Cork actress is captivating audiences in new Amazon Prime drama

CORK actor Máiréad Tyers is currently riding high.

Since graduating from London’s esteemed acting school, RADA, in 2020, she has showcased her acting prowess in Disney’s hit series Extraordinary, earned a BAFTA nomination, and is now captivating audiences with her role in Amazon Prime’s latest hot show, My Lady Jane.

Not your typical historical drama, My Lade Jane is a unique blend of comedy, drama, and fantasy that reimagines the story of England’s Nine Days Queen, Lady Jane Grey.

With its quirky characters, irreverent humour, and surprising fantasy element, the show, set in the 1550s, offers a fresh feminist twist on history, which was a big draw for Tyers.

“It is a female-led reimagining of history,” she explained.

I didn’t know much about that side of English history, but learning about it and then learning what they would do to change it felt really exciting.

“The team, Jamie Babbit and Laurie MacDonald, and all these other women have been a part of the industry in such an impactful way, making incredible film and TV.

“It felt like a no-brainer to be a part of it.”

Tyers plays Susannah, a servant to Lady Jane Grey and Jane’s closest friend and confidante. There is also a secret side to Susannah, one we can’t talk about; it is too big of a spoiler to reveal.

It makes for a funny interview; side-stepping ‘the big thing’ and finding ways to navigate around. Tyers can talk about how much she enjoyed playing a multi-faceted character.

“I find it really exciting to have the experience of playing a character who changes and evolves so much throughout the series,” she said.

“In the first episode, so many things happen to Susanna.

“She goes from being where she was comfortable and has a structure and purpose and then has to leave to find herself again.”

Tyers says she formed a close friendship with Emily Bader, who plays Lady Jane, mirroring their on-screen friendship.

“I adore working with Emily, we get on so well, and she’s incredibly talented.

“We formed a gorgeous friendship naturally and got to play that on screen. It’s really beautiful to see complex female friendships on screen.”

The story is English, and while most of the characters play nobles, with their defined received pronunciation, Susanah stands out, not just because of her Irish accent but because she sneaks in plenty of Corkisms.

Tyers isn’t sure if her character’s accent was intentional or a happy accident.

“I auditioned in my own accent, but I don’t know if the character was always meant to be Irish. Gemma [Burgess], the writer, has some Irish family, particularly in Cork, so she put in some Corkisms.”

There is a brilliant, unexpected moment when Susannah calls someone a ‘langer’, not something you often hear in a television show and certainly not one set in Medieval England.

“‘Langer’ is only going to be relevant to people who are from Cork; it’s a nice little Easter egg, not something I ever thought I would hear in a show produced by Prime.” Tyers laughs.

The Ballinhassig actor says she sees a similarity between herself and Susannah.

“Without saying too much, when she begins to get her freedom and is allowed to express who she is, she has to stand up for herself and her identity. 

Moving to London from Ireland allowed me to lean into who I was and my identity.

“You lean into your Irishness and realise how proud you are. You become more patriotic. There’s a similarity between my [experience] and Susanna’s as she leaves her structures behind and accepts her identity.”

Extraordinary, which saw Tyers nominated for a BAFTA, and My Lady Jane are both comedy dramas with a fantasy element and a lot of heart. Is it a coincidence that Tyers finds herself in a similar genre again so soon?

“It is a coincidence that my first major roles are a similar genre, but I am drawn to them. I love watching things that make people laugh one minute, and the next minute you can feel a lump in your throat. Emma, who wrote Extraordinary, and Gemma, who’s written this, both have that talent down to a tee.”

Tyers shares that talent. She has a great sense of comic timing and can pull at the audience’s heartstrings in the same beat.

Early this year, fellow Cork actor Siobhan McSweeney, who plays Tyers’ on screen mammy in Extraordinary, told The Echo that Cork people are naturally inclined to be funny, which helps Cork actors play this type of role. Does Tyers agree?

“Absolutely. There is a natural comic timing, and you can’t take yourself too seriously [when you are from Cork]. It is just what we do. There is a quick-wittedness that comes from people from Cork.”

With Cork actors dominating awards ceremonies and appearing on stages and screens worldwide, Tyers believes the success of one helps the success of another.

“It’s fantastic. Representation really matters. It helps so much when you see someone with the same background as you succeed so brilliantly. The arts are so strong in Cork; it isn’t a coincidence that so many fantastic actors are coming out of Cork. 

We all hold a sense of pride about where we’re from, and when you bring that pride into the work, it stamps an identity on you in a very strong way. We are all so proud to be from Cork.

My Lady Jane can be streamed on Prime.