ('Agárrame fuerte'), both key drivers of Latin American cinema, have also boarded as co-producers. They are seeking a European producing partner. 'The Comeback' is written by Lombardi's mother, author Giovanna Pollarolo, the wife of Peru's legendary filmmaker Francisco Lombardi, who wrote all the screenplays to his films, including his hit Goya-nominated satire 'Captain Pantoja and the Special Service.' 'It will be the first time I collaborate with my mother,' said Lombardi, adding: 'It was her idea to set a story in Tacna, which we later co-developed. Tacna was where my father was born and where I spent all my childhood summers.' For some historical context, Tacna played a pivotal role in The War of the Pacific, in which Peru was defeated by Chile in 1883. Yet Tacna remained under Chilean control until August 28, 1929, nearly 50 years later. Almost a century has passed, but the conflict remains unresolved. Deep-seated resentment toward Chile still lingers among the people of Tacna, a reality that must be addressed for true reconciliation. 'Every August 28, the city comes to a standstill to celebrate but ironically, few Peruvians outside Tacna know or remember why,' she said. 'Sometimes I feel people are split between those who want to remember the past and those who prefer to move forward. I often wonder which is healthier,' she mused. Filming is scheduled to take place in Tacna in August next year. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Parker Posey Tells Lisa Kudrow to Star in ‘The White Lotus' Season 4 as They Bond Over Sitcom Struggles and Why Phoebe on ‘Friends' Was ‘A Lot of Work'
Parker Posey and Lisa Kudrow first met making 'Clockwatchers,' a 1997 indie comedy in which they play temps in a dull office. Back then, Posey was establishing a reputation as a burgeoning legend of independent film who would soon enough cross over in projects like 'You've Got Mail' and 'Scream 3,' while Kudrow was already a superstar thanks to her role as the quirky Phoebe Buffay on 'Friends.' Both have experienced cult TV fame in the years since — Posey as Jack's nemesis on 'Will & Grace,' Kudrow as a washed-up actress-turned-reality star on 'The Comeback' — and both put their stamp on projects this past season. Posey drawled her way through the role of wealthy matriarch Victoria Ratliff on the HBO franchise 'The White Lotus,' while Kudrow delivered a sensitive, painful performance as Lydia Morgan, a grieving mother who believes her late son communicates with her through flickering lights on Netflix's real estate thriller 'No Good Deed.' More from Variety 'The Comeback' Turns 20: Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King on Early Criticism, Cult-Classic Status and Whether There Will Ever Be a Season 3 Seth Rogen and Jason Segel Relive 27 Years of Friendship: Smoking Before 'The Matrix,' Peeing Next to Scorsese and Harrison Ford Watching Segel Naked Dave Chappelle Joins Mo Amer for Rare Interview on Political Comedy, Fiery 'SNL' Monologues and Crying Over Netflix's 'Mo': 'I'm Not Doing This S--' If the 'Show Sucked' Parker Posey: We were both Nora Ephron ladies back in the '90s. Lisa Kudrow: I know. Posey: What did you do with Nora? Kudrow: I did 'Hanging Up,' which she wrote with [her sister] Delia. Diane Keaton directed it. We had great food every day because Nora was around. And then I did another movie that Nora directed, and John Travolta was in it — 'Was in it?' How's that? It was a John Travolta movie, and I was in it. Posey: And he was an angel or something, right? Kudrow: No, that was 'Michael,' and that was a great movie. This one was disappointing. I remember Nora called me once — I was working on 'Friends' — and she went, 'When are you finished with this show? Why do you keep doing it?' I was like, 'Well, some good reasons.' Posey: I remember she came up to me once and said, 'Just be funny,' and that was the note. Kudrow: It's a good note! Posey: I'm such a big fan of yours, and one of my most favorite things ever is 'The Comeback.' How did it start in your brain? Kudrow: There were no 'Real Housewives' yet. But there was 'The Amazing Race' and 'Survivor,' which I thought, 'Well, this is the end of civilization.' Because on 'Amazing Race' — I watched a couple — the woman is eating very spicy stuff and vomiting on camera while her husband is screaming at her. She's crying and vomiting, and I went, 'Oh, this is it.' Posey: 'How can I top that?' Kudrow: 'This is the end.' And then I thought, 'What if you don't have to feel bad for a regular person — what if it's an actress?' It was near when 'Friends' was just about done. And I just thought, 'That would be really fun,' just throwing yourself into humiliation. Posey: It's such an interesting edge to walk, because as a viewer, I felt for her, and I also rooted for her. Kudrow: For me, that was all the Christopher Guest movies you did. Posey: Chris Guest would say, 'This is not too far from the truth,' and just walk away. And then you play the scene. It's the things that you're not really thinking about that aren't planned — that's what was so liberating about those movies. I felt so spoiled: You go in and lock into the other person and just trust them. Kudrow: I know you were on some multi-camera sitcoms. How was that for you? Because there's something so much more regimented about that. Posey: It's like tap dancing and really having to make that step. It's not exactly formulaic, but it's hitting some kinds of notes. I would say stuff on 'Will & Grace,' and people would laugh, and I didn't get it. I didn't think it was funny. Kudrow: Was it a joke that they had written? Posey: Maybe. Yeah, I think so. Kudrow: That happens sometimes. Posey: It was very athletic. Kudrow: They're always throwing new things at you. All of us got new things as we were doing it. Posey: It was really fun, right? Did it feel like a sport to you? Kudrow: It became fun. It was fun the whole time because the cast had fun. Phoebe was so far from who I was as a human being, it was work — I needed to justify everything she was saying in my head so that it felt like she meant it and it was real to her. It was a lot of work. I remember Season 2 or 3, I went, 'Oh my God, I'm not doing the work.' And LeBlanc went, 'What's the matter with you? You're her. You don't have to.' Posey: You're like, 'But I want to work.' Kudrow: The worst thing was wanting to be a good student. That's what hurt me the most. Posey: I like doing my homework too. When I read 'The White Lotus' and it was so well written … I don't know how he did it, but Mike White wrote those eight episodes, and really, they just fly. We've both been doing this for 30 years, right? Kudrow: Yeah. Posey: It was such a gift to have this middle-aged woman at this time in my career — to be this Southern woman. I was reading Tennessee Williams in junior high, so I just ate it up. Kudrow: Did you have a point of reference for Victoria? Posey: My dad loved William Faulkner. He was a really big reader. He loved Flannery O'Connor and all those Gothic tales. And my mom's mother dressed like a movie star; she'd go to Neiman Marcus and look at the things she liked, and she'd go home and make them herself. Kudrow: I think my favorite thing in the whole season was asking Victoria, 'What if we didn't have anything?' And the answer was the most honest thing I'd ever seen and made me respect her. Not respect her — Posey: I know what you mean. When I read the line, that hit me the most out of the eight episodes, and I knew exactly how to say it. There's such a cadence. A lot of people like to improvise and add things. But when things are really tight, I love how it sounds. Would you enter the 'White Lotus' world? Kudrow: Work with Mike White? Yes. I love Mike White. I've hung out with him at a party. Posey: He gets around. Kudrow: He's social. And 'Brad's Status' was my favorite movie that year. I emailed him to let him know, because I had to — it was so good, I had to. I don't do that a lot. Posey: Oh, Lisa, you should be in Season 4. If there's a big enough TikTok campaign, then it'll happen. Kudrow: Because that's how it works. No, it doesn't. Posey: It doesn't. Because who knows what Mike White is writing or where these stories are going to go? Kudrow: And I might not be his cup of tea, which is allowed to happen too. But I do get nervous about inhabiting things that are too dark; I try to avoid that. But you didn't really have to, except for the scenes where your head's blown off. But it's pretend. Posey: I really felt for mothers when I played this role. Kudrow: Right. It's a whole other dimension. Posey: I realized that mothers are shaped by their family and shaped by the man. So I got to go into the patriarchal system of women who are not being authentic. She has a distorted point of view of her life, and it's been enabled. Kudrow: A family has its own culture. We all grew up in one. Posey: And that's what's so great about good writing is that it doesn't judge, and it expands the way you look at — Kudrow: It didn't feel like it was judging so much this time — except of course it was, because they were at a White Lotus. Posey: Mike is an actor too. He's a really interesting guy. He was on 'Survivor.' And 'The Amazing Race' twice. Kudrow: Oh, twice on 'Amazing Race'? Wow. Likes to punish himself. Posey: And then he decides to do a season in Thailand. It felt like an experiment, to work that long so far away in an exotic place. It was such a gift when you're out of your element, you know? Kudrow: We worked on 'Clockwatchers.' Posey: That's where we first met. Jill and Karen Sprecher … Kudrow: They wrote it, and Jill directed it. So Jill would come over and whisper a note to you; they've got their secrets. And the whole thing was about not trusting each other and trust and secrets. Posey: Well, she was very shy. Do you remember the first day of work, she said 'Cut!' instead of 'Action!' Kudrow: She was fantastic. But I thought everyone was smart and knew what they were doing more than I did. So when she would whisper, I would think, 'Oh my God, she's creating the same atmosphere.' Because you're like, 'What's she saying?' 'Clockwatchers' had a certain culture on the set. Does Mike do that, consciously or unconsciously, also? Posey: Oh, I think every director does that. That's the whole mystique: You have to be a puppet taking shape by the projections that are happening around you. Kudrow: I always feel that there are a lot of different levels that are happening that you're not even conscious of in the choices you make as an actor. And then you see it. It feels like, 'Oh, I wasn't even aware that I was doing that.' Posey: It can be really slippery. And then some people, you try to make sense of it, and you're just in it. With Victoria, I was like, 'Is Tim taking those pills?' Does she know that he's taking pills? I'm playing denial, and that took me a while. I even talked to Mike: 'Does she know?' Kudrow: How does she not know? Posey: She does know. Of course she knows. She's been married to him for 30 years. Kudrow: Did he say that? Posey: No. But they give that room for you to be in that state. I really love denial — what people are picking up on in their instincts, what they choose to reveal to their loved ones. Which is what you're doing in 'No Good Deed.' Kudrow: I don't think she wanted to poke at how her marriage is going. She knew who her husband was; he wasn't a big talker about emotions. But then they've suffered a real tragedy where talking would've been good. And the whole time I was so keenly aware that she couldn't do grief counseling. Posey: No. Kudrow: She couldn't talk to a therapist about it. She was on her own. And it's so destructive. Posey: A dark night of the soul. Kudrow: My first question when I met Liz Feldman, who created the show and wrote it, was 'When the lights flicker, is that real? Or are you saying it's not real?' And she said, 'I do think that happens.' I went, 'OK, then I'm in,' because I fully think that happens. Posey: It does happen. It happens in my house. Kudrow: I've seen it happening. My big, important question was 'Are you going to call bullshit on …' Posey: On spirit? Kudrow: And Lydia needs it. And that was my first question because I was going to, honestly, think twice. Posey: We don't need glib. Kudrow: We need magic. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Animated Program — Can Netflix Score Big With 'Arcane,' 'Devil May Cry' and the Final Season of 'Big Mouth?' What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025
