TV and radio star Demi Isaac Oviawe has revealed that her breakout role in The Young Offenders "was never meant to happen," and says she is "forever grateful" to the show's creator for giving her the opportunity.
At just 25 years old (yes, really!), the vivacious, joy-filled broadcaster is fast becoming one of Ireland's most talked-about talents.
A star is born
Her career got a kickstart in 2017 when she landed the role of the much-loved Linda Walsh in RTÉ’s hit coming-of-age comedy, but it turns out that defining role wasn’t actually meant to happen. Thankfully, the show’s writer and director, Peter Foott, knew a rising star when he saw one.
"I don’t know if this has ever been said openly, but Linda was never supposed to happen," the Nigerian-born actress, who grew up in Mallow, told RTÉ Entertainment.
"I was never supposed to be cast. But Pete genuinely loved my performance and my self-tape which is still online, by the way! I’ll never take it down; that’s a little gift for you guys," she laughed.
Oviawe said she wishes she could be sixteen again and relive that "electrifying and brilliant" time of her life and insists she would "never be doing the stuff that I'm doing" if it wasn't for the hit show.
Turning up the volume
Oviawe is currently lighting up the airwaves in a prime weekend slot on RTÉ 2FM alongside her co-host Mikey O'Reilly. The pair joined the station earlier this year through the Expressions of Interest recruitment process and, since October, have been fronting the weekday drivetime show from 3–6pm while Doireann Garrihy is on maternity leave.
The latest JNLR figures brought more good news for Isaac and O’Reilly, with their show climbing to 135,000 listeners on Saturdays - up 8,000 since the last report - and 106,000 on Sundays.
"It’s a real pinch-me moment every time someone says they listen to me on the radio, because I always dreamed of working for RTÉ 2FM," Isaac said. "To have that opportunity, to work alongside Mikey, and to see the listenership grow - it’s amazing. Hearing that people genuinely enjoy the banter and the craic we have is everything we’ve hoped for. I’m absolutely delighted."
Oviawe and O'Reilly come across like they've known each other for years, with that likeable best-friend chemistry - you'd never guess they met on a dark night out in Montrose!
"Me and Mikey met in the weirdest circumstances ever. We met at pitch-black at night at the RTÉ studios when there was no one else around," she explained.
"I think we just got lucky that we genuinely had the craic and the banter with each other. If anyone listening is laughing along with us, that is literally our goal. We want you to feel like you’re in on our jokes and part of our friend group. I couldn’t ask for a better partner."
Dancing queen
Oviawe was just 18 years old and studying for her Leaving Cert when she took part in Dancing with the Stars. She became the fourth celebrity to leave the competition after going head-to-head with comedian Fred Cooke.
Speaking about her experience on the show at such a young age, Oviawe admits she would love to return to "redeem myself," and says an all-star comeback season could be the perfect opportunity.
"I was quite young when I did it – I was only eighteen. I'm a lot older, I’m a lot wiser, so I would like to hope," she laughed.
"I would love to come back and put on my dancing shoes. I just want to get dressed up every Sunday – the fancy dresses, the hair and makeup, and all the glitz and glamour."
Pet dectective
Oviawe can next be seen fronting RTÉ Kids' new family series The Big Pet Project alongside her co-host Adam Beales.
Knocking the old saying "never work with kids or animals" firmly on its head, she said it’s been her "most informative" and "fun" gig to date.
"I got to hold a pet snail. I used to think that snails were just pests in your back garden eating all your lettuce," Oviawe explained. "The story behind the kid who had the pet snails is so fascinating, and I think it might inspire a new wave of people to have them as pets."
Oviawe said they had great craic whizzing around in the Petmobile, which she joked was like the TARDIS in Doctor Who, and admits Beales was a bit apprehensive about her driving.
"All of our props were in this van, and we'd offload it whenever we arrived on location. I got to drive it, which was very scary but fun. If you speak to Adam, he’ll tell you he was a bit frightened, but we still had the craic. It was cool. It’s massive, it looks really small on the outside, but it’s quite big on the inside," she explained.
The Big Pet Project airs on Saturday, 15 November at 5.15pm on RTÉ One, with all six episodes available to stream on the same day on RTÉ Player.
