Cast of Intermission 2003: Full List, Roles & Updates

Few early-career films aged as well as Intermission. Released in 2003, this Dublin-set ensemble comedy crime film gave audiences an early look at Colin Farrell, Kelly Macdonald, and Cillian Murphy before global fame found each of them.

Director: John Crowley · Lead Stars: Colin Farrell, Kelly Macdonald, Cillian Murphy · Release Year: 2003 · Filming Location: Dublin, Ireland

Cast of Intermission 2003

The ensemble draws entirely from Irish and Scottish talent, with several actors who would go on to become international names. The interconnected storylines centre on small-time criminals, a bank manager, and the people tangled in between.

Main cast members and roles

Colin Farrell took the role of Lehiff, a volatile petty criminal whose actions ripple across Dublin’s underworld. Farrell was born on May 31, 1976, in Castleknock, Ireland, and had already appeared in Tigerland (2000) and Minority Report (2002) before Intermission gave him another chance to work in his home country (Britannica). Kelly Macdonald played Deirdre, a woman caught between past and present, drawing on the same quiet intensity she brought to Trainspotting years earlier. Cillian Murphy portrayed John, Deirdre’s former boyfriend, in what was then one of the earliest major roles in a career that would eventually reach Oppenheimer-scale heights.

Veteran Irish actor Colm Meaney played Detective Jerry Lynch, providing a steady anchor to the chaos surrounding the younger characters. The cast also includes Shirley Henderson as Sally and David Wilmot as Oscar — a role that earned Wilmot the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2003 Irish Film and Television Awards (extra.ie).

Supporting actors

Beyond the leads, Intermission features a strong supporting lineup. Michael McElhatton played Sam, the bank manager whose personal and professional lives collide. Brían F. O’Byrne appeared as Mick the bus driver, Ger Ryan as Maura the mother, and Deirdre O’Kane played Noeleen, the wife of the bank manager, early in an acting career that would later include broader television work. Tomás Ó Súilleabháin played Ben Campion, a filmmaker whose amateur documentary project accidentally documents criminal activity.

Where are the cast of Intermission 2003 now?

Two decades on, the career trajectories of the three leads have diverged sharply — though each found significant success in very different ways.

Colin Farrell’s career post-Intermission

Colin Farrell built on his Intermission performance with a string of Hollywood roles, eventually winning a Golden Globe for In Bruges in 2008 (Britannica). More recently, he starred in the Sugar series on Apple TV+ in 2024, followed by A Big Bold Beautiful Journey in 2025 (Your Irish). Unlike some actors who move away from Irish projects after Hollywood success, Farrell has continued to choose roles that let him work closer to home when the material suits him.

Cillian Murphy and Kelly Macdonald updates

Cillian Murphy went from Intermission to a sequence of high-profile roles: Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), Cold Mountain (2003), then the BBC series Peaky Blinders, and finally the lead in Oppenheimer (2023), a performance that earned him an Oscar in 2024 (extra.ie). That arc from small Irish ensemble film to blockbuster biopic Oscar winner is striking even by industry standards.

Kelly Macdonald continued building a respected career in British and American film and television, appearing in Boardwalk Empire, The Girl on the Train, and several indie films alongside her mainstream work. She remains one of the more versatile members of the ensemble, equally convincing in period drama and contemporary thriller.

Other notable cast trajectories

David Wilmot has continued working steadily in Irish film and television, picking up awards along the way but remaining largely under-the-radar internationally. Colm Meaney maintains his status as a reliable Irish character actor. Shirley Henderson works consistently in UK film, often in supporting roles that reward close attention. The pattern among the supporting cast is uniform: respectable careers with varying degrees of international recognition.

Is Intermission (2003) worth watching?

Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes aggregates give Intermission a 74% score, placing it firmly in generally favorable territory (Rotten Tomatoes). Critics at the time praised the ensemble structure and Mark O’Rowe’s screenplay, though some found the interconnected storylines more clever than emotionally engaging. The Kiln Theatre restoration screening in 2025 suggests the film has aged well enough to warrant revisiting, at least for those with an interest in Irish cinema’s early 2000s moment.

Audience reviews

Audience response tracks closely with critical reception. Viewers who appreciate dark comedy and ensemble casts tend to rate it more favourably. Those expecting a conventional crime narrative often report feeling slightly off-balance by the tone shifts. The film occupies a specific niche: not mainstream enough to have entered casual conversation, but not obscure enough to have disappeared entirely.

“Intermission was crucial in establishing the screen careers of generational talents Cillian Murphy and Colin Farrell.”

— Kiln Theatre (theatre promoter, Kiln Theatre)

“With Cillian Murphy having bagged an Oscar for Oppenheimer, now seems like the perfect time to look back on the Cork man’s cult Irish film Intermission.”

— extra.ie entertainment writer (extra.ie)

The implication: if you watched Oppenheimer and wondered where Murphy’s career began, Intermission functions as a revealing origin point. For fans of Farrell’s earlier work, it adds context to roles he took on after Tigerland. The film rewards those with patience for ensemble storytelling over linear plot delivery.

Where was Intermission filmed in Ireland?

Primary filming locations

Intermission was filmed entirely in Dublin, Ireland. The city provided the gritty urban backdrop that the interconnected crime and comedy elements required. Street-level locations, local businesses, and Dublin neighbourhoods form the visual backbone of the film.

Dublin connection

John Crowley’s decision to shoot in Dublin rather than a location-doubled city is visible in the finished film. The specificity of Dublin settings — particular streets, particular neighbourhoods — gives Intermission an authenticity that generic Irish settings in other films sometimes lack. This is not a film that happens to be set in Ireland; it is a film that could only be set in Dublin.

Where can I watch Intermission in Ireland?

Streaming options

Streaming availability for Intermission varies by region and changes over time. As of 2026, checking major platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+ is the most reliable starting point. The film occasionally surfaces on niche streaming services that focus on Irish or European cinema.

Availability updates

Because Intermission is not a mainstream title, its streaming presence tends to be intermittent. Physical media (DVD and Blu-ray) remains available through standard retailers. The 2025 restoration screening at Kiln Theatre may lead to increased digital availability as part of a wider re-release strategy, though no announcements had been confirmed at time of writing.

The trade-off: if you want to watch Intermission now, a quick platform search is the best first step. Relying on long-term availability assumptions is risky for cult titles that lack the licensing support of major studio franchises.

Related reading: Love Island 2025 Cast · Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Cast

Cillian Murphy’s intense turn as John in Intermission echoes his chilling breakout in the 28 Days Later cast, another early Dublin-filmed gem.

Frequently asked questions