EXCLUSIVE: Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell has opened up about her new role on BBC comedy-drama Leonard and Hungry Paul – and teased a potential reunion with her former Channel 4 co-stars
Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell has teased a reunion(Image: CHANNEL 4)
When it comes to iconic Irish characters, Derry Girls’ Michelle makes the cut. The sweary, sex-mad schoolgirl and her tight-knit friendship group captured the nation’s hearts as they navigated teenage life during the Troubles.
However, three years on since the sitcom ended, star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell has revealed that she’s lost touch with most of her co-stars. “I had a couple of years of just laying low in Ireland.
“I was going through quite a lot of mental health stuff and had to figure a few things out,” she tells The Mirror. “I had to take some downtime to myself and started therapy so I really didn’t see anybody for such a long time. Also my days in London, where everybody lives – I left there over 10 years ago.”
Jamie-Lee in Leonard and Hungry Paul on BBC Two(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC / Subotica)
Jamie-Lee is still close with Erin’s Saorise-Monica Jackson and was a bridesmaid at her wedding to DJ Denis Sulta back in August, however she’s not in touch with Nicola Coughlan, Louisa Harland, Dylan Llewellyn and the other stars.
“I don’t see a lot of people – I’ve got a very small group that I see and I’ve been taking a wee bit of time off from the industry in general,” she says.
Now, the 38-year-old is back on our screens in new BBC comedy-drama Leonard and Hungry Paul, based on Rónán Hession’s novel of the same name.
Despite landing her big break with Derry Girls back in 2018, Jamie-Lee admits that she’s only just beginning to relax after years of auditioning and jobs in coffee shops.
“I’ve got myself to a point in life where I can really pursue things just for the enjoyment of it,” she smiles. “I’m obsessed with reading, I like to lift weights, take art classes and learn Spanish when I’m not working.
Jamie-Lee stars as Shelley in the BBC comedy-drama
“When I started to become financially stable and it was consistent, I could relax and do those things – and it’s been very recent for me.”
She adds, “It comes with feeling comfortable in your finances and coming out of that panic survival mode – which took a very long time for me. It was a couple of years to feel confident and think, ‘Right – everything’s going to be ok.’”
With newfound confidence, Jamie-Lee says that she’s in a much better place mentally after taking a break and going to therapy. “I’m doing really great,” she says.
“It was quite difficult, obviously for loads of different reasons. But it was the best thing I’ve done. And I feel really mentally healthy, really strong in myself and really grounded.
Jamie-Lee reveals that she would love to reunite with her Derry Girls cast(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Universal Music)
“It was definitely a positive in my life. And no matter how difficult it was, I feel great. And thankfully, the world around me is reflecting that in terms of work. Opportunities and just really positive people and experiences.”
That includes Jamie-Lee’s latest role in Leonard and Hungry Paul, which follows two thirty-somethings as they bond over board games while dealing with their own personal struggles.
Set in Dublin, the show sees quiet ghost-writer Leonard (Alex Lawther) and aimless postal worker Paul (Laurie Kynaston) tackle the sudden death of Leonard’s mum, the wedding of Paul’s sister and Leonard’s crush on colleague Shelley – played by Jamie-Lee.
“The script was really different to what I had done before,” she says. “I really enjoyed the cosiness of it, the charm, the subtlety in the relationships and the scenes.
“It was something really unique and special. It’s very much part of Irish culture and I think it translated really well from the book to TV show.”
Narrated by Hollywood icon Julia Robert, the comedy-drama sees upbeat fire warden Shelley becomes the object of Leonard’s affections when she moves onto his floor in the office.
“She strikes up a very lovely, adorable friendship with Leonard,” Jamie-Lee says. “She sees the good in everything. She’s a very glass-half-full type of lady and also very creative. It’s a really nice energy to play.”
However, filming in an office for most of the shoot took the BBC star back to her days in a cell centre- where she worked before her big break.
“All the office stuff was really good craic – we all clicked really quickly,” she says. “I’ve worked in a few different call centres. Every aspiring actor has their call centre section of their career. It just wasn’t for me – the repetitiveness isn’t suited to me.
“I appreciated the job and what it did for me at the time but I think anybody who has a creative way of thinking, no matter what it is, that same repetitiveness can get a bit jarring sometimes.
“The set brought all of us back to it. All of us were like, ‘This is weird. This is the closest thing to a regular nine-to-five that we’ve had in a while!’ It started to feel like the walls were closing in because we were there for a solid week.”
While the rising star has other projects on the horizon, she’s always keen to revisit Derry Girls and reunite with her former stars.
“Michelle gave me my platform for this level of my career, obviously as did creator Lisa McGee and it’s always going to have a special place in my heart,” she says.
“It’s something I’m incredibly proud of. It represented my community so well and put us on a massive stage. I would 100% go back to it. If Lisa was to write anything, I would do it.”
And if a script isn’t possible, Jamie-Lee is up for a reunion special. “A 10-year reunion of where are they now – I think that would be wonderful,” she smiles. “Lisa could put us on the moon and it would make sense and be hilarious. Who knows?”
Leonard & Hungry Paul continues at 10pm on Mondays on BBC Two and the full box set is available on the iPlayer.
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