KATHERINE DEVLIN
- 5' ELEVEN''
- Oct 2
- 8 min read
Katherine Devlin, who plays Annie in BBC1's Blue Lights, sits down with 5'ELEVEN' to discuss the third season of the show - which you can catch from the 29th September – how she got the role and what drew her to the character of Annie. From the creative challenges of putting on plays during the pandemic, her aspirations for the future and why representing different voices on screen is so important, one can sense that Katherine's journey into acting, although already impressive, has only just begun.
Words by Carla McCannon
Photographed by Connor Harris. Styled by Harley Graham. Make-up by Brooke Simons at Caren using Lisa Eldridge Makeup. Hair by Sophie Sugarman. Stylist assisted by Holly Carson. Katherine Devlin appears courtesy of Pinnacle PR.
Bra, skirt and shoes by Célian Dewasmes. Earrings and necklace by Alémais
I was reading up about you, and I was really interested in your parcours because you're from Northern Ireland, but you studied in Wales as well as the Lir Academy in Dublin. What took you from Wales?
That's a good question. Actually, no one's ever asked me that! I love Wales. Wales is incredible, and I love the Welsh people as well. I feel as if they're very similar to the Irish, especially their dry sarcastic humour, which I love. A lot of my best friends are Welsh.
I did the Lir foundation course in Dublin and loved it. The Lir's a fantastic college, especially their movement department. I really warmed to the movement teacher. She's incredible - Sue is her name. But I was very young, and especially with the Lir, they primarily train you in theatre, which is fab, but at the same time, back then, I actually didn't really know much about theatre. And although I loved the idea of it, I also really loved the idea of screen acting. So, I did the foundation course, and then I took a couple of years out and just did the old thing of working full-time, paying rent, and doing adult life, which was really useful. It was really nice to get that experience and to be within the real world essentially. Then I thought, ‘look, if I'm going to really pursue this acting career, I think personally that I want to do drama school.’ So I did a bit of research and I auditioned for the Lir - the three-year course. At that stage, I was within the Lyric drama studio, which is a really fantastic system for people that are auditioning for drama school. A guy - Philip Crawford - mentioned the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. To be honest with you, I didn't know much about it at that stage. I knew that I wanted to have at least two to audition for, and luckily got into both the Lir and Royal Welsh. But I was really drawn to the college, particularly with a lady called Patricia Logue, who's an acting lecturer - she's just unbelievable: so, so good at her craft and a fantastic director. In my gut, I felt it was the right move. So, without knowing anything about Wales or Cardiff, I got up and headed off.
We graduated in 2021, so our third year was a lot of online classes because of COVID. It was definitely a very different third year in that sense. Everything was social distancing and masks, which is a different way of working, especially for theatre.
Yes, it must have been quite challenging.
It was super challenging, but also just a completely different way of working and having to think outside the box. I did a gorgeous, very hard-hitting play in the third year, which was Statements After Arrest, under the Immorality Act. It was a South African play, and it was a two-hander. Within the play, the actual storyline is super intimate. Having to do that whilst being socially distanced was definitely a challenge. But, at the same time, it just allowed us to be creative and to use not just physical touch but different elements to portray the story.
That's very interesting. A good time to be doing masquerade ball scenes and things.
That's a good idea actually. [laughter]
So, you graduated in 2021, and you've been acting pretty much ever since, with Blue Lights and various other projects in between. Did it take off quite quickly for you after drama school?
Luckily, it did. I signed with my agent when I was in my third year. And then about four to six months after I graduated, I was sending out different tapes, and Blue Lights came my way. I remember reading the brief, and I just had a real tingling feeling in my stomach. I really loved everything about it and the characters, and specifically Annie. I knew exactly the type of person that she is because I know girls like that back home. She's also a country girl - I'm from Tyrone - so I think that's what makes her that bit different because she's from the Glens of Antrim, which is also within the countryside. I sent the tape out, [and I] was obviously really nervous about it, really wanted it, but was trying to play it cool as usual. [Laughter] I didn't hear back for a good couple of months, and then I got a phone call to say that they wanted me to play Annie. It wasn't a recall, there weren't different stages to it. It was just the phone call happened and I was like, “Oh wow”.
That's brilliant. I read somewhere that you were just about to settle in London and suddenly...
Yes, it was a running joke with me and my agent that every time I moved to London, I would get a job. So, with Blue Lights, I landed in London, I'd signed a lease and was roaming around Westfield Shopping Centre with 10% battery, trying to get loads of stuff for my bedroom, picking out all these lovely frilly bed covers - really loving life and setting up my London home. And then I remember specifically seeing Anna's name come up and thinking, “This is definitely going to be a rejection today.” Then she rang me again and said, “You've got Blue Lights, you have to come home.” I remember sitting in the corner of Westfield Shopping Centre with loads of bed linen and a duvet that I just bought, thinking should I return these? What do I do? [Laughter}
Yeah, they're hard professions – with writing, it's the same, you have to put yourself out there and deal with rejections as well as the yeses.
I think, to be honest with you, it's not talked about enough, especially from actors, where it's really, really tough. It's super competitive. You always have to remind yourself that you're on your own path and to stay true to yourself. But it's a constant battle. It's not all glitz and glam, and it's amazing going to these events and things like that, but you have to really sit with yourself and build up an armour. It's a really difficult industry.
Bustier, tank, bermudas and boots by Dior. Earrings by Foundry Boundary at Alsolike London
Yes, I think all the creative industries do have that in common, and it is hard, in that they need people who are sensitive, so it's such a double-edged sword - needing the sensitivity to do what you do and somehow developing a thick enough skin to also healthily deal with rejection and not let it get to you.
A hundred percent. Yes, it's a constant paradox. That's such a good point actually - you have to be super sensitive and to feel all your emotions, especially on set, but then also to be completely desensitised, especially when it comes to rejections. But then when certain projects come your way, they talk about needing to be passionate and really going for it. But then detach, detach, detach. So, it's a constant back and forth.
Yes, something to aspire to.
Yes, it's an ongoing journey!
In terms of the next season of Blue Lights, what can you reveal?
Season three asks some really big questions. [The characters] are back into the world of drug dealing and exploitation, but particularly they're dealing with a bigger beast this season, where they're homing in on white collar crime and the people that facilitate and support that. The moral lines become very grey. A constant question that is brought up within this season is, Why are we doing this? Why are we sacrificing so much? We're sacrificing our families, our friends, particularly with Annie, and a constant internal battle that she has is,“Is it all worth it?”
I think the importance of Blue Lights is, at the crux of it, it's about human connections. And it's about genuinely caring for other people. With the state of the world at the minute, I think that's so important right now. I think that's the beauty of Blue Lights. It's people having empathy for others.
Yes, that's really beautiful. What would be your aspirations as an actress, in the coming years?
Good question. I think truthfully, it always boils down to the script and the quality of the characters. And I personally think you're only as good as the writing. So that's number one for me. And then I'm always drawn to female-led stories, and female directors as well. I love Andrea Arnold, I think she's incredible. Her stuff is so visceral and even aesthetically, it conjures up emotions that you didn't even know existed in a way. I think for the future I would just love to be challenged, but also to step into a character that's completely different to Blue Lights. Just for the fun of it. And at the minute in particular, I love psychological dramas, and I really love scary movies, American Horror Story, things like that, real cult classics. Something along the lines of Mia Goth and X.
Last but not least, you're Northern Irish and you've spoken before about wanting to represent different voices. Do you feel that shooting in Northern Ireland will always have a special place in your heart?
Yes, I think I'll always be drawn to Irish characters. I'm always fascinated by Irish people. I think we're only touching the surface when it comes to Irish culture, so I think I'll always be drawn to Irish stories, but also, particularly with what you were saying when it comes to different voices, it's so important. I was actually chatting about this the other day to somebody: there are so many different accents in the north, even 10 minutes down the road from me is an entirely different accent, and it's a different way of life and a lot of the time, a different set of politics. There are so many different facets of Irish people, and I think it's really important to be showcasing different accents on screen, not just Northern Irish accents, or different types of Irish accents, but also generally speaking, it's so important to showcase Northern English accents as well, Scouse accents and things like that, because that's life. That's the world that we live in, and there are different cultures. It's not just a set neutral RP accent. For TV to truthfully portray real life, it's necessary.
I absolutely agree, and I think the cogs are hopefully beginning to turn... Thank you so much for your time!
Blue Lights season 3 will arrive on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Monday 29th September. Seasons 1-2 are available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer.
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