Kat Harlton
Danny Mahoney is a Canadian actor currently based in London, England. Danny can currently be seen starring in the second season of the hit thriller digital series Purgatory on Popstar TV.
Danny discovered his love for the performing arts at the young age of 13 after landing his first
professional role at the Theatre Aquarius’ production of The King and I in Hamilton, Ontario. He would go on to study Drama and Psychology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Shortly after, he was accepted into the prestigious London Academy of Dramatic Art (LAMDA) on their three-year professional acting course.
His big break came when he was cast to understudy in The Old Vic Theatre’s production of Other Desert Cities in London’s West End. With only 24-hours notice, Danny was asked to go on and perform alongside a notable cast which included Tony Award nominated and Emmy Award winning actor Martha Plimpton, Tony Award nominated actor Sinead Cusack and Tony Award nominated actor Clare Higgins. Danny’s performance received rave reviews and he marks it as one of the best experiences he’s had on stage.
To date, Danny has amassed a growing body of work in film, television and theatre, including Florence Foster Jenkins (Qwerty Films) where he starred opposite Meryl Streep, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Fox Searchlight), The Secret Life of Alexander the Great (History Television), Love Will Take Over (Salma Khan Films), Olive Green (Ekstasy Films Ltd.), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Harold Pinter Theatre), Afterglow (Southwark Playhouse), White Fang (Park Theatre), Other Desert Cities (The Old Vic), Black Tie (Vienna’s English Theatre), Fallujah (Cockpit Theatre), and A View From The Bridge (Broadway Theatre).
Outside of acting, Danny is passionate about healthy living, and fitness. He also supports several causes that are close to his heart including All Out, Outright Action International, and Choose Love.
We had the opportunity to chat with Danny about his role as Christopher in Purgatory, what he hopes fans connect with from the show, and his plans for the rest of 2021.
Kat: You portray Christopher on the new season of Purgatory? What kind of research did you do for your role, and did you find any similarities between yourself and Christopher?
Danny: This role didn’t require so much research as it did creating a backstory. Christopher is haunted by an event from his past. He’s been hiding this devastating secret for so long and finally has to face the consequences of his actions. I spent a lot of time creating all of the moments around that event, and all the aftermath that occurred as a result of it. These “memories” had to be so real for me so that I could easily recall them during filming. The events surrounding that fateful night eight years ago were so influential in shaping who he is now.
Kat: Is there anything about your role that is particularly challenging?
Danny: The most challenging thing for me was maintaining the intensity and focus for really long scenes. Purgatory is a dialogue-driven psychological thriller. The takes were much longer than any project I’d worked on before. There’s so much danger, fear, and death enveloping Christopher. He’s a man who needs to be in control and he is in a situation where he hardly has any, so there were very few scenes where Christopher was able to relax.
Kat: What do you hope fans take away from the show, and this season?
Danny: Michael Caissie, our writer/director, has created very complex and flawed characters that I think fans will connect with. The premise of the show is that they’ve all been specifically targeted for an elaborate revenge plot, but we don’t know why or by whom. The first season focuses a lot on how all these strangers are connected, and the second season focuses more on how these characters deal with their imprisonment and each other as the clock continues to tick towards the finale that has been planned for them by whoever is behind it all. And don’t worry, it’s not like LOST, you do get all the answers by the end. (Nothing against LOST, I was obsessed with that show. But I still have a lot of questions haha)
Kat: How have you been staying connected during Covid-19? How has it changed your job on a daily basis?
Danny: Ironically, my first ever Zoom audition was for Purgatory, a few months before the pandemic hit. I remember feeling how bizarre it was to do a live audition over my computer. Nearly two years later and now it has become the norm! Covid has also changed the way we work- masks, regular testing, and the overwhelming pressure to keep yourself safe for fear of being responsible for a production’s shutdown if you contract it.
Kat: What are you looking forward to for the rest of 2021?
Danny: I’m currently back in Canada visiting my family after being unable to travel to see them for nearly two years! So I’ve been looking forward to this for months and haven’t even thought about the rest of 2021. At the moment I’m soaking in every minute and trying to remain present and enjoy being reunited with my friends and family after so long. When I fly back to the UK in a couple weeks I’ll consider my next steps.
Connect with Danny on Instagram