Northern Irish actress Laura Donnelly is best known for her work in The Ferryman, Outlander, and more recently for HBO’s The Nevers.

As things wind down for her—not by choice but because of the lockdown in London—and domestic life becomes the norm, for the time being, she has favored listening to some classics and spending time with her two children and partner Jez Butterworth.

Beyoncé, Desert Island Discs, Neil Diamond, And Prince

Donnelly and her stunt trainer prefer to work out with Beyonce’s Homecoming: The Live Album to get over the slump mid-week brings. She told NY Times that if Beyoncé can be the spectacle she is during Coachella, so can she.

While cooking, she said that she loved to put on Judi Dench’s Desert Island Discs, a radio show in which the guests have the chance to choose a few songs, a book, and a luxury item they would bring along if they were stuck in a desert island.

She confessed that she has the most fun listening to the picks of politicians, and she found them desperately trying to pretend to have souls.

When she needs to relax, The Nevers star talked about liking the works of Neil Young, Van Morrison, and Joni Mitchell. She said that she adored the calm and comfort they bring her and how she can either enhance a feeling or alter a bad one with them. 

Then to get in a social mood for talking with journalists, it's Prince’s When Doves Cry and Marvin Gaye’s I Want You. She confessed she is not really the sociable kind, but she wants to be as genuine as she can even when she has been answering the same questions interview after interview. These classics help her.

With her two daughters, Radha and Alibhe, she said that she usually sports a playlist of The Faces and Bert Jansch. “Old” by many’s standards today, but Donnelly candidly said that most of what she listens to is from the last century, towards the era from when she was born. She also said that she made a pact with partner Butterworth that they would introduce her girls to their music. 

“We just didn’t want to be listening to the Little Mermaid on a loop for four hours.” She continued that they didn’t want the girls to know what kids’ music was. 

Dora The Explorer And Harry Potter

While the actress doesn’t want her daughters to be introduced to much of kids’ music, kids’ shows seem to be an exception. When there is a lazy start to a day, Dora the Explorer can be spotted on her TV screens with the girls and herself before it. 

She said that most of the cultural consumption she has is aimed towards her daughters. When it's not the Spanish-speaking adventurer engaging them, it’s a Disney or a Pixar movie. 

And when it’s not an animated movie, it's the boy who lived. Donnelly said that she never got into the Harry Potter movies, and this has been an opportunity to do so. She also said that the girls are still a bit too young to get on to the next one, so until then, it's just reruns of The Sorcerer’s Stone.

The Ferryman Was Inspired By Donnelly's Family

Donelly and her partner worked together for the Tony Awards and Critics’ Circle Theatre Award-winning play, The Ferryman. The play was inspired by the actress’s uncle’s story. 

 Northern Irish actress Laura Donnelly is best known for her work in The Ferryman, Outlander, and more recently for HBO’s The Nevers. As things wind down for her—not by choice but because of the lockdown in London—and domestic life becomes the norm, for the time being, she has favored listening to some classics and spending time with her two children and partner Jez Butterworth.

Beyoncé, Desert Island Discs, Neil Diamond, And Prince

Donnelly and her stunt trainer prefer to work out with Beyoncé’s Homecoming: The Live Album to get over the mid-week slump. She told NY Times that if Beyoncé can be the spectacle that she is during Coachella, so can she.

While cooking, she said that she loved to put on Judi Dench’s Desert Island Discs, a radio show where the guests have the chance to choose a few songs, a book, and a luxury item they would bring along if they were stuck in a desert island. She confessed she has the most fun listening to the picks of politicians, and she found them desperately trying to pretend to have souls.

The Nevers star shared she admires the works of Neil Young, Van Morrison, and Joni Mitchell. She savors the calm and comfort they bring her, and the way their art amplifies and enhances her feelings has been magical.

Her go-to to get in a social mood for talking with journalists is Prince’s When Doves Cry and Marvin Gaye’s I Want You. She confessed she is not really the sociable kind, but she wants to be as genuine as she can even when she has to answer the same questions interview after interview. These classics help her.

When with her two daughters, Radha and Alibhe, she said that she usually opts for a playlist of The Faces and Bert Jansch. Most of what Donelly listens to is from the last century. She also said that she made a pact with Butterworth that they would introduce her girls to their music. 

“We just didn’t want to be listening to the Little Mermaid on a loop for four hours.”

‘Dora The Explorer’ And ‘Harry Potter’

While the actress doesn’t want her daughters to be introduced to much of kids’ music, cartoons, and movies seem to be an exception.

She said most of her cultural consumption is centered on her daughters. When it’s not the Spanish-speaking adventurer engaging them, it’s a Disney or a Pixar movie. 

And when it’s not animated movies, it’s the boy who lived. Donnelly said she never got into the Harry Potter movies, and the lockdown has been an opportunity to do so. She shared her girls are a bit too young to get on to the next one, so until then, The Sorcerer’s Stone reruns are keeping them hooked.

‘The Ferryman’ Was Inspired By Donnelly’s Family

Donelly and her partner worked together for the Tony Awards and Critics’ Circle Theater Award-winning play, The Ferryman. It was inspired by Donelly’s uncle’s story.

The actress’ uncle disappeared from his house in 1981. He was found buried in a bog three years later. To make a movie based on the tragic story, Donnelly’s partner Butterworth got the permission from her mother.

It is inspired by my uncle, but after that, the characters don’t resemble anybody that is in my family. He wasn’t delving into deep dark closets.

Donnelly’s Other Acting Credits

The Irish actress made her on-screen debut in Sugar Rush, a Channel 4 drama show. She appeared as the character in an Irish movie, Insatiable. Her most notable role was her performance in The Ferryman, for which she won an Olivier Award.

Donnelly is also known for her role as Jenny Fraser in Outlander from 2014 to 2017. She confirmed she left the show because of her other commitments: performing The Ferryman on Broadway and her pregnancy with her second child. 

Currently, Donnelly is filming HBO’s The Nevers in which she plays the lead role of Amalia True. 

 The Irish Actress's uncle - her mother's brother had disappeared from his house in 1981. He was found buried in a bog three years later. Donnelly confessed that to take a family story and convert it into something joyous for her mother, however, Butterworth had asked permission from the actress's mother. 

Donnelly confirmed that her mother had given full permission right from the beginning hence, Butterworth used it as a starting point to The Ferryman. 

"It is inspired by my uncle, but after that, the characters don't resemble anybody that is in my family. He wasn't delving into deep dark closets.”

Donnelly's Other Acting Credits

The Irish actress made her on-screen debut in Sugar Rush, a Channel 4 drama show. She appeared as the character in an Irish movie, Insatiable. Her most notable role was her performance in The Ferryman, for which she won Olivier Awards.

Donnelly is also known for her role of Jenny Fraser in Outlander from 2014 to 2017, which she left after the third season. She confirmed she left the show because of her other commitments - performing The Ferryman on Broadway and her pregnancy with her second child. 

Currently, Donnelly is filming HBO's The Nevers in which she plays the lead role - Amalia True.