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Hazel Doupe is ready to slow things down. “My huge plans [for the end of 2024] include copious amounts of hot chocolate, sleep, and visiting my best friend in Sweden over Christmas,” she shares. It’s a well-earned breather for a breakthrough star closing out what might be her most significant year yet. Doupe recently delivered a standout performance in Say Nothing, Hulu’s gripping coming-of-age drama based on Patrick Radden Keefe’s acclaimed 2018 nonfiction book, Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland.

Set in late-’70s Belfast, the nine-part series focuses on sisters Dolours (Lola Petticrew) and Marian Price (Hazel Doupe), their deep entanglement with the Irish Republican Army, and the infamous abduction and murder of widow Jean McConville amid the decade-long conflict. “What’s often left out of the conversation is just how young these people were when they were forced to take up arms,” says Doupe. “The things our characters are faced with at such a young age are so unsettling.”

In conversation with Wonderland, the Dublin-born actor opens up about her experience filming Say Nothing, her role in Eva Birthistle’s newly released feature film Kathleen is Here, and her passion for exploring “complex people who are changeable.” She also reflects on her excitement for the future of the screen industry, as productions begin “beautifully deviating from formulaic storytelling and casting.” Keep reading…

Hi Hazel, thanks so much for chatting with us! How are you today? What have you been up to recently, and what are your plans for the end of 2024?
I’m pretty good at the minute. I’ve just picture wrapped on another series this week, so I’m about to get really cosy over the next few months. My huge plans include copious amounts of hot chocolate, sleep and visiting my best friend in Sweden over Christmas.

Before we dive into your new project, tell us about your creative upbringing.
So, I grew up in North County Dublin in Ireland, slightly out of the city, surrounded by fields and close to the sea. I was a really lucky kid; my parents were incredibly supportive of whatever I wanted to do in life and that just so happened to be acting.

What were some of your first influences in the acting world, and when did you fall in love with the craft?
I started pretty young, around 10 years old. To be honest, I can’t remember ever not being in love with film. I knew from a young age what a special opportunity it was to have access to these worlds that I could only have otherwise dreamed of or read about. There’s that great Mark Twain quote “Never let schooling interfere with your education” and in fairness, my schools were always so kind and supportive of me; but I had a great imagination and a terrible attention span, and unlike school, those were both strengths in the world of film. So, I knew where I wanted to be.

One of my first influences was my older brother. We both did a comedy sketch from Father Ted one year for the Christmas school talent show. If you know the show – he played Bishop Brennan and I was Mrs. Doyle. I was about 4 years old and he was 9 and that was my first ever stage performance. I just remember being on stage with my big brother knowing that I was safe, that the stage was a safe place to be, while also being so alive and exciting. Listening to the audience laugh and react kind of felt like we were conductors of something, whatever was happening it felt very special.

Huge congratulations on Say Nothing! When did you first hear about the project, and do you remember your initial reactions to the script? What about it first caught your attention?
Thank you! Well, I first heard about the project when the scripts came across my desk in November the previous year and my initial thoughts were: How the hell has an American managed to get the Irish Experience so spot on? The language, the pace of life, the relationships. I’m not from Belfast but we do have a similar way about us in the South. Though not quite as much craic, I fear.

What I really loved about the scripts was that the show was bringing to light the cost of this war for all of its victims. It wasn’t interested in good versus evil, and I am similar. I am very interested in complex people who are changeable, who you can be rooting for in one instance and totally horrified by the next. I think it’s so important to look at those shifts in people because, on a greater scale, I think a lot of what we consider “evil” in this world is often born from fear and thrives in silence. You see the pattern of it everywhere and I don’t think we’re asking the right questions. But when we do start asking them, I think the discussions that arise will be a vital avenue to our healing. This show asked those questions in my opinion and that was a big reason as to why I really wanted to be part of it.

I’m curious about your character preparation for this role. How much of the historical context behind the story were you familiar with before reading the script, and how did you navigate bringing this character to life?
I didn’t know much about Dolours and Marian Price before reading the book and scripts. Once I accepted the role, I trawled through photographs and documentaries and scraped together what I could of very very limited interview accounts. But all of my character’s wit and grit was on the page, so that made my job significantly easier. I knew I needed to plot her arc really specifically and intuitively so that’s what I did.

Since I’m not from the north, making sure that I was accurate and respectful was one of the biggest priorities. I would’ve been checking in frequently with Lola [Petticrew] just making sure I was getting it right. When it came to my performance, I was so incredibly lucky to work with Lola Petticrew who plays Dolours. The two sisters have their own stories going on individually, but their bond feels like a character in itself and I could not feel prouder to share that performance with Lola.

Lola has this electric playfulness and a generosity that is very rare and it’s absolute magic when you’re in that with them. So much of my performance hangs on theirs. Like when one of us opens the fridge, the other closes it, you know? And I just couldn’t believe how well matched we were without having a single chemistry read. It felt like we were in our own world half the time while filming, just being actual siblings. Lola’s a force of nature and I have so much to thank them for if I’m going to talk about my own work on this show.

Speaking from experience, in conversations I’ve had with Irish friends, it’s often said that the stories of the men in the IRA are widely known, but not so much the women. Do you relate to that? What was your experience growing up, hearing about The Troubles, and now relearning the story from your character’s perspective?
I think that’s true. For a long time the only stories I ever heard about The War in the North were of the men who took up arms, not the women. I think that made a lot of people who aren’t from the north, including myself, associate that war with the men of that generation and only the men. So it was refreshing and really educational to read about this from the female perspective.

Growing up, I didn’t know much about “The Troubles”, which is a pleasant name given to something horrifying. I feel more comfortable calling it The War. But what’s often left out of the conversation is just how young these people were when they were forced to take up arms. The things our characters are faced with at such a young age is so unsettling. When I finished the book, I had to sit with my feelings for a long time and reckon with the absolute lack of knowledge and attention given to this particular time in history. It’s something every single person in Ireland and the UK needs to know about.

Marian Price is such a layered character. How did you connect with her most, and what were the biggest challenges in playing this role?
She really is. When I began reading our scripts I immediately felt as though this was a character I could get into the psyche of, it wasn’t really something I had to find. As I said, I love characters that are nuanced and paradoxical. On top of that, I feel deeply connected to my country. I remember how much it broke my heart having to leave Dublin to start filming in the UK, and how my whole body just breathed out when the plane touched Irish soil again. I definitely drew on that feeling for episode 6.

And in terms of challenges, I thought the biggest challenge for me was going to be the lack of video footage and interview material with the real life Marian Price. But the more prep time that passed the more liberated I felt being able to work solely from the script to pursue the motives of this already extremely well developed character.

The feature-length of Kathleen is Here is another recent project of yours, following the short film from 2020. Could you walk us through the story and your character’s arc, and share what it was like bringing her to life?

Yes! Kathleen is Here is the fictional story of a girl, Kathleen, who is aging out of the care system. We meet her as she returns back to her empty childhood home after her mother’s death and strikes up a friendship with a neighbour, Dee.

It was a really amazing thing, bringing Kathleen to life. Again, I found myself playing a character whose experience I hadn’t lived, so it was really important to me that Kathleen was not a paint by numbers character, she had to have her own goals and ideologies. She was also just so riveting to read on the page and I wanted to do that justice. So while the subject matter was really tough, working with Eva [Birthistle, the director] to bring that to life was such a beautiful experience.

How has your character evolved since 2020, and how do you think that reflects your own growth as an actor? How did making the short film prepare you for this next chapter?
Kathleen was so well developed and cared for by Eva’s writing in the script and when I first read it, 6 years ago, my heart was in my chest most of the time. I think the time between playing her the first time in 2018, and then again in the feature 4 years later, left a lot of time for some of her mannerisms to settle into my bones. I think I grew a lot in that time too, and hopefully brought something interesting to the role as a result.

How would you say these projects have shaped the actor you are today? What lessons from this chapter do you think will stay with you forever?
Great question. Well, I think the people I met on those two projects have made a lifelong impression on me. The beautiful thing about working in film is that you meet people with completely different normals to you, that makes you a lot more aware of the world around you and a lot less focussed on yourself. Self-awareness is obviously a very important trait, and especially as an actor and a person whose relationships are really important to them, I’ve always prioritised interrogating my own thoughts and behaviours. But now, it’s even more important to me, since both of these projects are [about having] awareness of other experiences in the world, and the importance of doing something with that awareness.

Looking ahead, what’s next for you, and what excites you most about the future?
Honestly, I am really excited for the future [of] television and film, mainly for the range of stories we’re beginning to see more of on screens. There is a lot of film and TV being made at the minute which is so beautifully deviating from formulaic storytelling and casting. It is really inspiring to be working at a time when that’s happening.

And I’m really looking forward to making more music in January. Music is my second love, so I generally try to keep it quiet and just make it for the love of it, but I genuinely can’t wait to get back into producing and pouring my soul into it for a time.

Hazel Doupe is ready to slow things down. “My huge plans [for the end of 2024] include copious amounts of hot chocolate, sleep, and visiting my best friend in Sweden over Christmas,” she shares. It’s a well-earned breather for a breakthrough star closing out what might be her most significant year yet. Doupe recently delivered a standout performance in Say Nothing, Hulu’s gripping coming-of-age drama based on Patrick Radden Keefe’s acclaimed 2018 nonfiction book, Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland.

Set in late-’70s Belfast, the nine-part series focuses on sisters Dolours (Lola Petticrew) and Marian Price (Hazel Doupe), their deep entanglement with the Irish Republican Army, and the infamous abduction and murder of widow Jean McConville amid the decade-long conflict. “What’s often left out of the conversation is just how young these people were when they were forced to take up arms,” says Doupe. “The things our characters are faced with at such a young age are so unsettling.”

In conversation with Wonderland, the Dublin-born actor opens up about her experience filming Say Nothing, her role in Eva Birthistle’s newly released feature film Kathleen is Here, and her passion for exploring “complex people who are changeable.” She also reflects on her excitement for the future of the screen industry, as productions begin “beautifully deviating from formulaic storytelling and casting.” Keep reading…

Hi Hazel, thanks so much for chatting with us! How are you today? What have you been up to recently, and what are your plans for the end of 2024?
I’m pretty good at the minute. I’ve just picture wrapped on another series this week, so I’m about to get really cosy over the next few months. My huge plans include copious amounts of hot chocolate, sleep and visiting my best friend in Sweden over Christmas.

Before we dive into your new project, tell us about your creative upbringing.
So, I grew up in North County Dublin in Ireland, slightly out of the city, surrounded by fields and close to the sea. I was a really lucky kid; my parents were incredibly supportive of whatever I wanted to do in life and that just so happened to be acting.

What were some of your first influences in the acting world, and when did you fall in love with the craft?
I started pretty young, around 10 years old. To be honest, I can’t remember ever not being in love with film. I knew from a young age what a special opportunity it was to have access to these worlds that I could only have otherwise dreamed of or read about. There’s that great Mark Twain quote “Never let schooling interfere with your education” and in fairness, my schools were always so kind and supportive of me; but I had a great imagination and a terrible attention span, and unlike school, those were both strengths in the world of film. So, I knew where I wanted to be.

One of my first influences was my older brother. We both did a comedy sketch from Father Ted one year for the Christmas school talent show. If you know the show – he played Bishop Brennan and I was Mrs. Doyle. I was about 4 years old and he was 9 and that was my first ever stage performance. I just remember being on stage with my big brother knowing that I was safe, that the stage was a safe place to be, while also being so alive and exciting. Listening to the audience laugh and react kind of felt like we were conductors of something, whatever was happening it felt very special.

Huge congratulations on Say Nothing! When did you first hear about the project, and do you remember your initial reactions to the script? What about it first caught your attention?
Thank you! Well, I first heard about the project when the scripts came across my desk in November the previous year and my initial thoughts were: How the hell has an American managed to get the Irish Experience so spot on? The language, the pace of life, the relationships. I’m not from Belfast but we do have a similar way about us in the South. Though not quite as much craic, I fear.

What I really loved about the scripts was that the show was bringing to light the cost of this war for all of its victims. It wasn’t interested in good versus evil, and I am similar. I am very interested in complex people who are changeable, who you can be rooting for in one instance and totally horrified by the next. I think it’s so important to look at those shifts in people because, on a greater scale, I think a lot of what we consider “evil” in this world is often born from fear and thrives in silence. You see the pattern of it everywhere and I don’t think we’re asking the right questions. But when we do start asking them, I think the discussions that arise will be a vital avenue to our healing. This show asked those questions in my opinion and that was a big reason as to why I really wanted to be part of it.

I’m curious about your character preparation for this role. How much of the historical context behind the story were you familiar with before reading the script, and how did you navigate bringing this character to life?
I didn’t know much about Dolours and Marian Price before reading the book and scripts. Once I accepted the role, I trawled through photographs and documentaries and scraped together what I could of very very limited interview accounts. But all of my character’s wit and grit was on the page, so that made my job significantly easier. I knew I needed to plot her arc really specifically and intuitively so that’s what I did.

Since I’m not from the north, making sure that I was accurate and respectful was one of the biggest priorities. I would’ve been checking in frequently with Lola [Petticrew] just making sure I was getting it right. When it came to my performance, I was so incredibly lucky to work with Lola Petticrew who plays Dolours. The two sisters have their own stories going on individually, but their bond feels like a character in itself and I could not feel prouder to share that performance with Lola.

Lola has this electric playfulness and a generosity that is very rare and it’s absolute magic when you’re in that with them. So much of my performance hangs on theirs. Like when one of us opens the fridge, the other closes it, you know? And I just couldn’t believe how well matched we were without having a single chemistry read. It felt like we were in our own world half the time while filming, just being actual siblings. Lola’s a force of nature and I have so much to thank them for if I’m going to talk about my own work on this show.

Speaking from experience, in conversations I’ve had with Irish friends, it’s often said that the stories of the men in the IRA are widely known, but not so much the women. Do you relate to that? What was your experience growing up, hearing about The Troubles, and now relearning the story from your character’s perspective?
I think that’s true. For a long time the only stories I ever heard about The War in the North were of the men who took up arms, not the women. I think that made a lot of people who aren’t from the north, including myself, associate that war with the men of that generation and only the men. So it was refreshing and really educational to read about this from the female perspective.

Growing up, I didn’t know much about “The Troubles”, which is a pleasant name given to something horrifying. I feel more comfortable calling it The War. But what’s often left out of the conversation is just how young these people were when they were forced to take up arms. The things our characters are faced with at such a young age is so unsettling. When I finished the book, I had to sit with my feelings for a long time and reckon with the absolute lack of knowledge and attention given to this particular time in history. It’s something every single person in Ireland and the UK needs to know about.

Marian Price is such a layered character. How did you connect with her most, and what were the biggest challenges in playing this role?
She really is. When I began reading our scripts I immediately felt as though this was a character I could get into the psyche of, it wasn’t really something I had to find. As I said, I love characters that are nuanced and paradoxical. On top of that, I feel deeply connected to my country. I remember how much it broke my heart having to leave Dublin to start filming in the UK, and how my whole body just breathed out when the plane touched Irish soil again. I definitely drew on that feeling for episode 6.

And in terms of challenges, I thought the biggest challenge for me was going to be the lack of video footage and interview material with the real life Marian Price. But the more prep time that passed the more liberated I felt being able to work solely from the script to pursue the motives of this already extremely well developed character.

The feature-length of Kathleen is Here is another recent project of yours, following the short film from 2020. Could you walk us through the story and your character’s arc, and share what it was like bringing her to life?

Yes! Kathleen is Here is the fictional story of a girl, Kathleen, who is aging out of the care system. We meet her as she returns back to her empty childhood home after her mother’s death and strikes up a friendship with a neighbour, Dee.

It was a really amazing thing, bringing Kathleen to life. Again, I found myself playing a character whose experience I hadn’t lived, so it was really important to me that Kathleen was not a paint by numbers character, she had to have her own goals and ideologies. She was also just so riveting to read on the page and I wanted to do that justice. So while the subject matter was really tough, working with Eva [Birthistle, the director] to bring that to life was such a beautiful experience.

How has your character evolved since 2020, and how do you think that reflects your own growth as an actor? How did making the short film prepare you for this next chapter?
Kathleen was so well developed and cared for by Eva’s writing in the script and when I first read it, 6 years ago, my heart was in my chest most of the time. I think the time between playing her the first time in 2018, and then again in the feature 4 years later, left a lot of time for some of her mannerisms to settle into my bones. I think I grew a lot in that time too, and hopefully brought something interesting to the role as a result.

How would you say these projects have shaped the actor you are today? What lessons from this chapter do you think will stay with you forever?
Great question. Well, I think the people I met on those two projects have made a lifelong impression on me. The beautiful thing about working in film is that you meet people with completely different normals to you, that makes you a lot more aware of the world around you and a lot less focussed on yourself. Self-awareness is obviously a very important trait, and especially as an actor and a person whose relationships are really important to them, I’ve always prioritised interrogating my own thoughts and behaviours. But now, it’s even more important to me, since both of these projects are [about having] awareness of other experiences in the world, and the importance of doing something with that awareness.

Looking ahead, what’s next for you, and what excites you most about the future?
Honestly, I am really excited for the future [of] television and film, mainly for the range of stories we’re beginning to see more of on screens. There is a lot of film and TV being made at the minute which is so beautifully deviating from formulaic storytelling and casting. It is really inspiring to be working at a time when that’s happening.

And I’m really looking forward to making more music in January. Music is my second love, so I generally try to keep it quiet and just make it for the love of it, but I genuinely can’t wait to get back into producing and pouring my soul into it for a time.