Exclusive: Sinéad Keenan on balancing her busy career with motherhood: 'I regularly embarrass my sons'
The Irish actress, who stars in Netflix's How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, opened up about parenthood and the female friendships that keep her grounded
Sinéad Keenan stars as a glamorous mother in Netflix's new drama How to Get to Heaven from Belfast – but in real life, the Irish actress confesses that she "regularly embarrasses" her children with her appearance at the school gates. "I'm constantly in tracksuit bottoms. If I ever look nice or put together, it's because somebody else has put me together," Sinéad, 48, tells HELLO! in this exclusive interview.
The Dublin-born star has become a household name thanks to her wide range of TV roles, including the no-nonsense detective Jessica 'Jessie' James in ITV’s critically acclaimed drama Unforgotten and her award-winning turn as Melanie Jones, the grieving mother of a murdered schoolboy, in Little Boy Blue.
Sinéad stars alongside Roisin Gallagher and Caoilfhionn Dunne in How To Get To Heaven From Belfast
Despite her impressive list of credits, Sinéad – who lives in Stratford-upon-Avon with her husband, the director Chris McGill, and their two sons, aged ten and eight – insists that she "never has a plan". "I think if you have a plan in this line of work, you're on a hiding to nothing," says the star, whose siblings, Rory and Gráinne, also act.
Sinéad’s latest project, a comedy-thriller from Lisa McGee, the creator of Derry Girls, follows three childhood friends in their late thirties who embark on a chaotic quest to solve the mystery of a former classmate’s death. The Doctor Who actress shows off her comedy chops as a stressed but seriously stylish Belfast-based mother, Robyn, who, when we first meet her, is banging her head against the steering wheel out of frustration during the school drop-off. It's a feeling Sinéad says she understands.
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WATCH: The trailer for How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
"I understand that feeling of wanting to bang your head against the steering wheel because the kids won't stop fighting at the moment."
Here, she reveals how she balances her busy career with parenthood, why female friendships keep her grounded and how she approached her latest role.
Sinéad, what attracted you to playing Robyn?
"She was really fun to play – [it meant] being able to get away with saying things that you can never say in real life, but might want to. I'm not known for playing glamorous characters; they're usually morose or haggard, so it was something completely different.
"I'm very lucky that I was given the opportunity. If you're known for doing one type of role and you’ve done it well, you tend to get offered similar roles. But to be able to do a complete 180 is very rare. I'm delighted."
How do you juggle your work and home life?
"I have a brilliant husband, as much as I don't say it to him. He's a director, so he understands the way of the world. One of us is always at home, so he’s taken the hit in terms of having to turn down work when I'm away, and equally, I've taken the hit when he’s been away. Like everyone, you're just crossing your fingers and hoping for the best."
Sinéad plays Robyn Winters in the Netflix comedy drama
"I'm not known for playing glamorous characters; they're usually morose or haggard, so it was something completely different."
Your sons must think they have cool parents…
"Well, you say that, but I don't think they care, and rightly so. We're just Mum and Dad, and that's just our job. I remember, years ago, I was lucky enough to do CBeebies Bedtime Stories and thought, 'Yes! They're going to be delighted.'
"The youngest was too young for it to register, but my eldest just looked at the TV and went, 'Oh, there’s Mum,' and then went back to [what he was doing]. It's like, 'She's just that annoying person who keeps telling me to put shoes on and brush my teeth,' and that’s as it should be."
Did you always know that you were going to become an actress?
"No. I was painfully shy when I was younger, and that's the reason I was sent to speech and drama classes. It was an elocution-type thing initially, to help me to come out of my shell and get a bit of confidence, but that was the gateway drug.
"I was also very lucky that school suited me. I was quite academic, so I was going to do law, but I slowly came to the realisation that maybe I just wanted to play a lawyer."
Sinéad lives in Stratford-upon-Avon with her husband, the director Chris McGill, and their two sons
The show is an ode to female friendship. Is that something that’s important to you?
"I've been in the UK for a very long time and I have a brilliant group of friends where I live. But my best friends are still the two I met in secondary school in Dublin. I count myself really lucky on that front, because I know not everyone has that, to find those people who know all your skeletons and know the bones of you. They keep you grounded, and there’s a lot to be said for that."
© Netflix
© Netflix
© Lucy Curran / Netflix
