Niamh McCormack, the Irish star of new Netflix comedy-drama Everything Now

Having already appeared in The Witcher, McCormack is delighted to take the next step in a new show that's already drawing comparisons with Sex Education, writes Esther McCarthy

Mon, 09 Oct, 2023 - 21:30

She has already been making a name for herself in high-profile shows including The Witcher and The Magic Flute. Now Irish actress Niamh McCormack is stepping into a central role in Netflix’s much-anticipated Everything Now.

The comedy-drama is told from the perspective of a teenager, Mia (Sophie Wilde), who returns to school following months of treatment for an eating disorder. Feeling out of step with her friends, she comes up with a bucket list of teen experiences to make up for lost time.

McCormack - who plays one of Sophie’s friends - says the show aims to portray her recovery in a “very real” way.

“I think we all knew tentatively the topic we were going to portray and how it might affect some people,” she says. “I think Ripley (Parker), who wrote the series, does an incredible job of mixing darkness and light into everything she does.

“It's very real also in how it affects others, her friends and her family. That's something that I haven't seen before - most shows would focus on how the person is feeling, but this brings it all into perspective and how it affects everyone else around her.

“We've been very aware that people who are watching it might be going through something like that themselves. We have a link at the end of every episode where you're able to access resources or get help or to speak to someone if you need to.”

In the show, the Dubliner is having a blast as Alison, Sophie’s flamboyant, straight-talking and impulsive classmate, whose feisty nature sometimes lands her in trouble.

“I was very drawn to Alison because on paper, I think she reads very differently to how she does on screen. As the series progresses, you really find there's a lot more to her character, and she has a really big heart.

Alison also brings some glamour to the series with her colourful dress sense. “She’s always dressed up to the nines, she takes a lot of care with her appearance. So it was really fun, coming together to create a character and with all those things like clothes and in hair and makeup and also voice because I don't have an English voice! To figure out the pitch of her accent made it much easier to jump into Allison every day.”

The series is filmed and set in London, a city that McCormack moved to during filming. It marks the latest move in her rising career for the Bow Street Academy graduate, who got her first major breakthrough playing Laura Dorren in hit series The Witcher. McCormack has also worked as a fashion model but is now focusing fully on her acting career.

“Modelling was never what I wanted to do forever,” she says. “I'm very grateful for it because it made me very comfortable in front of a camera - if you want to be on camera, you need to be comfortable in front of the camera.

“My love for acting was born when I was Mary in the nativity play in creche. It was all I wanted to do. I did a lot of drama classes on the weekends. My mum was always driving me to rehearsals or dance class or singing. I think for the first time I really felt that I could express myself as a young girl. I had a lot of energy so it was all channelled into that.”

Niamh McCormack in a scene from Everything Now, on Netflix.

It’s an exciting time for Irish actors, with several stars including Ella Lily Hyland (Fifteen-Love) Limerick stars Leah McNamara (Then You Run) and Cork’s own Donál Finn (The Wheel of Time) making their names on international series.

The huge success of the ‘green wave’ at the Oscars this year helps, she agrees. “In The Witcher I had an Irish accent and in Willow I had an Irish accent. I think we're just being recognised more. There's so much talent in Ireland, so much art happens there, and I think we're finally recognised for that.”

With the hugely successful Sex Education drawing to a close, anticipation is high for Everything Now, and McCormack understands why some are comparing the two shows. “It's a great show to be compared to - it had a fantastic run and it was very successful. But I do think that this is different and it stands on its own.

“It's different to anything I've ever seen and as a young girl I would have loved to have had something like this to watch.”