That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Mairead Tyers

Episode Date: June 11, 2024

Actor Mairead Tyers joins Gaby for a chat about all things joy! They discuss her acting career so far and what she wants to achieve in the next phase of it. And of course, they talk about what brings her joy. There are laughs aplenty, and we hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So, Mairead, the thing about you is that you really do have a superpower. Apart from having a superpower on television, well not, as the case may be, an extraordinary. You have a superpower. Do you know what it is? I don't. So your superpower is to make my children suddenly think that I'm cool. Seriously. No, seriously.

So you're in the show that we all love at home. extraordinary on Disney Plus. And when I said to my daughters that you were coming on my radio show, they went, oh, that's really cool, that's really cool. And they're, because they love the show, and they think you're fantastic. And then I said to them this weekend, oh, you'll never get to see this on my podcast on Monday. I'd said it was you. And they went, oh, okay, that's it.

You're all right, Mom. Surely they thought you were cool before. No, no, no. But you're very cool about me inherently already. No, no, because of you. It's because of you. So all we need to do is have a photo taken and then I'll go, oh, it's true.

There we go. But they'll listen to this as well. They're very sweet. I'm really glad they like it. So this show is, it's so good. And usually on this podcast, obviously it's reasons to be joyful. And we talk about everything and we are going to talk about everything. But I just want to get the chat about the show over with because I just enjoy it. We've all just got into the show.

We want more. Please. Disney Plus, make more. Yeah. We're hoping, we're hoping. They want to wait and see how the second season has gone down. But I mean, it feels like it's gone down really well. Like from, you know, seeing people commenting on our Instagram

is going when's season three, when is season three. So I just hope that they, I mean, what I might do is just compile every comment I've seen of people looking for season three. Should we do that? Put it in a PowerPoint. Yeah. Send it at Disney offices. Is that what we have to do?

I don't know. I mean, I'm sure that is someone's literal job to do that. But I would love to be part of that and, you know, drive. the force. I think that everybody with their superpowers has to go outside their Disney offices. Just wait there and use all the different

superpowers. Yeah. And just forcefully make them make another series. It's very funny because when I was talking to you, I said for the whole, you do realise for a long time, all anybody will talk about superpowers. If you could have a super, which would be your superpower? How

would you like your superpower? Which superpower would you like? You know that's going to follow you everywhere. And I think every time I try and do, like when people ask oh what super power would you have, I try and say a different one. But I've just started to shoot myself in the foot when I do that because I say something ridiculous then. So and I thought

about it and discussed it at length with many people and I do think that the best one is teleportation. Because it means you'd never be late in theory. You'd never be late. You wouldn't need to deal with travel in any way, shape or form.

So is that the one you answer? No, that's the one I I think I've decided from now I'm just going to say it. Instead of trying to think of a new one every time, because I end up just spouting something. What ones have you chosen then? Oh, I said something stupid at the RTS Awards about always wanting to look young, which I don't know what I meant by it. I meant that I wanted to be physically fit forever. Okay, that makes sense.

And to never kind of age physically. Yeah. But then it made me sound as if I was just very vain and never wanted to grow old. You're not like that. You are not like that at all. I get that one. So what other ones have you chosen? Oh, goodness.

What else have I said? Oh, I can't think now. I try and just do whatever comes to mind, but I do think that, like, travel, like, yeah, to be teleportation is the best. Because imagine it. Even if I was, let's say, missing Ireland, I could just snap my fingers and go back.

Okay, so it's not time, it's not time travel. No, not time travel, like teleportation, so I could... Just you could be anywhere? Yeah. Yeah, we had to snap of the fingers. Okay, so you could be anywhere at any time. So if you wanted to be there,

you'd be an island right now, would you? Maybe not right now, because I'm enjoying this Gabby. I want to leave you by yourself. It's so weird if you just suddenly, that would be really clever. We should just stop the podcast and then stop the recording of the vision

and then your voice just be here. And I'm going, what happened? Oh, she actually is a superhero. There we go. Do you know that's really weird about you saying that if you could go anywhere because I get a picture straight away and I suppose everybody does?

That conversation, it's those late-night conversations when you might have had too much to drink or when you're a student you say where do you wish you could be right now? Yeah. You probably want to be filming the next season. I'd love to be. There we go.

But maybe I'll go on holiday first and then I'd go and so I'd come into it nice and calm and then holiday after as well. But again with teleportation, snap the fingers and I can do it. It's all done. It's all done. Oh, it's easy. Yeah, I don't even think about booking the flight.

But you see, I think then life would be too easy. Absolutely. And this is what I mean about, I take it for granted because I would yeah, I would be late. I'm saying it would be handy because I wouldn't need to rely on public transport to, you know,

I can be late quite often. Like, and I think if I was to have the ability to snap my fingers, I'd probably take the Mick out of that and would be doing things up until, you know, we started this at 10. I would be doing things up until 9.59, snap the fingers and expect to be your at 10.

Whereas actually, I do need to account for some sort of teleportation time travel kind of. space. That does exist. No, it doesn't. When you're teleporting. It doesn't. No, you're right. It is just kind of a snap of the fingers. You just blink. But even then, yeah, but also, and that's a good thing. It means I'd always be accountable because everyone would know that I could teleport

so then I couldn't possibly be late. Okay, got it all sorted. Yeah, got it all sorted. But I'd worry that I'd try and manipulate it too much. Can we just point out, no alcohol has been taken whilst we're having this really bizarre It's 10 a.m. But what is really bizarre as well is that everybody that listens to that moment will then close their eyes and imagine where they wish they could be.

Oh, you're right. Yeah. What do you think? Where would you be? I'd be in Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls. Oh. Have you been there before? Yeah, it's where my family, my dad was born there.

And so that's where I, so instantly, Ed, who's behind the glass, would you have somewhere you'd go? Yeah, he'd nodding. There we go. Amanda, who's with you? Amanda, would you have somewhere? She's nodding as well, you see. We'll never know what they said.

No, because they're behind the glass. It's just the two of them together. They might teleport. This is not going where I expected this to go, but they might teleport away. So what is it like being a part of a show that actually people are, the buzz is so fantastic about it. It's fantastic.

I think it feels really rewarding. And I think, you know, for so many of us doing this show, it was our first big thing that we had done. and that's Emma the writer included. You know, it's the first TV series she's ever written. You know, for me it was my first kind of big, long job. And starting it, I absolutely had faith in it, but I also didn't have anything to compare it to.

So I think, you know, at every stage where it felt like it was going really well and through the filming and stuff and working with the directors and everything, I got on so well with everyone. And I always felt like it was where it needed to be. It always kind of felt like it was going really well. I realised kind of looking back now and from, you know, doing other jobs, It's not usually that simple. I think it felt all quite simple.

And that is mainly to do with the guidance of our directors and our producers and also how strong I think Emma's writing is that it didn't really bring up any problems. Like we could more often than not just film whatever was on the page and it worked. There was no need for reshoots or things like that. So I think like, yeah, like it and then for it to come out, which I think, you know, when we were filming,

I felt so oblivious to the fact that it was ever going to come out and that this was ever going to be consumed by anyone. And I actually found that really hard going into the second season then because we started filming that a week after the first season had come out. So we were kind of all in that buzz of thinking about the show being consumed and thinking about, you know, all these people who are going to watch it and all of a sudden you're aware of these characters in a way that you've not been aware of them before. Stupid things like, oh God, what if the audience don't like my character?

But that's understandable. That's completely understandable. And I think, you know, what a job for a first job? Yes. I mean it was, yeah. And again, I think I was so naive to any of the pressure of it. I didn't, I just, I completely felt oblivious to so much of what would come, I think, after, like doing interviews or doing all this kind of stuff.

And over time, I've gotten more used to that and more comfortable with it. But I think maybe being in that naivity for the first season was actually really helpful. Yeah, I can get, I mean, I think a lot of, not a lot. I think there are people that go into the industry. And I think acting is a, is a, a, wonderful, wonderful job. It's the best job in the world when you're working. When you're working. When you're working, best job in the world. But I think some people go into it for the wrong reasons. And I get the feeling with you.

That's why I really wanted to chat to you again, that you've gone into it for all the right reasons. It's not about fame and how many followers you can get everywhere and walking down the stream, people screaming your name. Well, I think if you're in it for that, I just can't imagine how you'd ever be satisfied or like, satiated. Like, I can't be. And also all of that feels so kind of almost flippant or it comes and goes like yes you might get in

it's got you know I mean with this job it is so much of I guess your self-esteem and self-worth is wrapped up in it because you know you get an audition and then all of a sudden you have right okay so I feel worthy this week because I've got an audition on Friday

and I need to spend the whole week working on it then you go in 20 minutes and then you come out and all of a sudden you don't have anything to do now for the rest of the week It's like that's kind of a constant battle, I think, that I definitely have found, like, in the last year, particularly trying to kind of, I guess, fill time and not put all of my time and worth.

It is tough. And I think it's something, you know, I really want to kind of, it's a skill, I think, for people to be able to maintain, you know, kind of a life and happiness outside of a job that inherently has so much worth. And you kind of put so much of yourself worth in it because you get a job, you feel good, you don't get a job, you feel bad.

It's tough to be able to pick yourself up from that. And also, as you say, going for an audition, so anyone that I know that goes for auditions or screen tests or does self-tapes, too many self-tapes now. I think they should be face-to-face. But there's a whole different thing. I completely agree. But that is work.

It's a job. You're performing, so you actually enjoy it. And then there's that waiting. I mean, there's a lot to, it's not about performing. There's all the stuff leading up to the performing. Well, that I know, I think. Brian Cranston said that where your actual job as an actor is to get up every morning and do your tape or do your audition and then when you get a job then that is the kind of reward for doing that

and I agree with that to a point because I'm like sure but I mean some people it takes years for them to get to have the opportunity to finally do the work and get paid for it and to expect an actor to do all of that work at home of self-taping you know auditioning reading scripts and to not be getting paid for it. It's tough. And it's not fair. That's it. There's nothing fair, I think, about this industry. It's not a case of if you work hard, you get what you deserve. I don't necessarily think that's true. I think there are plenty of people who work hard every

single day doing auditions and doing tapes and they're not getting to where they should be for whatever reason. How did your family all feel about you going into this? They're like, they're incredibly supportive. I look back now and realise how supportive they have been from the start. I mean, I think I had really good drama teachers growing up and I think they made it known to my parents, let's say, that she should continue down this path.

So was it them saying it before you said it? I think so, I mean... Oh, that's incredible. What great teachers? Well, I think I remember kind of being around 13, 14 and feeling really frustrated in Cork where I'm from and feeling like I just wanted to be on stage. I just wanted any opportunity to be on stage. And I went to this musical theatre class

which is absolutely not my buzz like musical theatre is not a bit of me and the reason I went to that class was I was like I just want to be on stage and these stage schools would have maybe two performances a year they do a panto which at the time I wasn't interested in

but I was like mum I just want to be on stage and be part of a production and be a part of a group of people who are getting up and rehearsing all this and I went to like two or three classes and immediately could not keep up with the choreography they said bring a song that you're going to sing in front of everyone

and I think I brought where is love Oh that's great, that's a good song No I know but it's kind of just something quite sad about At the time quite a shy timid girl standing up and going Wee I can sing this sad song Oh no it would have made it so cry You know no

But I couldn't Every week they were like right You know it's time for you to get up and sing your song And I would just refuse I wouldn't do it So again so that Dream Well there was never a dream of musical theatre But that

disappeared fairly soon. I stopped going to the classes. So then when did it... How did you get into the acting thing? So then there was, again, my mom was so supportive and she was always looking out for different classes and stuff that I could do and that I could be part of. And there was... The Geish School of Acting was in Cork at the time.

And unfortunately, they've closed down that branch now. It was like a youth theatre branch. And again, it was, you know, like a five or a lesson or whatever. You'd bring your cash in. And I just... I don't know if it runs like that anymore. You know, I know there is some... spaces where it can, but the idea of just turning up with a fibre and handing it in and then

getting to do all this, like, mad, fun stuff is fantastic. Yeah, it really is. And it gave you the, it gave you the opportunity and gave you that bug. Yeah. It was being satiated and it was like, oh yeah, absolutely. You're feeding this bug. I'm going to keep this going. And that one, we were in the Granary Theatre, which is in Cork. That's where we rehearsed and did our classes every Thursday. And that building, I think, just holds like a really special place in my heart. I was so aware that, like, of the history. of that building. So I think now it's associated with UCC, which is the college, the university

in Cork, but at that time it would have really experimental, like, theatre shows going on in there. Like, stuff I never would have been exposed to before. And we'd always get free tickets to go because we, you know, worked upstairs in the youth theatre. And like, that's the theatre where

Killeen Murphy and Eileen Walsh would have done disco pigs, which was the kind of, you know, they made a film of later with Killeen Murphy, which was kind of his rise to fame. And it just felt there was so much history in that particular theatre. So to be around there and also seeing like university students doing their drama society plays every week. I just felt like, oh God, I want to be part of this. So at that point I was thinking of doing going to that college, to that university and doing drama theatre studies. And then once I kind of find out what drama school

was, I was like, oh, well, I want to do that. Yes, please, can I do that? And again, you know, mom and dad were very supportive when I was doing all those auditions and, you know, taking me to Dublin and going over to London when we needed to, for the auditions as well. So I've always, yeah, they're remarkable. And something I've realised as I get older is the sacrifices that parents make and giving you lifts everywhere. Yes, mum caps and dad caps. Oh my God. Yeah. Only now do I realize, I took that for granted so much when I was a kid. I was like, you're my mom. Like, you have to bring lifts. Now I realize, I'm like, oh my God. And the weirdest thing is...

What a pain. Yes, but you'll forget this because when you're a parent and your kids ask you to do it, you'll forget. You just get on with it. You do, you just get on with it. I love that you've followed those ambitions and that you talk about shyness there

because it's something so many people on this podcast talk about. It's a completely safe space to talk about it because I'm unbelievably shy and I always have been and I couldn't speak when I was 15 even though I knew I wanted to be a presenter. There was nothing else on the planet I wanted to do. But I couldn't speak because I was so shy. but I knew I wanted to speak for a living.

Bizarre. Same as you say, going in and doing the audition but feeling very shy. And it's amazing how many performers are like that. It is. I think like, because I don't necessarily feel shy anymore. I think I'm and also I think in our job as well, you're constantly meeting new people all the time and you kind of are expected to seem, you know, you're very familiar with people very quickly because that's what you do and you might only have met someone for like 10 minutes of a conversation before

but then you see them four times in the next month and you kind of have the same chat again but when I think back to going to drama school and moving over and meeting people who seemingly were so confident and I look back now they weren't it's a lot of kind of faking it till you make it yeah like I remember thinking of feeling so socially anxious

about going to the pub on a Friday after you know doing lessons every day and thinking well I can't be as confident as those people and what I talk to them about and yeah, just wanting to escape home to my safe haven in green. I look at you doing a huge shows. Yeah, but you're right, I think there is a lot of people

in this industry you're right who kind of experience that shyness and it can be really, you know, isolating, I think, for people, especially as I say, you're meeting people all the time, people coming in and out your lives for short spouts of time, yeah. But it's a beautiful quality as well, I think it's like a sensitivity. Absolutely. And also I think for actors, it's a really good starting point because you obviously are going to be, you want to become somebody else when you're acting.

Yes, yeah. But you have a way of looking at the world as well, which is different because it's not all me, me, me. It's all about watching what's going around you. Yes, yeah. So how did you get the show? How did all that come about? Because you say it was your first sort of big show. How did that happen?

I mean, it was kind of the usual. It was a self-tape. And then I think I got, I remember I was in Dublin at the time doing the Dublin Fringe with my friend Harry who had written a play and we were, and I got a phone call saying, oh, they want to meet you next week. You have a recall. And I think it was the first in-person recall I'd had. So I was really nervous about it. I was like, okay, right, so I need to, you know, because this is real. This is real. And it's a protection when you're on Zoom where you can, you know, if you're doing a recall on Zoom, you can have the script on your computer. There's a kind of protection. I was like, I really need to be prepared for this. I need to go in and do a good job. And yeah, I went in and the casting director, Jilly, was absolutely gorgeous and so friendly and accommodating.

So I immediately felt calm. But again, it was still COVID time, so they were all down the other side of the room as far as possibly a way as they could go from me and coming out with masks and everything. And yeah, I met them then and then met them over the course of like two months, maybe five or six times. Went back into do chemistry reads.

And then I'd been cast and then I'd been cast and then was going back into two chemistry reads with other people. And then when Sophia and Balal and Luke, who play the other three parts came in, and we all did it together. Like that kind of just felt it feel right. 100% like. Oh, lovely.

It was amazing. And I remember kind of like wanting to say to the director like, surely, come on, it has to be them. But maybe knowing that I didn't know him well enough to cross that boundary and say, come on, cast them. I would have, I would have, yeah, vouched for them forever. And it's a happy place. want to do more?

100%. I'd love to do more. I feel like we're only kind of getting started with it. Like, again, because, you know, it was a lot of our first things,

I feel like now we're all becoming braver and we're all becoming more, you know, familiar with the setup of filming and familiar with our characters that I think it's only just started getting going.

I mean, there's so far that you can go with it. Yes, it's an endless kind of, yeah. Has she written it all? Which now has she written, I'd say? Season three?

No. No, no, no, I mean, I don't know. We don't know if it's going to happen. I hope so, I'm praying. Fingers crossed. People are calling for it. And I think, I think it should because it just, if people haven't watched it, just watch it. I think we should make it a legal requirement.

That's it. A legal requirement, they have to watch it. But you've done other stuff as well. So let's talk about it. You're not just here to talk about that. So the other stuff that you've done, you've just finished filming. It's coming out in the summer, isn't it? Yes, so summertime, My Lady Jane is going to come out.

That's going to be on Amazon Prime. I don't know if they have a date for it yet but we watched the first two episodes recently and they had like the full music and VFX and everything on it and I think it's going to be great I mean it's a real So tell me about it

It's like a Tudor Dramadie is what they're saying Drama comedy I like the word It's Rob Bryden's in it yes and a Chancellor Cato Flynn who's one of my favourite actors who watching her on set I was only on set with her

and in a you know I think one scene with her so I was only on set with her for about two days but I was just in awe. She's remarkable. Dominic Cooper. Such a great cast. Amazing cast.

And again, it felt so different to extraordinary where like we were all kind of newcomers and looking around with doe eyes going, this is a mad, isn't it? And then this was kind of on another scale, budget-wise and costume-wise in a completely different world. It's all corsets and...

So what did you just call it? Dramedy. A drama comedy. Drammody. Drammody. I mean, I've never heard that term before, but that's what was on the press release. I'm so pleased that it's not just me.

No, no, dramedy. It just makes it sound quite dramatic. But don't they say comedy drama? That's what they used to say. Maybe I've got it wrong. Is it tragic? No, it's not a tragedy. No, sorry, I should know that.

No, it's a dramedy. I've seen Robbiden calling it that. And I thought, maybe I've just made that up. No, no, Robbredon. Maybe Robbred. He's probably made it up. Yeah, and we'll believe him because he wouldn't lie. No.

Oh, he wouldn't lie to you. Oh, there we go. Oh, forget that. plug in, make him happy. So yeah, tell me about it. So you're in corsets? Yeah, in corsets and there's lots of sword fighting. And it's the story of Lady Jane Gray, who was the queen for nine days. But it's a kind of a retelling of her story. I don't know how much I can say, but there's kind of a fantasy element to it as well. It's really funny. And, you know, it's kind of

of Tudor times, but they've made it more modern, like there's, you know, curse words. And it's very witty comedically and stuff. And great music. There's kind of indie pop rock. Oh, that sounds fantastic. It's really unusual and new and, yeah, I think it's going to be great. And it's not, you know, it's kind of all ages. It's not like as if it's,

because there's a book, My Lady Jane, which it is based on, which I think is like kind of young adult, but I think this is more an older demographic, as well as young adult, but also like it'll appeal to adults. It's very funny though, isn't it? There's a lot of things with,

with corsuits, that sounds like, no, you're right. We're going to go to a whole, That's not what I mean. I'm talking about corseted. Yes. Ed. Like Bridgetton.

Ed is nodding just going, no, where is she going? I know what I mean. No, you're right, Bridgeton. Yes, Mary and George. Yes. I think people, I think, yeah, people love period stuff.

They like a corset. And it's very kind of otherworldly and feels like you're kind of going away. Starting back in time, but making it modern. And romantic and beautiful and... Romantic-y. Romantic. Romantida. Romantia.

We're trying to make up words. No, I don't know if it's working. We'll leave it to the writers. But you've also done other stuff as well because you've done... Now, you're telling me, just when I came in because I work at the BBC and you were saying you got stuck in the lifts at the BBC,

doing what? Did you just get stuck in the lift? No, I was there doing a radio play and I was only there for two days and I loved doing it. And also just being in like the BBC. It was just quite exciting and did the drama section.

but no, the lifts there are absolutely mental. Like trying to get down for lunch, you're waiting for how long. But also, you get to see people in the lifts and you just... I can't help it. I still sort of be at the back of the lift thing. Look who it is. And everyone's probably looking at you. No, no, they're not.

They're just thinking, why is she giving us a really weird look? I do get like that. If I walk down the street and I see somebody that I get, I'll sort of ring up. My kids, my husband's not interested. But I ring up the game, you'll never get home. Honestly. I do that as well. And I try and do the thing where I pretend like I'm not looking at them,

but I'm absolutely, you know, having a writer. So if you had that happen on the tube and on trains and things with you, have people done that? Yeah, I had a really funny one recently where there was a couple sitting opposite me on the tube. And I had my AirPods in. I do that a lot where I have my AirPods in and whatever I've been playing has finished, but I just have my AirPods in still anyway. and this couple opposite me

the woman I could hear them because my AirPods were in but I could hear their conversation and she said to her husband she goes what was that comedy that we watched on Disney Plus

the one with the superpowers and everything and he hadn't clocked me and he just goes oh what extraordinary like really loudly obviously completely unaware and she was nudging him going

shut up she's right there but I pretend I didn't hear it but I did really enjoy it oh that's lucky they could only say nice things because you are brilliant in it And what's also lovely, I'm going to mention Ed again.

This is his third mention on the show today. But he's fine. He's now blushing. He doesn't know what I'm going to say. But when I said that you were coming in that I'd heard from your lovely team, because he's another. You are so good in it. You are such a brilliant actress.

And your future is, I know I said this to your face before, but I really, really mean it. There are sometimes when I interview some people who are just starting out, and you just know. And you have got the most. incredible career to come. I think you are something so special and you're a joy to spend time with. So thank you so much for coming on. Thank you. Thanks for having me. I loved it.