Mairead Tyres’s first screen role immediately after graduating from drama school was in the film “Belfast” directed by Kenneth Branagh. “You don’t see me in the movie at all,” she says. “(But) I’m very proud of it.” A year later, she landed her first lead role in the UK Disney+ original comedy “Extraordinary.” In the show — which is essentially a syndicated sitcom with a twist — Tyers plays 20-year-old Jane, who is anarchic, funny and the only person in the world who doesn’t have a superpower.
But Jane can also be selfish and obnoxious at times — mostly toward her roommates Carrie (Sophia Oxenham), Cash (Bilal Hasna), and Gislord (Luke Rollason) — and Tyers’ superhuman strength makes her not only relatable, but likable. . So much so that the show, created and written by newcomer Emma Moran, has been renewed for a second season, which premieres today on Disney+.
Despite his emergence on the comedy scene, Tyers isn’t worried about being typecast. “When I got ‘Exceptional,’ that was something I was told. ‘Now make sure you also do dramatic stuff and don’t get pigeonholed into comedy,'” she recalls. “It’s as if the comedy is less than the dramatic parts, which I completely disagree with.” ”
For her next role, in the dramedy “My Lady Jane” opposite Dominic Cooper, Tyers is wearing a corset and will soon appear in the short film “Meat Puppets,” which premieres next month at SXSW. “I would also like to do a drama serial as well,” she says. “I want to do it all.”
What was your reaction when you first got the script for “Extraordinary” before your audition?
I think I was very sick at the time. I had a cold and when I saw (the self-tape audition) I was like, “Oh my God, this is not the time. I feel so sick, how am I going to get out of this?” I think the testament to a good script is when you can learn your lines like Which And I remember that I was able to learn the lines very quickly. I think Jane’s voice – and Emma’s voice coming through Jane – sounded like a harmonious thing and I was able to pick it up very quickly. Our sense of humor is very consistent.
Speaking of humor, how do you feel saying “Jizzlord” on Disney+ all the time?
I know! It feels crazy, doesn’t it? In the original self-tape there was nothing about Jizzlord. The next round, I was sent the first episode and I read it – and obviously you didn’t meet Jizzlord in that first scene either. But you have a cat named Jizzlord. And I think my chemistry readings are when I’m reading with two different Jizzlords – (laughs) it’s the craziest thing I can say; I feel like I’m insulting the different lads who came to read that part – but yeah, different lads came and then I remember (reading it) with Luke and it felt right. Same thing with Bilal and Sofia. It was later in the casting process, but once they arrived, it seemed absolutely right.
‘The Extraordinary’ Luke Rollason, Mairead Tyers and Bilal Hasna (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Do you know what Jin’s power is?
I can’t say anything about that!
Have you seen any of the speculation online?
Yes. I like to look at Reddit sometimes. Many people said that she could almost weaken people’s powers. I know Emma read it and then said “Oh, that’s a good idea.” I enjoy seeing the speculation. I love that it’s something completely useless to her. It’s a typical thing we do every day: You think that once you have a certain thing that you so desire, something special that feels like no one else has and you don’t, your life will be complete and you will be a different, happier person as a result. And of course, life goes on and you realize it doesn’t work that way.
What did you like about the character of Jane when you first read the script?
I’ve heard people compare Jane to Sharon Horgan’s character in “Pulling” or even Aisling Bea’s character in “This Way Up” and (Phoebe Waller-Bridge in) “Fleabag” and all these kinds of messy female characters, I guess. And I think what attracted me to Jane is that she has the personality of a messy woman inside her but she’s also more complex than that. Women on TV and female characters weren’t really allowed to get angry or defensive or anything other than attractiveness and authenticity. And I think Jane is the exact opposite – maybe she doesn’t necessarily want that – but she’s the exact opposite. And it’s just fun, but it’s not really trying to be. I think there’s something really funny about a character who doesn’t realize they’re so funny.
And I was drawn to what Jane wasn’t saying. In Episode 4 of Season 1, she finally reveals that the reason she doesn’t want to go to counseling for the clinic (to help her get her powers) is because what if she gets her powers and then realizes she doesn’t like them. Who is she with and doesn’t like what she has become? She doesn’t like to analyze herself. I think this is very relatable.
What have been the reactions to the first season?
It’s really funny because we all hang out a lot, the four of us together, and I think people get really confused when they see us together because it’s like, “Oh, you’re these people from that show?” But beautiful. I think what’s been great lately is that whenever people recognize me, they immediately say, “When is season 2 coming out?” There’s so much to watch these days and so much to consume that it can seem quite overwhelming. To feel like people have a reaction to the show — and the fact that we obviously have a second season coming out that was commissioned before the first season even came out. Disney was right when they predicted that the series would do well, and that people would want a second season.
Will there be a third season?
We don’t know yet. Fingers crossed! I would love to have another one. I feel like we’re just getting started.