Saoirse Monica-Jackson who plays Erin in hit TV comedy Derry Girls has said that she is "definitely still finding my way as an actor and as a young woman."
Speaking to The Observer, she said that reading the scripts for the second series of the show left her in stitches, adding that she has been able to enjoy filming. "Honestly, the first time around I was in a state of shell-shock, and just scared."
The actress also revealed that the bond between the cast of the show is very strong. "They are good craic! They are funny, and confident, and they’re very comfortable with who they are. I would say more so than me."
Before acting success in the Channel 4 series, Jackson spent nine months selling recipe boxes door to door in London.
She feels a bit of an impostor, despite acclaim for her role as Erin. "I know everybody feels this - especially girls - but I’m scared that I’m going to get found out, they’re going to say that they’ve changed their mind."
Yet roles have not been too hard to find, she acknowledges and in theatre, she has starred in The Ferryman in the West End. Her parents have always lent their support, she reveals, although "it was real tough love"
Her mother, a counsellor, insisted that she get her A-levels in Derry, before the young actress enrolled at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester because it had a comedy module.
"I don’t know if I ever thought my skills lay there, but it was definitely something I wanted to dabble in," she says.
