I’d no job, no money, no hope … new film saved my life, says Scots star

Landing a part in Ken Loach’s new film, The Angels’ Share, “probably saved my life”, its lead actor said last night.

Paul Brannigan, from Glasgow, who plays Robbie in the celebrated British director’s bittersweet comedy, said he was spotted carrying out football coaching sessions as part of a community initiative.

Speaking at a press conference in Cannes, where the film is one of 22 in competition for the Palme d’Or, Brannigan said: “Things were tough, I had no money.

“It was Christmas time, and I got a loan which I wanted to pay back, and I thought, well, if I make a couple of hundred quid, that will see me through.

“Hands up, I would say they probably saved my life. I had nowhere to turn… who knows what I’d have done for money.”

The Angels’ Share tells the story of Robbie, a jobless youth who has been in and out of jail and, after becoming a father, he becomes desperate to break the cycle of violence and finds it in whisky-making.

Brannigan has since starred in a film with Scarlett Johansson, but he said he would carry on football coaching, adding: “After this I’m unemployed; that’s just the way it is.”