The Times Magazine 7Actress Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, 30,
grew up in Derry. She worked odd
jobs in England and Northern Ireland
before getting her acting break in
the BBC Northern Ireland drama
6Degrees. She recently starred in
Channel 4’s prison drama Screw, but
is best known for playing Michelle in
the channel’s hit sitcom Derry Girls,
the final episode of which aired this
week. She lives in Northern Ireland.In Derry, you’ll look at a contract
and see if they pay you for bomb
scares. They don’t happen all the
time: it’s not like a war zone. But
some shops do have to close. Then,
moving to England, I was looking
at a contract and said to my friend,
“What would they pay you if a
bomb scare happened?” She was
like, “What? What do you mean?”
I thought, “Ah, OK, so this is new.”
I feel strongly that abortion should
be free, safe and legal. Because
banning it doesn’t stop it; it just
makes it more dangerous. It’s a
woman’s right to choose. Some
groups were very annoyed when
we did I Told My Mum I Was
Going on an RE Trip [a play about
abortion] at the Lyric in Belfast.
They organised a protest against
it before they’d seen the script.
It’s closed-minded ignorance.
I’ve had anxiety; I’ve had depression.
I’ve had ups and downs in my life,
the same as everybody. I don’t
know anybody who hasn’t had
some sort of issue... You find
different coping techniques. Even
if I’m by myself, speaking the
words that are in my head out
loud helps me rationalise them
and take the panic out of them.
There’s a lot of mental health
troubles in Derry. There’s PTSD
and some addiction trouble.
I went to an all-girl Catholic
school, but we didn’t have any
nuns. There’s a lot of positives and
negatives of growing up in a city
that’s coming out of a civil war.
There’s a lot of areas that still
need help and support.
But there’s also a real sense of
community, love and honesty within
Derry. It’s full of really warm
people and really good people.
You get the odd fan that oversteps.
One time I was getting money outWhat I’ve learnt Jamie-Lee O’Donnell
INTERVIEW Georgina Roberts PORTRAIT David Reissof an ATM. Someone came over,
leant against the wall and was
like, “Hey.” The fact I was getting
money out wasn’t even in their
head. They were just thinking,
“Oh, there’s Michelle.” I think
they just get really excited.
I’m quite shy. I’m actually a very
private person, and I’m trying to
maintain that as much as possible.
I’m the only person from my
group of loved ones that does
acting, so I’m happy to step away
from my work and step back into
my usual life.There are days where you think,
I’ve just eaten my body weight in
crisps. It’s not like me to be upset
and then eat my feelings. But in
lockdown I had a takeaway five
or six nights a week. It was a
“f*** it” attitude. Everything was
going to shit; no one knew what
was going on. So you either panic
or just say, “F*** it.”
Owning my own corner shop taught
me that there’s not a lot of money
to be made in confectionery. I’ve
worked since I was 16 and had
multiple jobs while at school.I’m one of the very few working-
class people on a lot of the jobs
I do. And I’m really proud of being
working class. It gives me a real
strength and helps me know who
I am and what I’m about, and it’s
given me such an unbelievable
drive and ambition. I would like
to make things easier for the
people coming behind me, try
my best to leave the door open,
whatever way I can. nDerry Girls, including the show’s
finale, can be streamed on All 4‘I went to a
Catholic school
in Derry – but
we didn’t have
any nuns’
O’Donnell and Nicola Coughlan in Derry GirlsSTYLING: EMILY EVANS. HAIR AND MAKE-UP: SOPHIE KNOX. CHANNEL 4