'Clean Sweep' drama featuring Athlone actor starts on RTÉ this Sunday

Athlone actor Rhys Mannion is among the cast of a six-part crime drama series, Clean Sweep, which will be shown on RTÉ One from this Sunday (May 14).

The series was filmed last July and August, and the first of its episodes will air at 9.30pm on Sunday.

Its plot centres on Shelly Mohan (played by Charlene McKenna), a killer who has spent nearly twenty years hiding in plain sight while living a secret life as a wife, mother, and home-maker.

Shelly's husband, Jason, is played by Barry Ward, while Rhys Mannion plays the role of Derek, their son.

The 20-year-old former Athlone Community College student, from Kiltoom, recently spoke to the Westmeath Independent about the experience of filming the series.

"We were living in Bray and shooting in Bray, and I had an absolute blast. I got to spend the summer there and absolutely loved it," said Rhys.

"The character I play has moody teenager vibes, but he has a nice 'arc' throughout it. The writing is strong, in the sense that they don't just let you be a moody teenager.

"There was one episode where I was a grumpy teen, but then they start to delve into it and I really felt I had lot of layers with the character. I got to pick up skateboarding for it, which was a lot of fun too!

"In terms of my part, it's something a little new. I do a Dublin accent, so we'll see how that goes!" he laughed. "Overall, I'm really excited to see it come out."

Rhys made his feature film debut in It Is In Us All, a psychological drama filmed in Donegal, which was nominated for three awards at last weekend's IFTAs and won the prize for Best Cinematography.

He will also be appearing in a major film, Freud's Last Session, which stars Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode.

The filming of Freud's Last Session concluded recently, and it's expected to be released towards the end of this year or early in 2024.