Born in Kilkenny, actress Jessica Regan grew up in Tipperary but has family in Cork and Clare. She studied English and History at UCC before moving to London in 2004 where she attended the prestigious RADA. She has a string of theatre credits to her name, but landed her first major TV role playing Niamh Donoghue in BBC One’s daytime drama Doctors which is filmed in Birmingham.
What are you up to right now?
I am in bed recovering from a viral infection. Lols.
Who are your heroes?
Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, John Stewart. Anyone working for Médecins Sans Frontières.
What’s been the best decade of your life so far and why?
This decade. In your thirties you care less but seem to get more.
What song sends a shiver down your spine?
James Vincent McMorrow’s Ghosts.
What is your favourite place in Ireland?
Cork city baby.
What makes you angry?
Injustice.
What book influenced you most?
Mathilda by Roald Dahl. I read it age eight and wanted from then on to be the smartest girl in the room.
What was the worst moment of your life?
It hasn’t happened yet. Stay healthy parents!
Which local star in any field should the world outside Ireland know about?
You should know about my sister’s band LUX on Soundcloud. Beautiful electronic ambiance. Unusually, she is on the machines Kraftwerk-style while the lead vocals are male courtesy of the brilliant Colin Lee.
Jessica Regan and Katy Carmichael on the set of Doctors (Photo: BBC)If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?
I would like to move my lovely job to London. I stay in Birmingham during the week to film Doctors for the BBC. Birmingham is a great town but I miss my friends and the Tube. You really need to be able to drive in Birmingham, FYI.
Can you recommend an interesting website?
No, but I can recommend an interesting podcast… RuPaul’s What’s the Tee?
What do you believe in?
Kindness.
What trait do others criticise you for?
Ignorance.
What is the best lesson life has taught you?
You might never feel as found as you want but you’re never as lost as you feel.
What is your favourite film and why?
The Apartment. It is a perfect film. Every line, shot, performance, scene. It’s a dark delight.
Where do you live and what are the best and worst things about that place?
I live in Camden. The best thing about it is how everything is on your doorstep, great food, shops and pubs. The canals are gorgeous for walking. The worst thing about it is, well… there are a lot of committed drug-takers in Camden and it can be a scary walk home.
On what occasion is it OK to lie?
There is no one occasion. It could be to spare feelings, save a life… it’s down to the person and those affected by the consequences of the lie to answer that.
What do you consider the greatest work of art?
Instead of answering that nigh on impossible question I would direct you to the marvellous Claire Ferguson-Walker, a hugely talented sculptor. I covet her pieces greatly.
What is your ultimate guilty pleasure?
Anything involving blue cheese.
Who is the love of your life?
I believe I’ve yet to meet the gentleman. Until then, my nieces. They make me go weak at the knees.
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