Louisa Harland is attempting to describe her fresh television program. After a lot of thought, she settles on” Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Goonies meets The Favourite”. Certainly that she was aware of this when she auditioned:” I only had two moments with very little context. She knew one thing, nevertheless, and that was enough:” I was like,’ Oh my god, Sally Wainwright’s doing a Disney demonstrate.'”
The show is Renegade Nell and, despite her own misgivings, the Derry Girls actress turned out to be perfect for an 18th- century highwaywoman with superpowers:” I obviously do n’t have a Cockney accent, I ca n’t do a tumble and I ca n’t ride a bike, let alone a horse … they really took a risk with me”. The set follows Nell, on the run after being framed for death, as she takes on the elite and the sexism, assisted by Billy Blind,” a tiny partner” played by’ s Nick Mohammed. Nell, says Harland, is” a typical woman who wants more for herself. Ambitious, persistent”.
Viewers expecting the tenacity of Wainwright’s magnum opus will instead find a thrilling adventure story –” It’s a 12, which is no yelling or nipples but loads of murder” – a time episode with added pizzazz. Although some people may be offended by the wonderful elements, Harland is temperamental and magnetic at the heart of it all, and the complex relationships and family dynamics are traditional Wainwright.
The 31-year-old, who has spent much of the previous year on the stage, found it new place to start a large- budget dream series. In preparation for Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night in the West End, where Patricia Clarkson will play opposite (” such great craic” ), we squeezed in for an interview. It follows roles from Woody Harrelson and Andy Serkis ‘ previous films Dancing at Lughnasa at the National and Ulster American. For Harland, it’s living the dream:” I always wanted to do theatre. I’m so obsessed with live performances that I feel fortunate to have had a good run lately.
There’s a chance that many people in the audience will be Fans of Derry Girls. Harland’s kooky, squeaky- voiced Orla McCool became a fan favourite for her off- kilter outlook, filter- free chatter and flare for performing. The finale leant into Orla’s surreal tendencies, with Harland performing a now- iconic dance sequence to Dario G’s” Sunchyme” surrounded by a troupe of young Irish dancers – a joyous symbol of possibility as the characters turned 18 and their country, with the, entered a new chapter. According to her,” I recall reading the script, and it started with Orla dancing down the walls and thinking, Oh my God,” she says. ” I said to Lisa]McGee, screenwriter],’ If this does n’t work then cut it’. And she did n’t”.
Harland never thought she’d do a comedy. She was more interested in Shakespeare monologues than making people laugh when she attended Anne Kavanagh’s Young People’s Theatre, which she attended as a child in Dublin’s suburb of Dundrum. She moved to London when she was 19 years old to study at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, and her first acting debut was in the Irish gangland drama Love/Hate. But when Derry Girls arrived, she threw herself into it because it was” such an incredibly written comedy with such incredible comic actors around me.” ” And then, obviously, I made the decision to give her a silly little voice.”
Harland has previously referred to Orla as” they,” claiming that because they are n’t “defined by gender,” they wore shorts instead of a school skirt. In Nell, she has again found a character who is n’t confined to stereotypes, frequently disguising herself as a man.
Harland relates:” I am not an incredibly glamorous girl. I’ve never really been into make- up or high heels, but I’ve also never struggled with gender dysphoria. Despite the fact that I am a woman, I do n’t necessarily fit in.
She does n’t think Nell is experiencing gender dysphoria either:” I think it was just simpler to travel while wearing a man’s outfit at the time.” More inconspicuous. You probably gained more respect. and essentially just more comfortable to ride horses. Harland carefully chooses her words because allyship is important to her. ” I love the queer community”, she says. ” I love queer art. I get very defensive over the LGBT community. And they just have it so incredibly hard and it’s so, so frustrating, and they do n’t have the same opportunities in life. Trans men are men, and trans women are women. That’s what I believe”.
One thing Harland is also sure of is that Orla would love Nell:” They would be mates – fearless, carefree. Orla would love the costumes, the horses, the swords”. She ca n’t help but slip into the” silly little voice” once more to pronounce” she’d think it was cracker”! and it’s no surprise to learn that Harland enjoys doing a lot of different voices in Renegade Nell. She nails the Cockney accent, probably because she lived in the East End during lockdown with her partner, the actor Calvin Demba, and his family:” I did n’t know that I was preparing for Nell subconsciously … I had a genuine Cockney advisor at home, so that was really my secret weapon”.
Renegade Nell’s filming in Ealing drew Harland west, and the couple now reside in Ladbroke Grove with their cat Benny ( he’s a little overweight – do n’t judge him ) ). After meeting in the street in 2004, she and Demba met in person, and he informed her that he liked her T-shirt. ” It was my dad’s”, she says. ” Honestly, not an incredibly attractive T- shirt… But here we are now”. When they both work in the industry, the approach is rather sweet and analog, especially when they both have an industry relationship:” That actually really annoyed me. I run into this really great guy in the street, and he’s still an actor.
That said, Harland has her fair share of industry pals. Those who would like to believe that the Derry Girls are all still hanging out will be pleased to hear that Harland saw ( Sister Michael ) yesterday, and calls Kathy Keira Clarke, AKA Aunt Sarah, “one of my best friends”. She also popped up opposite the wee English fella James, Dylan Llewellyn, “our Dyl”, in his other sitcom Big Boys. That show, about coming of age and coming out, was written by Jack Rooke, another close friend:” I basically just said, gun to]Jack’s ] head –’ Put me in in any way you physically ca n'”.
She also saw Nicola Coughlan recently at Vogue‘s Bafta afterparty, a rare glitzy outing for Harland. ” I really struggle with press, red carpets, photographs”, she says. ” That’s why I take photos so I do n’t have to be in them”. She is, however, enjoying the Irish domination of awards season:” Me and Daryl]McCormack, star of Bad Sisters and Good Luck to You, Leo Grande ] were saying this the other day! Like ‘ up Ireland! Every Irish actor is such a lovely person and it’s really nice to see it, and there are so many of us floating around that you come into contact with and that know. Ayo Edibiri, who appeared in red carpet interviews and had an accent in red carpet interviews, would be a part of that group. ” Oh, she is”, nods Harland. ” Just confirming: she is”.
Harland makes sense of the recognition of Irish talent abroad because” It’s in our blood. We’re storytellers. She has ambitions to work in film as a director, and she is aware of this, but for the time being, she is eager to see where her new set of stunts, sword-fighting, and horse-riding will lead. Hollywood, perhaps? ” I’ll take anything! anyone who will permit me.
‘ Renegade Nell ‘ is streaming on Disney + on Friday
