Peter Campion did not grow up in a family immersed in theatre. There were no regular trips to plays or concerts, no obvious path that might have led a young boy from Offaly towards a successful acting career. Yet something happened whenever he watched people perform. It was not admiration so much as a deep physical response that he struggled to understand.
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“I remember seeing people perform and having a very rough reaction to seeing it happen,” he says. “It made me feel kind of sick. I couldn’t really understand how big the emotions were when I’d see people on stage.”
Looking back, he can see that those moments planted a seed, even if he had no idea at the time where it might lead. Films such as Into the West and The Butcher Boy stirred something profound, long before he recognised acting as something he could pursue himself.
Campion spent his early childhood in Birr before his family moved to Dublin. He attended boarding school, a period he remembers fondly, and it was only in secondary school that acting began to emerge as something more than a passing fascination. By the age of sixteen or seventeen he realised he wanted to pursue it seriously. At eighteen he packed his bags and headed to London.
Today it sounds like a remarkably confident decision for someone so young, but he remembers approaching it with little hesitation.
“I think I was just totally green and up for the experience. I’d gotten into drama school over there, so that was just kind of it. It’s a lovely age because you don’t really think about consequences or fear. You just jump in.”
That absence of fear was perhaps one of youth’s greatest gifts. London became both his classroom and his adventure. His parents helped with rent while he worked part time to support himself, and he immersed himself in training and the unpredictable life of a young actor.
London
“I loved London,” he says. “Looking back now I don’t think I realised the monster that I was living in. It’s such a huge international city, but I never really thought about it like that. I just had a really good time. They were my well spent, misspent twenties.”
Although London gave him invaluable experience, Ireland ultimately became home. He now lives in rural Wicklow, a setting that suits him far more than city life.
“I live in the sticks now,” he says. “It’s very rural where I am but I still love London and I’m looking forward to heading back over to do a play.”
Audiences know Campion from productions including Love/Hate, Derry Girls and numerous theatre productions, but success has never altered his perspective. If anything, he attributes much of it to timing and good fortune.
“I’ve been incredibly lucky with the work that I’ve done and with crossing paths with the people who made those shows.”
One of his most memorable scenes came in Derry Girls, a sequence that has become a favourite with audiences. Surprisingly, Campion himself did not immediately recognise its comic brilliance. The scene explores the similarity and contrasts between Protestants and Catholics with the latter being comically stressed.
“I didn’t actually think that scene was that funny when I first read it,” he admits. “People go mad for it now.”
He believes much of the show’s appeal comes from Lisa McGee’s writing.
“The world Lisa created is universal. It just happened to be set in Derry.”
The conversation inevitably turns to theatre versus film, a question every actor seems destined to answer repeatedly. Campion resists choosing one over the other because his preference changes constantly.
“Usually when you finish a play you have a preference for film. Usually when you finish television you have a preference for theatre.”
Although both involve learning lines and telling stories, he believes the similarities end there.
“On the surface they look similar because you learn lines, speak as other people and tell a story. That’s kind of where it stops. They’re completely different atmospheres.”
Theatre brings an audience into the performance as an active participant. Every evening is different because every audience is different.
“When you’re doing theatre, the job is to make it fresh every single night. The audience changes everything.”
That is why he often recommends seeing a production towards the end of its run.
“The actors have lived with it for weeks by then. It’s in their bodies. There’s a naturalness that comes with that.”
Reviews
Reviews, inevitably, form part of every actor’s working life, but Campion has developed a healthy relationship with criticism.
“I don’t go looking for reviews,” he says. “Sometimes they cross my path, but during a run you’re already in quite a sensitive place. You just have to keep yourself buckled up.”
His approach is refreshingly balanced. While criticism has its place, he believes reviews have become less destructive than they once were.
“I think we’re growing out of that brutal negativity. I think people are writing from a more open hearted place.”
Away from acting he enjoys practical work, currently restoring an old stone cottage himself. There is satisfaction in building something tangible after spending long periods immersed in characters and scripts.
“I like making things. I like labour. Acting keeps you scratching your head all the time about how to approach something. Every new role starts from scratch.”
Would he like to direct?
“I’d love to try it properly, just to see whether I could create physically what I see in my mind’s eye.”
His curiosity extends well beyond acting. Radio documentaries, podcasts and real life stories occupy much of his listening time. He speaks warmly about documentary makers and programmes that reveal ordinary people’s lives with honesty.
“I like the truth in those stories.”
Living in rural Wicklow has also sharpened his awareness of sustainability. Rather than offering grand solutions, he talks about everyday habits, noticing how much packaging fills the recycling bins each month and questioning society’s relationship with consumption.
“I think our relationship with stuff is something we’re not conscious of enough.”
Simple choices matter, whether buying clothes that last or becoming more aware of the waste we produce instead of simply sending it somewhere else and forgetting about it.
Perhaps unsurprisingly for someone who spends his professional life inhabiting other people’s lives, Campion is thoughtful rather than theatrical. Success has not made him grand. Instead, there is a quiet appreciation for work, family and the chance to keep learning.
Asked whether he would encourage his own children to become actors, his answer has little to do with acting itself.
“I’d encourage them to follow what they want to do authentically. Spend whatever time it takes to discover what genuinely makes you feel good. If that’s acting, then go for broke.”
Peter Campion’s three songs
- The Confrontation from Les Misérables performed by Colm Wilkinson and Roger Allam, a piece that reminds him of childhood journeys listening to the soundtrack in his father’s car before finally seeing the musical in London and realising he already knew every song.
- Streets of Arklow by Van Morrison, chosen because it became part of family life after moving to Wicklow when his eldest child was just two weeks old.
- Seven Days in Sunny June by Jamiroquai, a favourite rekindled after his children returned from Kaleidoscope Festival wearing colourful bucket hats that reminded him of the band’s distinctive frontman.
The Wishing Well Questions
If Peter Campion could change one thing in his life, surprisingly the answer is nothing.
“I wouldn’t change a thing. I believe everything is bang on because that’s where you’ve put yourself. From there you can create whatever comes next.”
His greatest achievement is immediate and deeply personal.
“My kids, without a doubt. I’m just lucky they decided to come along.”
And standing in front of the Wishing Well itself?
With a smile, his wish is wonderfully practical.
“I’d love the tradesmen to get back to me a bit quicker. I’m trying to line up work on the house for August and getting all the ducks in a row is proving to be a bit of a challenge.”
