Ruth Bradley Teams Up with Bill Burr and Chris O’Dowd in New Irish Comedy ‘Bender’

Ruth Bradley Joins Bill Burr and Chris O’Dowd in Upcoming Comedy "Bender"

Ruth Bradley, known for her role in Slow Horses, will join Bill Burr and Chris O’Dowd in the forthcoming coming-of-age comedy Bender, set to film in Ireland this summer. Details about the project were first announced last fall.

Bender, described as reminiscent of Superbad and Derry Girls, is based on the late-1970s, post-punk coming-of-age experiences of Adrian Cunningham, who co-wrote the script with Ciaran Bartlett. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of an impending papal visit, portraying a suburban Dublin family grappling with rising financial pressures amid a challenging economic climate.

In this film, Bradley will portray a sharp-tongued matriarch whose efforts to maintain familial harmony are challenged by neighborhood gossip. O’Dowd will play her husband, Tom, who faces joblessness and pride issues.

Burr takes on the role of a gruff American record store owner who persuades a group of teenage misfits that their chance to lose their virginity before high school graduation lies at an open-air mass for the visiting Pope.

Directed by Adam Bernstein of Pluribus, Bender is being produced by Stephen McCormack of Reflektor Media, Craig Verdon, and actress Lesley-Ann Brandt, known for her work in Presumed Innocent and Lucifer, through The Mal Picture Company. Cunningham is also involved in production through Martello Films, with Burr serving as an executive producer.

Bradley, a three-time Best Actress winner at the Irish Film & Television Awards, has gained recognition for her role as MI5 agent Emma Flyte in Apple’s critically acclaimed Slow Horses. She first gained prominence in the Irish crime drama Love/Hate, and her credits also include The Gold, Humans, The Fall, Guilt, and Ted Lasso.

The Dublin-born actress is represented by 42 and Anonymous Content.