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Greencastle girl Saoirse lands
role in Sky 1 thriller
25.04.15
A YOUNG Derry-Inishowen
actress is making a name for herself on stage and
screen just a year after graduating from drama
school.
Saoirse Monica Jackson has been enjoying rave
reviews with a "truly captivating" debut performance
in a production of the American classic 'Of Mice and
Men' as it tours the UK with the Birmingham
Repertory Theatre.
The 22-year old can also be seen in Sky 1 thriller
'The Five' where she plays Sasha Marsden, a
character written into the ten-part series
especially for the talented young performer.
Saoirse, a past pupil of St Cecilia's College in
Derry, is the eldest daughter of Ruth and Sean
Jackson.
She enjoyed a cross-border childhood with her two
younger brothers, James (19) and Dill (17) as the
family divided their time between Derry, the fishing
village of Greencastle and Ruth's hometown of
Buncrana.
Sean and Ruth ran the The Castle Inn in Greencastle
for a number of years during the early noughties and
still have a holiday home just outside the village. |
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Saoirse Monica Jackson as Curley's
wife in a production of 'Of Mice and Men' written by
John Steinbeck and currently touring the UK with the
Birmingham Repertory Theatre. |
Saoirse caught the
acting bug as a young child and heaps credit on her
"amazing and supportive" drama teacher at St
Cecilia's, Greta McTague from Moville.
She also spent many weekends as a youngster at the
kids' club in The Cairn, a small local theatre in
Greencastle.
"I sort of grew up in The Cairn when my mum and dad
first got the Castle Inn. We were there every
Saturday morning and it was a bonus for me that it
was a drama kids' club. I did Christmas pantomimes
there and I remember playing Tiger Lily in 'Peter
Pan'.
"Going to St Cecilia's was great as well because my
drama teacher, Greta McTague was just so good, she
was fantastic."
The modest young actor says she was "lucky" to land
a role in 'The Five' before she had even left drama
school - The Arden School of Theatre in Manchester.
She was nearing graduation in the spring of 2015
when she was snapped up for the drama thriller,
written by acclaimed author Harlan Coben.
"I got really really, lucky on my last year in drama
school. I auditioned for an extra part in 'The
Five', just one line really, and I kept getting
called back in.
"Then one day I came in and met the director and the
producer - just as well I didn't really know who
they were or I would have been a bag of nerves," she
laughs.
"They auditioned me again and then luckily after
that, they liked me and they wrote the character for
me. They got a writer to write me into the series
which was an amazing opportunity for me, being still
in drama school. I left drama school a wee bit early
then to start filming 'The Five'."
After being encouraged to move down to London,
Saoirse has since been signed up by the talent
agency, 42, which represents acting stars including
Michael Caine, John Hurt and Emily Mortimer.
She is currently touring the UK with 'Of Mice and
Men' and is also in meetings about future acting
jobs.
Of her debut theatre performance, The Reviews Hub
recently wrote: "A special mention must also go to
Saoirse-Monica Jackson whose debut to professional
theatre as Curley’s wife is truly captivating. The
scene between her and Phillips, moments before her
character’s death, is one of the overall highlights
of the whole show – the pair playing with stage
levels and bouncing off each other’s dialogue
flawlessly."
And just for the record - given that she will also
have to contend with tricky pronunciations of her
Irish name - Saoirse Jackson is a huge fan of her
famous Oscar-nominated namesake, Ms Ronan. She's
also the same age as the 'Brooklyn' and 'The Lovely
Bones' star. "I think she's absolutely brilliant, I
think she's amazing," she said. |
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