Irish actress Máiréad Tyers is no stranger to the world of the supernatural and unusual as the star of Hulu superhero comedy Extraordinary. However, on Prime Video’s epic but irreverent historical fantasy My Lady Jane, she tackles a totally different sort of heroine role as the surprisingly resourceful and skilled Susannah.
Recently, Tyers spoke with Geek Girl Authority via Zoom, providing thoughtful insights into her character, the world of My Lady Jane and how this bonkers-awesome fantasy adventure speaks to our real-world conflicts.
WARNING: There is a spoiler detail below regarding Máiréad’s character, Susannah.
The following transcript has been edited for clarity.
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Of Society, Fighting and Corsets, Too
Diana Keng: What did you have to learn to play Susannah, a character very different from Extraordinary’s Jen?
Máiréad Tyers: There was a lot to learn. It was important to me to learn about the society that they’re living in, particularly with the fantasy element. That was something we could learn from the writer, but also just to know what this time was like for women and someone of Susannah’s position in that society and what was expected of her.
MT: There was plenty to learn with sword fighting and axe fighting. There was a lot to be learned there. Important to learn how to live and breathe in a corset. I got quite lucky, though, ’cause I got to take off the skirts and wear trousers for most of the series.
The Magic and the Mystery
DK: Have you had a chance to see the finished episodes?
MT: I’ve seen [episodes] one to four. I haven’t finished it. I’m on the edge of my seat. I know what happens, but we did film it two years ago, so I don’t remember everything. I’m really excited to see it, especially the last episode. There are so many cool things that happen in that episode, so I can’t wait to see the rest of it.
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DK: What was your reaction to seeing yourself turn into a bird?
MT: It was really cool. The experience of filming it was very not-cool. I had to walk into a field and spread my arms so to see it develop into a sequence where it actually looked like I turned into a bird… I think it looks so real because they tried to use the least amount of CGI possible. But it was really cool, and I love seeing the other transformations, like Archer. His transformation is incredible. The pig one isn’t as cool. (laughs) Kind of think we would’ve preferred to see a human but…
Lessons to Learn
DK: The relationship between the Veritys and the Ethians parallels the inequities in our society. Did you spend any time thinking about how that speaks to the real world?
MT: One hundred percent. I think the direct comparison in this era is that of Catholics and Protestants of the Tudor times. But that framework works so well in the show, having these Ethians and Veritys and the Ethians being treated horrendously for no reason other than the fact that they are different and all the hate speech and lies that are spread about them being barbaric and violent. It’s so universal, and it’s still a problem nowadays.
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MT: When you have characters making those judgments and having those biases and you, as the audience member, are looking at it, going, ‘But what’s the difference?’ When you see it put as plainly as characters who can turn into animals and characters who can’t, you realize how ridiculous and baseless those prejudices are. Hopefully, people will watch it and maybe re-question their own prejudices, learn something, and realize how outlandish it is to be discriminating against those who might be slightly different.
All eight episodes of My Lady Jane drop on Prime Video on June 27.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/fairy-lore-origins-true-blood-lord-of-the-rings-baldurs-gate-princess-mononoke/
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