Sharon Horgan says she felt like Aran Murphy’s mother while playing Alex, a divorced single mother, opposite him as 18-year-old Rauri in HBO comedy Youth. She wanted an actor who felt natural onscreen; new episodes air Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
Horgan said many young male actors auditioned for Rauri, but Murphy stood out. She said HBO agreed to cast him after seeing his audition tape. Murphy, 19, is the youngest son of Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness.
Horgan said she began considering her next project after Catastrophe, when she was 50, post-divorce and worried she might be alone. The eight-episode comedy also stars Rupert Friend as Patrick, Alex’s on-again, off-again love interest, alongside Sharlene Whyte and Robbie Gee.
