As Peter’s little brother, Brian Irvine has been treated with kid gloves his entire life. After an accident as a child left him with a spinal injury, Peter has taken it upon himself to make sure Brian walks again and is looked after.
Giving him a job as a day trader and his own studio apartment on his sprawling property, Peter thinks he’s doing Brian a favour. Brian, on the other hand, desperately desires some independence, and is growing tired of living in his brother’s shadow. At least he has sister Lia to vent his frustrations to.
But does he have more to do with nephew Milo’s disappearance than meets the eye?
Speaking ahead of the series, Daniel Monks speaks about the character, the importance of showing disability on screen
Can you tell me what kind of work you did to get into character?
Megan Gallagher approached me early on, well before the first table read, asking my opinions regarding tailoring the disability of Brian to my specific disability. What was great was that it was not only about tailoring the disability of Brian to my specific disability but also incorporating my thoughts and views on disabled representation.
Beyond that, so much of Brian resonated with my own life, not just the spinal cord injury and mobility challenges, but I too have very close relationships with my siblings. I’ve lived with my brother and sister-in-law before, so the leap into Brian’s family dynamics felt small. And the journey he goes on, confronting internalised ableism and fighting against society’s perceptions, is something I’ve experienced too, which made playing him deeply personal.
How does Brian's character evolve throughout the series and how did you approach that evolution?
His evolution is huge, and that was the most exciting part. This was such an interesting exploration of a disabled character. I’ve spent my life craving the representation I never saw. At the beginning of the series, Brian fulfills the trope that we expect from a disabled character – someone who's very meek, sweet, loving, and vulnerable. However, throughout the series, he's challenged, and in doing so, he challenges the other characters, along with the audience’s expectations and preconceptions of disabilities and disabled people.
Brian’s childhood accident is central to the story. How does it shape his life and relationships?
That accident defined Brian – and his family. Personally, I understood it deeply, having had a spinal cord injury as a child myself. It trauma-bonded the siblings but also distorted their roles.
Brian became dependent on Peter, seeing himself as a burden and bending over backwards to be grateful and agreeable. With Lia, he loves her but doesn’t respect her. That dynamic is heartbreaking because she’s the one who truly accepts him. This also plays into why, when we first meet him, he is the embodiment of that disabled trope.
I think a lot of abled viewers may think this is how disabled people are. However, often it is the way we need to behave in order to survive, because when your needs are dependent on others, you don't always have the room to express resentment, rage or indignation. You're taught that you need to be grateful and agreeable.
What are you most looking forward to audiences experiencing when they get a chance to see the show?
When audiences watch All Her Fault, I’m excited for them to experience the disabled narrative and representation within this series. It’s the kind of story I wish I’d seen when I first became disabled. The show highlights the real struggles and difficulties people with disabilities face. Not only was I authentically cast in this role, but there’s also another key character with a disability, which is exciting to see.
I initially struggled a lot with my disability, so I hope this series feels both validating and impactful – expanding audiences’ hearts and minds about what being disabled can mean. Too often, disabled roles are played by non-disabled actors, approaching disability as a tragedy to be “overcome.”
By contrast, All Her Fault is rooted in lived experience – offering a deeper, more radical acceptance of disability and the body. That makes it far more powerful and empowering than any idea of “overcoming” yourself. This is the aspect I’m most excited for.
It’s an important message and story, and I truly hope the disability and ableism narrative resonates widely and that this series expands people’s minds and hearts about what being disabled could be beyond what media culture has told us until now.