Ciaran Hinds ‘glad’ his agent refused to sign daughter

Ciaran Hinds said he was “glad” when his agent refused to sign his daughter.

Mr Hinds was speaking on the red carpet of the Irish Film and TV Awards (IFTAs).

The actor, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award on Friday night, said his daughter, Aoife, decided to become an actor at a “late stage”.

Since then, she has appeared in Normal People, Derry Girls and Dune: Prophecy.

But Mr Hinds said when she was first starting out, his agent told him he would not take her on as a client.

“And I said, I’m very glad,” he said.

“I’m really, really happy, because she has to learn the way we do, how tough it is, what it means, rather than just being presented with something.”

Asked if he gets frustrated with the term “nepo baby”, he said: “The thing is, people use the term ‘nepo babies’, but these children might be very gifted anyway.

“If they are not gifted and they’re getting jobs above people who are, and are getting opportunities above people who are and haven’t had the opportunity, I think that’s wrong, that’s terrible.

“The thing is, this business, this profession is not really fair, it’s random and odd.

“But there should be some sense of decency and you should be honest about the work and give it to the right person, not because they know somebody.”