Up and at it – what is your new morning routine? How has it changed?
I'm usually up by 9am, but I'll sleep in as long as I need to if I have no morning appointments. My morning is usually spent doing admin and emails, looking for work, collaborating on projects or organising tasks for my students. Since the pandemic, I've been working from home between acting jobs.
What might you eat in a typical working day for...Breakfast?
I need a bit of sugar in the morning so I like fruit and muesli. If I have a big day, it will be porridge and fruit. I always need honey and always a very strong coffee.
Lunch?
I have a light lunch, so maybe a sandwich.
Evening meal?
We have a veggie box delivered each week which contains random vegetables, so during lockdown we got creative with aubergines and shard and found different ways to cook them.
Have you been able to work from home – if so, how have you found it?
I was quite lucky in that I was able to do a number of Zoom performances based from my house, but I found it quite lonely. It's difficult because you can't feel the audience there. When you're making a movie, there are always so many other people around, so I missed that. I did a lot of writing in lockdown - I ended up writing a feature film and a pilot for a TV show, so I tried to stay as creative as possible. The other thing that really helped me in lockdown was teaching 'Acting for Screen' classes over Zoom.
Best/easiest lockdown meal?
Spaghetti anchovy chilli pasta.
Weekend treat?
Some Thai or Indian food with a glass of wine.
How have you kept physically and mentally fit during the lockdowns?
I need to get out of the house a little bit every day, even if that's just for a walk or a run and I need to get to the gym three or four times every week. To keep mentally fit, I do something creative every week, whether that's playing guitar, writing, or performing a scene.
What has been your daily outdoor exercise?
I hate it... but running. If I'm home in Downpatrick, I run the race course because it's quite hilly, quite difficult and I live near it. I can go round it three times.
How do you relax?
I love movies. I got a Disney+ account during lockdown and I love all the Marvel movies. I also have an old PlayStation and like to replay old games.
Teetotal or tipple?
Oh, tipple... I love a glass or wine with our weekend treats. I'll also meet up for a pint and catch-up with my mates when I'm home.
What book are you currently reading?
Up until recently, I was re-reading In the Name of the Son - Ricky O'Rawe's biography of Gerry Conlon - just to have it in my head before In the Name of the Son opened for its run at the Lyric. When I first read it, I thought it amazing how much he managed to cram into his life. He lived about 100 lifetimes, so trying to capture that on stage was exhausting but wonderful.
Best Netflix?
I'm watching Squid Game at the minute, but my favourite, which has been on Netflix for years, is Ozark.
Most surprising thing you've learned about yourself?
I always knew I was quite sociable but lockdown showed me how essential it is for me to be sociable - to get out and meet random new people as well as seeing my friends. Trying to do a pub quiz on Zoom is just soul-destroying.
On a scale of one to 10, where have you been in relation to cabin fever and where are you now?
Over the course of the last year-and-a-half, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster - I've been up to 10 and down to one. I'm quite low on the scale now.
What are the three things you missed most during the beginning of lockdown?
Working, seeing family and friends - I was locked down in London - and live music.
Where will you go and what will you do when restrictions are fully lifted?
I'll be on a warm beach at some stage, but this Christmas we're planning to spend it in Northern Ireland. I want to get in the water at Tyrella beach, so it won't be a warm beach just yet. I'm looking forward to seeing family, eating turkey and having a swim in the cold sea when I'm home.
Biggest gripe?
Small thing, but I really hate adverts where people whisper. Also, I get very frustrated when I hear educators tell kids that a career in drama won't give them a life or enrich their life in any way. I know what drama can do, just as much as maths or science.
Have your priorities in life or perspectives changed?
Yes, I am a lot clearer about what I want to get out of life. Before, I never really thought about what exactly I wanted out of my career.
Any new skills or hobbies?
I could say travelling down the Lagan in a bubble - a challenge I accepted from Martin Lynch, the co-author of the play In the Name of the Son, after I said if the play ever went ahead (following several cancellations due to the pandemic) I would come down the Lagan in a bubble. The show did go ahead, so I got in a bubble... but I was actually terrible at it. I tipped the bubble over and fell into the water. More seriously, I wrote some screenplays and got very good at tennis.
What would you like to see change for good when this is all over?
Conversation, maybe. At the minute there seems to be a 'right' and 'wrong' answer when you're talking about difficult things. The ability to sit down with a bit of empathy, to listen to where the other person is coming from is the only way we learn.
Has coronavirus changed your attitude towards your own mortality?
Coronavirus laid me low in the summer - it never attacked my lungs but it made me very tired. It also attacked my mental health but, instinctively, I knew I would survive. It didn't really change my outlook on mortality, but it gave me a real respect for when I'm feeling well.
