Sir Kenneth Branagh said that he was “humbled” to receive the freedom of his native Belfast yesterday.
The 57-year-old actor and director, who lived in the city until he was nine, said that his parents would have been proud of the honour, which he received at Ulster Hall. He joins the poet Michael Longley and the singer Sir Van Morrison, as well as the nurses of Belfast’s hospitals, who are among past recipients of the award.
“It is very humbling and frankly amazing to follow in the footsteps of so many extraordinary people, including very fine artists and particularly, and especially last year, the nurses of Belfast, which I think was an amazing, brilliant, perfect choice from this city to honour people who do such an important thing and have done for so long,” Sir Kenneth said.
He said that he had never lost his sense of pride in Belfast and the work ethic that he gained growing up in a working-class family. “You could see and feel the limits of where you lived, and you knew exactly who you were: Belfast, working class, proud,” he said. “I’m proud to say that you can take the boy out of Belfast, but you can’t take Belfast out of the boy.”
Sir Kenneth, who was married to the actress Emma Thompson from 1989 to 1995, is best known for starring in and directing Shakespearean dramas, including Hamlet. He also directed the film Murder on the Orient Express, which was released last year.
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He began his acting career in Graham Reid’s Billy plays, which were central to the televised portrayal of a Belfast Protestant working-class family in the 1980s. “Northern Ireland mirrored a million other places,” Sir Kenneth said. “I was spoilt by what a fine piece of work that was.”
He praised the continued success of the region’s film and television industry, alluding to the popularity of the HBO series Game of Thrones. “It is smart and it has been long-term and it is a real strong example to the rest of the world, and the rest of the world is watching, as you know,” he said.