Daily Mail, 8 April 2011
By Baz Bamigboye

Kenneth Branagh, who has been given a series of physical exercises to help him prepare for his role in a French farce with Rob Brydon at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast in the autumn.

'The Painkiller', adapted and directed by Sean Foley, is about two men in adjoining hotel rooms.

‘One is trying to kill himself, one is trying to kill somebody else. There’s an adjoining door, a toilet that won’t work, a dodgy porter and only 90 minutes to sort out both their fates,’ said Branagh, who was speaking as he was putting the final touches to his much-anticipated blockbuster 'Thor', which opens here on April 27.

Branagh calls 'The Painkiller' the perfect antidote to working on 'Thor'. ‘This is pure silly comedy — not one special effect or visual effect.

‘The thing is, though, Sean’s a master of physical comedy and he’s got us doing all sorts of stretching exercises. He wants us doing yoga and he’s pushing us hard, so Rob and I have our work cut out,’ Branagh told me.

'The Painkiller' opens on September 23 for a limited season. Branagh and his colleagues want to get it right in Belfast before they discuss taking it anywhere else.

The actor will also film more episodes of 'Wallander' for the BBC later this year, and will be seen in the film 'My Week With Marilyn', opposite Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmayne.