Models who take up acting are something of a fashion cliche but the reverse is a much rarer phenomenon. Still, if actress Dervla Kirwan was looking for a new career choice, she would find a warm welcome in any photographic studio. Right now might be a good time for model agencies to make her a proposal because she has just announced her departure from Ballykissangel.
The wildly popular show's third series - due to start being screened in early December - only finished filming in August and having worked without break for six months, she and her co-star/partner Stephen Tompkinson leave this week for a holiday in the United States. The couple, who met here while filming the original series, plan to visit Los Angeles and San Francisco, plus a third location which is being kept secret. Dervla says she decided now was the right time to leave Ballykissangel before any threat of stereotyping began to seep into her work. Voted the most popular actress on British television last year, she recognises both the advantages and potential pitfalls of a show which has given her unexpected celebrity. "I had to get out of it," she says. "You have to take risks, otherwise people would start to think that's all there is to me." In fact, as a glance over her CV proves, she already had an impressive amount of stage and television experience before taking on the role of Assumpta in the BBC series. Working as an actress for the past 10 years, she performed at the Gate and Abbey Theatres in Dublin and then, aged 19, moved to London "because I realised that's what you did; you went over there and touted for work." "Ballykissangel was great because it gave me the chance to come back and work over here again," she says. "I'd gladly do other things if the offers came through. It's been seven years since I was on stage in Ireland, so I'd love to do something."
In the meantime, however, she plans to make the most of her American trip by seeing what options might be available in Hollywood. "Los Angeles is not going to be a big naive step for me. I know it's tough out there, but I do think there's a place for Irish actors in that market. Ballykissangel was shot on film, so I have the advantage of experience in the form." Her ambition for the future accordingly is not too much of a surprise. "I really want to get into feature films." Now that Ballykissangel is behind her, she has a chance to reassess her whole image and invest in a new wardrobe for the season ahead. Like many members of the profession, she is not terribly tall - just five foot four inches - and therefore loves to add a little extra with high heels. Exposure to the remorseless nature of the British tabloid media has made her wary of wearing anything too revealing but she prefers strong colours and dramatic shapes.
Picking clothes from the new collections by Irish designers was therefore not too challenging: they can expect to see her calling back once she returns from her month's break because she responded enthusiastically to each successive outfit. The variety of styles she models here is testament to Dervla Kirwan's versatility. No wonder she is looking to what happens next with such gusto. "For the first time in my career," she explains, "I can sit back and wait to choose what's right. I can sense the next year's going to be an exciting time."