You might know our latest cover star from her spectacular involvement as 'Jen' in the recent second installment of Disney+'s highly anticipated offering "EXTRAORDINARY". 

Máiréad Tyers encapsulated Jen in such a versatile manner that often led the viewers to part ways with the show possessing a strong, positive and immensely heavy impression of the intricately crafted character. 

Jen's arc actively deals with a lot of contrasting yet distinctively amalgamating emotions and elements; straying from comedy, guilt, childhood fantasies, trauma, friendship, humorous challenges to unexpected rivalry, grief, introspective growth and much more. Jen gets her introduction as a being with proclivity for utmost chaos. 

Tyers' impeccable performance also bagged her a very well-deserved Royal Television Society and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Nominations for Best Female Performance in Comedy. 

Portrayed as a protagonist having constant vignettes of a conflicted childhood, Jen appears as a rare soul taming her whimsical demons and obstacles while possessing no powers in a world full of superheroes and villains with exceptional abilities. 

BAFTA Nominee Máiréad Tyers recently sat down with me for ReVamp's latest cover as we indulged in a heartfelt conversation; discussing everything from getting to portray Jen for the second time, her creative process, her recent prestigious award nominations, reuniting with the beloved cast and crew of the Disney+ project as well as offering some significant insights into her professional journey and all things EXTRAORDINARY. 

Thank you for joining me, Máiréad! I have to start our conversation by mentioning your surreal performance as 'Jen' in  Disney+'s EXTRAORDINARY. 

Pertaining to this arc, how would you say has your character and your own perception towards Jen evolved as a character ever since we first saw her in Season 1 as compared to now in the second installment? 

Thank you! Yes, I think my perception of the characters changed a lot. When I first read the first couple episodes of season two, I felt quite encouraged and surprised by where it was going. There are things that Jen does in the second season that I found really surprising. And that if I had read that at the start of the first season, I never would've thought that she would be capable of it.

Like the whole journey she goes on in the second season; with her relationship with Jizzlord, her relationship with both her mom, her dad, and also with Carrie. I believe she begins to have a lot of revelations and they're revelations that are aided by the guidance of other people. You know, it's definitely not something that Jen's come to herself.

But I think as for me as an actor and as someone who knows the character Jen really well, I was really encouraged and happy to see that she's grown up a bit and has kind of made different choices because she's quite a selfish, you know, self-absorbed character who's kind of stuck in this childlike trauma that she's experienced from childhood. 

And I think it takes a lot for her to-

A.- Become aware of the things that she's doing wrong and then B.- Choose to do the right thing. 

In the second season, she's slowly beginning to evolve and starts doing that. So, yes, I felt really encouraged and I'm glad with where she ends up at the end of the second season. I mean, the cliffhanger is obviously, you know, a very heavy cliffhanger. But I think I'm glad of the journey that she goes on. I think it's going to be good for her.

Do you remember your experience getting back on set for Season 2? 

I know the show was already greenlit right around its first season's premiere so how was that experience like working on a project knowing that you were still garnering reception from people since it hadn't been a long time since the first installment of the show was out and all of you were already working on the second season? 

It was quite a feeling like it was a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. We had started rehearsals from I think mid-January and the same week we had the premiere for season one. It was such a funny thing. We started the week of rehearsals aware that all this stuff was coming up and that it was going to be coming out very shortly.

For me, it was my first time doing a press junket, my first time doing press interviews, doing photo shoots, all that kind of stuff. And I think it can get easy to kind of get wrapped up and excited about it.

I was really excited by all that kind of stuff. So, then to have to put all that to the side and then completely focus on what we were doing? It was definitely a challenge because we were all at the same level of excitement and we just couldn't wait for people to see it because we had such a good time working on the first season and we were just desperate for people to tune into the show and enjoy it.

And I also think when you're doing all of that press and being reviewed and when that's all happening for the very first time, I think I definitely made some mistakes. And it's been a good experience for me listening to it all a bit too much and of course you always only remember the bad stuff better than you do the good stuff.

You could get 50 lovely reviews but if one negative comment is made then that's the stuff that stays in your mind.

I definitely think it was a challenge at some points but I think we had acting coaches and our directors who were were fantastic at reminding us that there's a much bigger job to do now like 'Yes, let's celebrate the first season coming out but we need to now kind of get back to work and we need to make the second season as good as the first.' and it was fantastic as well to know that it was being received really well while we were doing the second season.

For instance, when people were already asking us 'When's the second season coming out?' and we were like 'Hold on we're in the middle of filming it'. (Laughs) 

We couldn't possibly have done it any earlier but it felt so encouraging to know that people were anticipating it already at that stage and luckily it's been the same way this time around as well. 

With season two coming out, people are already going 'When is season three? When is season three?' and we haven't found out yet if we'll be going again but fingers crossed you know. Hopefully Disney will see people making those comments and hopefully make another one. 

But one of my favorite things about going back on set was obviously being reunited with the rest of the cast and crew as well. There was a lot of crew that came back for the second season and it was a difficult and hard shoot in terms of the long hours as every shoot is. But they and we were really working under a tight budget to some degree considering with all obviously VFX heavy shows, their budget has to be spread out in many different ways. 

So, it had a lot of hard work involved and it was so nice to see people coming back from the first season and to know that they had decided to be around us again and do the same job with us. So, yes, it was a real lovely experience reuniting with everyone.

Are there still any questions that you have left in terms of this character? Had you been given a chance to talk to Jen herself had she been a real character, is there anything you'd like to ask her? Maybe some aspect of her that you really wanted to explore but couldn't?

Yes, that's really interesting. I wonder regarding her relationship with Carrie. I believe both of them enable each other and I think Jen pushes Carrie around a bit and enables her to be selfless and you know Carrie is always selfless and never thinking of herself and then Jen obviously is encouraged by Carrie. But by that, Carrie's encouraged to be selfless by Jen and Jen is encouraged to be selfish by Carrie.

It's quite a dysfunctional relationship and I think I would love to ask her like 'If you do think this is a healthy relationship with Carrie?' and I mean that's less of a question or maybe an order but 'If you want to be friends with her forever like do you think that this is sustainable?'

And I also got other things like I'd love to know what her ambition is work-wise and I think that whole period of your life when you're in your mid-20s is confusing for people who haven't had a clear idea of what their career might be at that stage. It can feel so overwhelming because you look around and it seems like everyone else has it figured out but I think for Jen, her career doesn't seem important to her. 

It's not something that's been expressed in the show anyway or in the writing yet and I'd love to kind of know if she does have an idea of what she would like to do, what she might eventually picture herself doing or is she always just kind of going to work to live.

If there's any element of it because I feel like she could be artistic in some way. I think she had some sort of creative field to work in. I believe it would really suit her and hopefully maybe calm her down in a bit as well.

What would you say has been the biggest difference from the Jen we saw in Season one as compared to in this recent offering? 

I feel like she's been making more conscious decisions this time. Last time in the first season, she would act a lot on instinct, impulse and emotions and I think she was a very reactive person. This season it seems like she's taking a bit more stock of trying to make a decision that impacts her and the people around her more positively.

And I think she's becoming a little bit more selfless. Having said that, there were plenty of moments in the second season when her selfishness does come out but I think this season she's learnt more about the kind of relationships she has. 

Like her relationship with both her parents, with Jizzlord, with Carrie and I feel like she's growing in many ways but I think she has realized how important the relationships around her are and learnt that taking them for granted is never going to end well.

She has started to gain more respect for them. I think she wants to respect those relationships more in her life and I would hope that will continue. 

Every actor that I have talked to in the past had a specific element that held a special place in their hearts in terms of their projects. To some it was the costumes, to some their hairstyle, the set decoration, the scent of the set, or even their ambience.

What according to you was the element that you feel like you took away or are still immensely fascinated about from the project after parting from this show? 

The rehearsal process that we've had the last two seasons has been so lucrative that I believe I can't actually imagine doing let's say more seasons of the show without having that rehearsal process.

It feels like a really nice processing time before going into this really intense shoot to just kind of get grounded and reconnect with your character in the first instance. Especially for the first season, it just helps to connect with your character for the first time. 

When I think back to the first season, the bonding that I experienced with the three other cast members with Luke (Jizzlord), Sofia (Carrie), and Bilal (Kash) in that week; I think we had two weeks for the first season and I can't imagine ever not having had that. 

The other characters came in as well like Safia (Oakley-Green) who plays my sister came in and just having that kind of extra time where you're not having to perform for anyone or not having to do a lot of things.

It's not as if there's any cameras there. You are simply purely exploring your character in a space that feels completely safe and with people who are only there to encourage you. It felt like such a fruitful atmosphere and environment and our two acting coaches who I have to mention Sarah-Jayne Butler and Miranda Harcourt- they're phenomenal. 

Miranda has worked on so many different projects but she was Zooming us from New Zealand so like none of us have even met her in person yet but she's had this like very special impact on all of our lives. And then Sarah Jane was with us in the room and she would help translate Miranda's practices to us in real life.

I look back on some of those exercises that I learnt from both of them and particularly one I did with Sarah Jane where you know it was basically like a therapy process and session with 'Jen'- my character where she would just ask a bunch of questions such as 'What's your favorite memory with your parents?' or 'What's the worst moment that's happened in your life?' and obviously it's all coming from Jen's perspective and it's not as if I would have prepared for any of those questions but you kind of just sit and let what comes to your mind come.

It feels so creative and instinctive and that was a real defining moment in the first season and rehearsal process that helped me. I was like let me find Jen and then going through the same process for the second season, meeting those acting coaches again and getting to have the same bountiful process where I felt like I found so much and was able to reconnect with the character; that's invaluable.

I can't imagine not having that. It was so priceless and so, yes, I would definitely say that about the rehearsal process.

And what was your creative process like getting back into this character's mindset and immersing yourself within her mind. Do you think it was easier or harder from the first season? 

There were elements of it that were easier and elements that were harder. I believe I found it harder after having gone through all the press interviews and speaking about the character so much when I did the first season. We spoke about the character but it was all my perception of it and it was just within our group of people who were involved in making the show. 

Whereas during the second time, the way we came back from the season, I just spent a couple of months speaking about Jen and describing her to people who either hadn't seen the show or had just watched it and it was kind of an awareness of other people's perceptions of Jen that did kind of come into my mind.

I then became self-aware and self-conscious about some elements of her and how I was playing her so that was a little bit harder. But on the other end, I believe what really helped was having a costume fitting for season two and just seeing all the characters' costumes lined up in a rail and just going 'I'm going to do this, that's so Jen, that's so Carrie, that's so Kash, and that's so Jizzlord'. 

I think they elevated the costumes so much more this season while still having the core element and style of each of our characters in the clothes we were wearing so that really helped. 

And then the music as well. I've spoken so much about this but Emma (Moran) has got a playlist for season one and season two and they're two separate playlists that are just fantastic. 

They suit the tone of the show so much. I believe so much of the music from the show actually came from those playlists but they were all much more than just the story of the show and I think that's what really helped the project so perfectly in the world that it exists in. 

So, that helped me trying to get back into the character. Even other things that seemed very simple. For instance, we all had our dressing rooms in the first season that we designed according to our characters. It had different parts of our characters in those rooms and I think just getting into the studio and being able to set up that dressing room again helped me get back into that mindset. 

I also had a perfume that I used for season one that in my mind was Jen's perfume and I took that out of a box and dusted it off and put that on my dressing table. I would spray that every day before going on the set. 

It seems like something that can be kind of as small as that was actually very sensory. Such things can really help you find that groundedness in the character and I found them really helpful.

You have also recently been nominated for the Royal Television Society Awards as Best Performance in Comedy (Female). First of all, huge congratulations on that! Do you remember your reaction when you first heard the news? 

I believe it was such a lovely way to find out. I think I must have been reading a script or I had a self tape to do or something like that and then my phone started to ring and I was like 'Oh my god, they're calling and it was Sally Woodward Gentle who's the executive of 'EXTRAORDINARY' and she was like 'Has anyone called you this morning?' and I started panicking being thinking like 'Oh no.'

I was worried that something had gone wrong with the show or something wrong had happened and then she said it and I was like 'Oh, thank God. It's not anything bad.' (Laughs)

But I was completely delighted and shocked and I feel so grateful to be in a category with those two other brilliant performers. I'm so delighted for the show. It feels like it's been received by a lot of people but I think we still kind of crave more. 

I believe Emma's writing is so strong and I think what we've managed to create is something that I kind of just want it to reach even more people.

So, hopefully when such things happen and there are awards and stuff, you just hope that the show reaches more people who haven't heard of it or haven't seen it yet or haven't even seen the ads. So, yes, I do hope it gets more people to watch our show.

It's a complete honor. I feel so so lucky to be nominated and I'm really looking forward to the actual night of the awards since it'll be a table full of all the people who I admire and I love really dearly so, yes, I'm just looking forward to seeing them and enjoying the night.

I know the show is already out now so are you enjoying the reception you have garnered from the fans so far?

It feels great. I mean last season, I learnt how it was not worth reading reviews and it's much better to focus on real life and to carry on that way. I've not had to look at that much stuff online from a critical point of view but I've seen people on Instagram and I get messages from people and it's been fantastic.

I mean it makes me laugh. People are like 'When is season three coming out?' and 'When's it happening?' because when season two came out, some people were saying 'Thank God. It's finally out!' and I think we literally couldn't have filmed it any sooner so I do hope that if we do get a third season, it doesn't take too long because I believe people are really eager to know where Jen ends up and what's going on with the gang. 

Personally, I've had some people messaging me about the storyline that happens at the end of Season Two with Jen and her dad and I found it quite overwhelming to begin with. I believe you have such a huge responsibility when you're doing or taking part in a storyline that is about grief and about loss.

I was aware of that when filming. I really wanted to do that storyline justice and put on screen something as close to what that experience can be for people in hopes that they would find comfort and be able to relate to it.  

I've had received a couple of messages on Instagram with people saying that they have experienced that when watching it so I feel really happy and extremely comforted by that. 

It does make me sad too obviously. It was a really sad storyline to film but it feels like it was worth it; it's been received well and it's doing exactly what that scene was meant to do. That's why Emma (Moran) wrote it and it's definitely achieving so I'm really happy with that.

And for the people who still have to tune into this phenomenal project, what can you tell us about your performance in the show as well as the overall Season 2? 

For people who have seen season one and haven't seen season two yet, you can expect even more gags like there's so many one-liners and even more so this season. I believe the jokes have tripled by three.

There are characters who we've met before who you might not expect to see again but they come back and come back better than ever especially in the later episodes with the musical. 

There's a musical episode which is really worth looking forward to. One of my favorite things about it is Emma (Moran) has put in some callbacks to season one so some jokes that were previously in season one, she's put them in season two again as a point of reference and I really loved that. 

I think what's really great about Emma's writing is that it's a lot of constant sequences with comedy and that gets under caught by an emotional moment and then that further gets under caught by more comedy again and I believe the second season has done that even more so. 

There's some deeper storylines and some more sticky relationship stuff to figure out with Kash and Carrie. That has been done in a way that's very realistic and it doesn't shy away from how difficult a breakup can be. Both of their (Bilal Hasna and Sofia Oxenham) performances are phenomenal. 

Then also with Jizzlord and his storyline. It's completely unique obviously yet has so much heart in it and Luke (Rollason) plays that beautifully. Also new characters and new powers- even more ridiculous than last time so lots to look forward to! 

Straying the conversation away from EXTRAORDINARY, I know you're also going to be involved in the live action adaptation of 'My Lady Jane'. Talk to me more about that project and your character. 

I watched the first two episodes of it last week. They're the final cuts and edits of the project with music and VFX and I'm really excited for it to come out and for people to watch it. 

So, it's a series that's going to be on Amazon. It's a retelling of Lady Jane Grey's story. She famously got her head beheaded and this is a retelling of that history and a reimagining of it. 

I'm trying to be careful with how much I can say but there are fantasy elements to it. It's really funny and it's sort of a drama-comedy that has really strong moments of heart but will also have you rolling-on-the-floor laughing in the next minute.

There are so many amazing performances in it. Emily Bader who's an American actress plays Lady Jane Grey. She's phenomenal. And then there are people who are comedic icons- Jim Broadbent, Anna Chancellor, Rob Brydon, Dominic Cooper and Kate O' Flynn who just blew my mind any day that I was on set with her. 

My character is 'Susannah' who is Lady Jane Grey's best friend and also her maid. They have a really close relationship and they've been side-by-side since they were 13 or even younger.

They've kind of grown up together but obviously there's always been this power dynamic between them where they're not exactly equal because Susannah is her maid but they are still best friends so that kind of causes conflict in moments. 

And Susannah's also got a secret that she's hiding. It's a really exciting show. I can't wait to see the rest of it myself and for others to see it as well!

Were you fan of the books prior to joining the cast or were you introduced to it after you were offered the role? 

I was introduced to them after I was offered the role. I bought one of the books when I was auditioning and it was fantastic. The books are more young-adult, although the series has kind of aged it up a little bit so it's a bit more raucous but it has all the elements that the book has as well as some slight new changes. 

I don't think my character Susannah was ever actually in the book so she's been added for the project which I'm obviously very happy about. (Laughs) 

Hopefully the fans of the books will really enjoy it as well. You don't need to have read the books before watching it so either way you tune in, it will be interesting.

Thank you for joining us as our latest cover star! Lastly, I have to ask what's next for you? Anything in the pipeline pertaining to any of your upcoming projects? 

I'm kind of auditioning and reading scripts at the moment. I've read some great scripts recently so I'm looking forward to them hopefully coming into fruition.

I'm just excited to either get on stage or get on set again and see what's coming. 'Meat Puppet'; a short film that I recently did just premiered at South By Southwest Film Festival and won a special jury award as well!

So, that was really exciting and I think that will be coming online at some point but I'm sure it's going to do like the festival circuit first so I'm very excited for people to see that project- that's with David Jonsson, written and directed by Eros Vlahos who coincidentally also played Gordon in Season One of EXTRAORDINARY.

It's kind of like a comedy-horror project. It's something I had never done before; lots of blood and things I hadn't encountered before like screaming. So, yes, there's that. But at the moment just some exciting things in the pipeline so we'll see what comes.

EXTRAORDINARY starring Máiréad Tyers can be currently streamed on Disney+.