Oscar nominee a big fan of ‘Derry Girls’

Speaking to students in Belfast, the award-winning actress spoke of her affection for the Channel 4 series which features a group of Derry schoolgirls.

“I absolutely love it,” she said.

“When I was doing Little Women, I just kept watching it as I missed home. I was working on such an American film that I watched Mike Leigh films and Derry Girls because they spoke to me.”

Speaking at the same event, ‘Derry Girls’ star, Saoirse Monica Jackson, revealed that, when she first received the script for the acclaimed series, she thought it was a joke.

“I actually thought ‘Derry Girls’ was a joke when it first came through and I thought it was a documentary,” she said. “I was working in Manchester and my agent at the time sent an email through and I’d just got fired from my sales job and I was like, ‘this is the worst day ever’.

“I got the email through and I was like, ‘they’re making a documentary about Derry. It wouldn’t be the worst thing I’ve done’. Then I opened the script and I was like, ‘this is an amazing sitcom’.

“We all auditioned for it for six months. It was awful. But here I am, guys, I made it.”

Jackson says she believes people from across the island of Ireland are too humble and should be more proud of their work.

“I think it’s important to remember that we come from a land of art... We’re not proud enough of the art that we produce here.”