Johnny Ward: “My biggest financial regret? £650 boots with bullets on them. Ryanair made me take them off

My money

Johnny Ward

Johnny Ward has been acting since he was a child. He regularly traded his guns for tights – alternating between difficult roles like that of Pauley in Love/Hatea kidnapper Fair city and a gangster in the next Amazon Prime series Bad reputation to be on the panto stage. The 37-year-old, who married Brenda in 2023, is currently starring in the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ panto at the National Stadium in Dublin. Ward, who looks after his mother Kathy, is an ambassador for a Lidl partnership with Family Carers Ireland which aims to raise funds and awareness for the charity.

How has your upbringing influenced your relationship with money?

My mother and father were always brilliant with money but quite strict. Every time I got a role as a child, the money was put aside for me in an account. I made a film when I was seven called Mercury’s boy and when I was ten I was in a movie called The informant with Timothy Dalton. In 1999, I played Gavroche in a production of Les Miserables with Colm Wilkinson at what was then the Point Theatre. My mother didn’t drive but she took me to Point by bus. At that age, all I wanted to do was buy a Sega Mega Drive. But when I had access to money at 18, I felt bad touching it. My mother and father would organize meetings at a bank to invest the money. Even today, I always try to have a certain amount in a savings account, and when that dwindles, as it did after I got married in 2023, that’s when the anxiety comes into play.

Have you ever felt broke?

Around 2014, 2015. I thought Love/Hate It was great while it lasted, but the money is very inconsistent when you’re a full-time actor. With Fair cityyou could work all of March and April and have nothing for the rest of the year. So I pulled myself together and started teaching at performing arts schools and now it’s my livelihood.

What is the most expensive place you have ever visited?

Dublin has gotten really ridiculous, so I don’t go out much these days. Brenda and I went out to dinner recently and we had a voucher that someone gave us. The bill came to €170. I don’t drink and Brenda only had two glasses of wine – so I was looking at the bill and thinking, “Jesus Christ, how much does that cost?”

What is your biggest extravagance?

Being a huge Celtic fan. It became an addiction. I’m part of the Naomh Padraig Celtic Supporters’ Club and it’s fantastic. I have a Celtic tattoo on my leg, like a big idiot. My wardrobe is full of Celtic socks and jerseys from 1993, and every year the club releases three strips and of course I buy all three. I lost my job in the past because of Celtic; I once worked for Diep at Home and got sacked because Celtic were playing in the Champions League – and of course I stayed home to watch the game when I should have been working!

What was your best investment?

A Honda Fireblade motorcycle that I bought in 2013. Honestly, it has saved me a lot of time because you can bypass traffic and park it anywhere.

What is your biggest financial regret?

Spend £650 (€782) on a pair of New Rock boots. These are huge gothic type boots with bullets on them. I bought these in Camden Town with my mum and thought I was going to wear them every day. The second I got on the Ryanair flight home, they made me buy them a suitcase and put it away – because I couldn’t get on the plane with bullets. I felt like a terrorist. I love these boots, but I’ve only worn them twice – once at the Helix and the other time when I dressed up as The Punisher for Halloween.