"It's the first part I ever got. It was my second audition. I was really lucky."
I can almost hear Ann Skelly smile at the other end of the phone. Although only 18, she from went being an anonymous Wexford schoolgirl to TV soap star last year when she joined the cast of TV's new soap, Red Rock.
Cast as Rachel Reid, a 15-year-old who gets groomed by a Garda, her friend's father, Sgt Brian McGonigle, it's been a rapid learning curve for her. Not only did she suddenly and surprisingly land a role in the fledgling show, it's also a part that has a lot of substance.
"It's been brilliant, but it's also been difficult because it's been a massive story to be attached to at the moment," she says, as the story has put her character centre-stage as the story arc developed over the last year. "And we're so far into it I just don't know where I am," she adds with a laugh.
"It's very emotionally exhausting, but it's nice to know that you can stretch yourself as an actor. It feels great but you have to protect yourself. All the other actors are telling me that you can't bring home your character and that kind of thing."
Last week on Red Rock, the missing Sgt McGonigle turned up dead, which makes thing even more intense. It's bound to be a major issue of contention at the Garda station, and even more so among the local population where many people had reasons to dislike the man whose body was washed-up on the beach.
"There was a big manhunt for him," Ann Skelly recalls. "It was built up over a while, and there are all the enemies he's made. There's his wife, Mel McGonigle, my dad and me, also Sharon and others. He's so many enemies, so it's a real whodunit now."
She admits that it's sometimes difficult to keep up with what's going on at Red Rock, given the hectic schedule and the intensity of it all. It's particularly demanding for her as she's a central role.
"It's constant and you don't get as much time as film actors would get," she explains. "They get a lot more time to prepare, talk through and rehearse, and create their character and all that kind of stuff.
"We do a cycle of ten days and in a cycle we shoot four episodes, so it's very, very quick," she adds.
"Today I was counting the number of scenes and it was about 14, 16. And I know that for other things, like a TV series, sometimes it's five or so a day. It's crazy!"
There's never a dull moment on Red Rock
We share a laugh about the notion that being on telly immediately marks you down as a multi-millionaire in other people's eyes, but I wonder if acting on a TV show is anything like she'd expected it to be.
"I never really had an expectation of it as I hadn't a clue of what it would be like, but this is basically the deep end of things, because it's so intense, and it's so constant, and it's filmed so quickly. Other actors have come in to play guest parts, they have been acting for years and they're in shock at how quickly we go.
"And it's funny, because this is all I know. I go to work on [RTÉ Easter Rising drama] Rebellion there last summer, and it was like such luxury to be able to try different things and improve, and completely disregard scripts at times. That was really fun, and you don't get to do that at Red Rock because we need to get it in the can as quickly as possible, and as well as possible."
But she also concedes that it's a great discipline to be part of a show that has such a rapid turnaround. Being on Red Rock can only improve her technique, as far as she's concerned.
"Yeah, I feel as though I'm prepared and feel so technically capable of anything, on any kind of production. I feel like I'd be able to handle it now. There's nothing that can be more quick than this – there can't be!"
Learning is something very close to Ann Skelly's heart. She's not a believer in formal education – though she has attended secondary school in Enniscorthy. Her parents, both artists, encouraged her to find her own path in life.
She's not a fan of learning by rote, and much prefers to take her chances studying at that great institution, the University of Life. She may be only 18, but here's a woman who knows what she wants from her life.
"I was brought up to believe that it's a lifelong education, and it's like what you're interested in, you're naturally going to be curious about," she says. "You're going to research it, experience it and study it.
"I didn't do my Leaving Cert but I was in Sixth Year when I got this part, and I just prioritised what I wanted to do." And didn't she do well?
As well as being a major hit for TV3, Red Rock was recently acquired by the BBC and will feature daily in the BBC One summer schedule. This means that many more people will get the chance to see Ann Skelly playing the troubled Rachel Reed.
"It's exciting. I'm happy that it's getting the opportunity to get more of an audience. Same with the Amazon Prime deal. We're just excited about these kind of opportunities for the show. I'm really happy for everyone involved."
John Byrne
Red Rock continues on Wednesdays and Thursdays on TV3
