GABRIEL BYRNE - BYRNE STILL DIGGING UP THE PAST

BYRNE STILL DIGGING UP THE PAST

GABRIEL BYRNE's archaeology background prepared him for life as a movie star - because acting is just like digging for treasure in a hole. The Irish star qualified as an archaeologist at university and worked on major digs in Ireland, Wales and Spain before his acting career took off. Byrne still gets involved in low-key projects and insists archaeology is similar to movie acting. He explains, "You're down in a hole with a toothbrush, working with a few other people that you may or may not like, hoping that you'll discover something, usually in unseasonable weather, that will excite you - and sometimes you do." Byrne reveals he's fascinated with what he calls "futuristic archaeology". He adds, "I'm like, 'What would they make of the world if they started to dig it up in say another 400,000 years and they found things like Coke bottles and keyrings and things?'"