HAZEL DOUPE IS ATTRACTED TO PROJECTS THAT EXPLORE THE GREY AREAS OF HUMANITY. WITH HER MOST RECENT PARTS, THE IRISH ACTRESS TOOK ON TWO CHARACTERS RICH IN COMPLEXITY – AND RECEIVED TWO NOMINATIONS, AND A WIN FOR ONE OF THEM AT THIS WEEK’S IFTA AWARDS! REPRISING A ROLE SHE PLAYED IN A 2020 SHORT FILM, DOUPE EMPATHETICALLY EMBODIES THE PROTAGONIST OF THE FEATURE KATHLEEN IS HERE – A TROUBLED YOUNG WOMAN LEAVING THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM, WHO RETURNS TO HER HOMETOWN AFTER HER MOTHER’S DEATH. LAST AUTUMN, DOUPE ALSO INTRIGUED AUDIENCES WITH HER QUIETLY INTENSE PORTRAIT OF MARIAN PRICE – A BELFAST-BORN ACTIVIST AND MEMBER OF THE IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY – IN SAY NOTHING, FX’S GRIPPING SERIES EXPLORING THE NORTHERN IRISH CONFLICT KNOWN AS THE TROUBLES. AS FOR WHAT’S NEXT? STEPPING OUTSIDE REALITY AND DIVING INTO THE FANTASY REALM LEADS THE WAY ON HER ACTING WISHLIST.

Left Bodysuit and belt **N°21**, gloves **Paula Rowan**, necklace **886 by The Royal Mint**
Right Top **Marni**, skirt **Rabanne**

Hi Hazel! I have been watching your show Say Nothing this weekend and found it very eye-opening. I didn’t know much about the day-to-day reality of The Troubles. The series presents a complex take on these events, showing the cost of the war and all of its grey areas. Which aspects of this project spoke most to you?

When I first read the script, I found myself rooting for the leading characters we follow on the show. And then all of a sudden, I would not be rooting for them and wonder why that was and why they were exploring it in that way. I found it a very exciting and refreshing take on a conflict, it was like the writers had accepted that it was never a black-and-white struggle, there was no perfect victim, no ideal hero or villain – it was all just messy. And that’s why I wanted to do the project. I thought it was a very level-headed depiction of the war without romanticising it, showing how someone can get swept into the romance of rebellion that turns ugly.

What was the research that you found most helpful in learning about the history of the conflict?

Lola Petticrew and Anthony Boyle [Doupe’s co-stars] are both from West Belfast and getting to work with them on set every day was an education in itself. It was so eye-opening to hear the stories they would tell me or even their sense of humour. Generally, as Irish people, we have the craic and we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but in Belfast, they level that up a notch. There’s so much research that happens while you’re working on set and absorbing things as they are happening. It’s not necessarily the direct research that’s the most valuable. I feel like the show couldn’t have been made without Lola and Anthony, the richness of their culture permeated from them.

When it comes to Marian, my character, it was very hard to find interviews with her – there were some written ones and one video interview – so I decided that I would go with what was on the page and try to bring that to life, as opposed to going off the very little resource that I had from the real-life Marian. Also, I did a lot of research into what the political climate was like back in the 1970s and 1980s and how people would become part of the IRA at such a young age.

Left Bodysuit and belt **N°21**, necklace **886 by The Royal Mint**
Right Full look **Louis Vuitton**

The series doesn’t shy away from the brutality of The Troubles. Which of the scenes were the biggest challenge for you?

There were definitely scenes that were hard on the body, such as when Marian loses her motor skills and needs Dolours to undo her nightdress and help her along the way. Another scene was the strip search with the dog. The dog was trained, but it was a scary dog. [Laughs] And when you’re in your underwear in the scene, it’s really visceral – it feels very violent and like a strong attack on the body. So I think me and Lola were both on an adrenaline high in that moment, in a kind of petrified way. It was really revealing but also very important to show because that is what happened. And I’m sure I didn’t even feel a tenth of the fear and violation that Marian and Dolours did at the time.

Left Full look **Miu Miu**
Right Dress and belt **N°21**, gloves **Paula Rowan**

From one dark project to the next – let’s talk about Kathleen is Here, your new feature.

It is a dark story, but there’s so much light in it as well.

Left Dress and belt **N°21**, gloves **Paula Rowan**
Right Full look **Tom Ford**

It’s based on a short film you did a few years ago, right? How did you first encounter this story and character?

Yeah. Eva Birthistle, the director and writer of the film, wrote the script around nine years ago and I auditioned for it about six years ago. When I was exiting the audition room, I said that I just couldn’t leave without expressing to her how much this story spoke to me and how much I needed to play Kathleen. I was like, “Eva, if you choose me for this, I will do everything in my power to make Kathleen proud and care for her.” Then, after a while, she said that she definitely wanted me for the role but that things would go slow, as it’s really hard to get funding for the first feature. And although it was a real pity that it took that long, I think it was necessary for Kathleen and her spirit to imbue themselves into me. There was a period where she kind of laid dormant in me – I was going about my daily life and not thinking about her consciously, but in the subconscious, she was always there simmering in a lovely, vibrant way.

Left Full look **Louis Vuitton**
Right Jacket, top and shorts **Fendi**, tights stylist’s own, jewellery **886 by The Royal Mint**

You said that you had a very strong reaction to Kathleen as a character. What elements of her did you connect with?

There was this one scene that really spoke to me, which I think is the saddest scene in the whole movie. It’s of Kathleen sitting in her living room, being on the phone with a woman doing a vlog-type thing. She wasn’t actually having a conversation with this woman, she just needed company. I think I related to it in a more juvenile way because it was what I would do as a kid if I were ever lonely. I’d just talk around the place, make up little stories or pretend I was the host of an Airbnb out of my shed. And that was the feeling that made me want to perform and act, I was constantly creating this make-believe of everything around me. My imagination was really big and expansive as a kid. And I really felt that from Kathleen – even though she had been through so many horrible, devastating things in her life, she still had this hope that she could make something out of it. Also, the way she would interact with people. She’s so blunt and direct, she’s hilarious because of it and doesn’t realise that she is. That’s something that I admire about her.

Left Top **Marni**, skirt **Rabanne**
Right Dress and belt **N°21**, gloves **Paula Rowan**

Did she have an impact on the way you are today?

Each character you take on leaves an imprint on you and lets you discover something about yourself that you didn’t know before or weren’t allowing yourself to play with before. That’s what I love about acting – you get to really play with who you are as a person and how that connects with the character you’re portraying. You take what you want, you don’t have to take it all.

Left Full look **Tom Ford**
Right Full look **Miu Miu**

What types of stories do you hope to tell as an actor next? What realms do you wish you could enter?

I read a lot of fantasy books, so I would love to do something in that genre. I’ve been in a show called Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale, a fantasy series based on a book, but it’s very grounded in our modern-day real world. I’d like to do something that takes fantasy to a whole new level, with mystical creatures and all. I also love the work of Ruben Östlund, I think there’s such an interesting study of the human experience [in his films]. It’s so grounded in reality, but it’s so absurd, it’s got all the little nuanced absurdities we all contain as humans. His films are so refreshing, and something like that would definitely be on my radar should it come my way.

Interview by Martin Onufrowicz

Photography by Ho Hai Tran

Fashion by Steven Huang

Hair by Takumi Horiwaki

Make-Up by Yoi Wan

Photographer’s assistant Adam Roberts

Stylist’s assistant Eve Lam