In the Irish independent feature film The Spin, Leah O’Rourke played Tracey – the ex-wife of Elvis (played by Owen Colgan), with Brenock O’Connor co-starring as Dermot in this year’s release. 2025 has also seen Leah play Nurse Siobhan in the short film The Knife, which premiered at the Dublin International Film Festival and was written and directed by Joy Nesbitt. Leah is best-known for playing Jenny Joyce over all three series of Derry Girls alongside her on-screen best friend Aisling (played by Beccy Henderson), with the final ever series airing in 2022. Further screen roles for Leah include the Amazon Prime feature film Half Brothers, horror short film Normality, and she had her first professional acting role at 16 years old in the 2006 feature film Fiddler’s Walk. After finishing her role of Jenny Joyce, Leah was a contestant the following year on Dancing with the Stars in Ireland, and during her time on the show, she performed the Paso Doble, American Smooth and Cha Cha Cha with her professional dance partner John Nolan. We chatted to Leah about this year’s releases of The Spin and The Knife, playing Jenny Joyce across all three series of Derry Girls and her time as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in Ireland in 2023.
This year, you can be seen in the recently-released Irish independent feature film The Spin, can you tell us about the film and your character Tracey?
The film is about two friends, Elvis and Dermot, who open a record shop and are struggling to pay the rent. They go on a big adventure to track down a valuable record that they believe will save their shop. They take a road trip and the film follows their journey. My character Tracey is Elvis’ ex-wife and they have a daughter together. Tracey was let down by Elvis in the past and she believes he will let their daughter down too. Although Tracey has moved on and is doing really well, she still harbours resentment towards Elvis.
How was it reading the script for The Spin for the first time and was there anything that drew you to the project?
I really enjoyed reading the script for the first time. It was such a joyful and easy read. The script drew me in as it is not only very funny, you find yourself gripped to see if Elvis and Dermot will manage to save their record shop and turn their lives around.
What did you enjoy most about filming for The Spin, and why would you recommend watching it?
I really enjoyed getting to reunite with my Derry Girls co-stars Brenock O’Connor and Tara Lynne O’Neill. I really enjoyed getting to know Owen Colgan in between takes. Owen and I had lots in common including a love of comedy and being fans of cold water dipping. I loved my character’s house – it was stunning. It was such a beautiful location to film at. Two crew members got engaged in my character’s back garden at the end of a filming day. It was so wonderful to witness such a special moment. It was a stunning evening too. I’ll never forget the evening sunset surrounding Brenock and the other cast members as they sang for the newly engaged couple.
I recommend watching The Spin because both the main characters are so funny and likeable. It is a real feel-good and light-hearted adventure film.
How was it playing Nurse Siobhan in this year’s short film The Knife, which was written and directed by Joy Nesbitt?
Playing Siobhan was a challenge for me. My character is racist, so that was difficult. It was unsettling to play a character that is so casually racist and so far removed from who I am. The film has a very powerful message and I am glad I was able to help Joy Nesbitt put across a story that needed to be told. Although this film is a comedy, it deals with difficult subject matter. Anyone I know who has watched this film has said to me that it stayed with them for a long time after and gave them a lot to reflect on.
What was it like telling the story of The Knife and what was it like seeing the completed short film for the first time?
The Knife is a dark comedy that explores the shortcomings of the modern healthcare system for women of colour and the systematic racism of modern society in a surrealist comedy. Telling the story of The Knife was challenging because of the subject matter. I found myself emotionally impacted by this young woman’s experience of racism during her pregnancy. I learnt that black women are more than four times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than white women in the UK. This is abhorrent and deeply upsetting. I know Joy wanted to allude to how completely ridiculous this is. Joy was so clever in the way she reflected this ridiculousness in a surrealist twist. I have just listed one statistic but there are so many more. It really is shocking.
I saw the completed film when it premiered in Dublin International Film Festival and again when it aired on television. The film got such a positive reaction from the audience at its premiere. It was so fulfilling to see a message being so well-supported by an audience. I really enjoyed my friends and family telling me what they took from the film. Everyone I spoke to understood the message and were very affected by it. This made me realise that Joy’s vision was executed and it was amazing to be a part of it.
Across all three series of the sitcom Derry Girls, you played recurring character Jenny Joyce, how would you describe Jenny and how was it developing the character over the years?
I would describe Jenny Joyce as a confident, overbearing and an insufferable teacher’s pet. Jenny is a stickler for the school rules and loves telling tales on her classmates. Jenny adores the limelight and will make sure she is front and centre in every school show and assembly.
It was a great joy to develop the character of Jenny over the years. At the start when we meet Jenny, she is constantly irritating Erin and her friends. As the series progresses we see that Jenny has many positive qualities and her heart is in the right place. Many people have commented to me that they were very moved when Jenny cried at Clare’s dad’s funeral. I also love Jenny’s acceptance of others. She always invites the main gang to her parties despite their differences and she is very welcoming to the new girl Mae as well. It was great fun to develop Jenny’s stage performances too. I know the creative team found it great fun to add more musical instruments and more props to make Jenny’s performances bigger.
How was it working with the rest of the Derry Girls cast and what do you miss most about filming the series?
I loved working with everyone on Derry Girls. The cast and crew were all so lovely. I truly had the time of my life. I miss everything about filming. I miss the craic with all the cast and crew in between takes. I miss all the laughs. I miss the constant regular acting work that comes with being on a series. I miss it so much. I honestly loved every minute of it. It was just such a positive experience. With it being a comedy script, we spent most of our days laughing. The other cast members were so talented, funny and inspiring. I miss every single one of them.
Do you have any favourite memories from your time playing Jenny in Derry Girls that you can share?
I have lots of favourite memories of Derry Girls.
One of my favourite memories is walking across the school yard of Hunter House college where the school scenes were filmed and I spotted students of Hunter House waving joyfully out the window at me. I wave enthusiastically back only for their teacher to close the blinds in my face (to be fair, it must have been extremely annoying trying to teach in an environment where filming is taking place).
Another funny memory was when Jenny and Aisling were performing their cringey play about the troubles and the audience thought the play was over when it wasn’t and they all started clapping in the middle of the performance. It was in the middle of a take so Beccy (Henderson) and I had to battle through it and try not to laugh but we did end up breaking character and laughing.
Another of my favourite memories is travelling in a car with Tommy Tiernan and he asked myself and Beccy what we had lined up after Derry Girls. We both had ZERO acting work lined up after it but we decided to play this very cool. Beccy said “Ach you know, sure the world is our oyster”. Tommy questioned: “What does that mean though?”. To which Beccy replied “unemployment”. Tommy howled laughing at this.
I have loads of other amazing memories like getting to attend the IFTAs and BAFTAS. I have had special individual moments with each cast member too that I will always hold in my heart.
Can you say about some of the other projects you’ve been part of during your acting career so far, which have included the Amazon Prime feature film Half Brothers as Siobhán, the horror short film Normality as Julie and the 2006 feature film Fiddler’s Walk as Young Naomh for your first professional role?
Half Brothers on Amazon Prime was lots of fun to film. It was filmed in Saas-Fee in Switzerland. Even though my only scene takes place in an Irish pub, it was filmed in Switzerland. I had a fabulous experience on this film. The landscape of the snowy mountains in Switzerland was just stunning. I remember having wine and snacks on the plane and then I got sick on the drive to the location. It was such a windy mountainous journey. It was jam-packed full of adventure. One day, some of the cast and I took a cable car to the top of the mountain. One of the cast felt a bit panicked and couldn’t face getting back on the cable car for the return journey. I fully empathised as I am quite claustrophobic myself. In the end, we all trekked on foot back down the mountain and shared heartfelt stories of our lives and it was so lovely.
Normality was a short film funded by Northern Ireland Screen. The director has a huge passion for horror films. I loved being part of this film as it was one of my first jobs after leaving drama school. My character in this was great fun to play as she is quite flirty and confident. In the story, her brother fears for her life because she is independent and insists on walking home late at night alone even though there’s a killer on the loose.
Fiddler’s Walk holds a very special place in my heart. This was my first ever film and first ever professional acting role when I was only 16. I will never forget how excited I was. I had dreamed of being an actress from childhood. It was just amazing. I reunited with Bronagh Waugh at The Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards last year and we reflected on our time on Fiddler’s Walk.
In 2023, you were a contestant on Dancing With the Stars in Ireland with your professional dance partner John Nolan, how did you find the experience being part of the show and performing live?
When I first met John, he asked me what my goal was on the show. He told me that some of his previous partners’ goals included making it through a certain number of weeks in the competition etc. I told him my only goal was to complete a dance on live TV. I managed to do that and it was my goal ticked. Whilst at drama school I heavily dreaded the dance classes. I wanted to push through this fear and build my confidence. I have always known I am not a great dancer so this experience was very, very far out of my comfort zone. I loved the fulfilling feeling after I completed a live dance. John was a wonderful teacher. Rehearsing with him was an absolute joy. I loved getting to know all the other contestants and dancers and I adored living in Dublin with Brooke Scullion. I made some amazing memories that I will never forget.
How was it learning and performing the Paso Doble, American Smooth and Cha-Cha-Cha, and did you have a favourite dance to perform?
It was very challenging to learn these dances in a very short space of time. We had less than one week to learn them. I really struggled. My favourite was the Paso Doble. It was so fun getting into character for it, I loved the costume and the rock chick vibe. The Paso Doble was my first dance, so I’ll never forget the huge relief and sense of pride when I managed to dance on live TV.
What was it like partnering with John and receiving feedback from the judges?
Partnering with John was a dream come true, he was a legend. I was happy with the feedback from the judges. I know I can’t dance so all of their comments were completely valid. Being an actress I face rejection regularly so I am really strong when it comes to setbacks and constructive criticism.
How did you get into acting and was it always something you wanted to do professionally?
My auntie Pauline suggested that I join a drama group called Newpoint Youth when I was really young. It was a drama summer school where you rehearse all summer and then put a play on in September. I took part in this every summer for years and years. This is where my love of acting began. I have an aunt and uncle that work as professional actors too so acting was very much part of my family. I knew from a very young age that this was what I wanted to pursue.
What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?
I am currently rewatching Lost, which I am really enjoying. I also like a real mix of different shows and films: Happy Valley, Normal People, The Day of the Jackal, Father Ted, Malcolm in the Middle, After Life, Extras, The Office, This Country, Clarkson’s Farm, Home Alone, The 1% Club and true crime documentaries.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I like cold water dipping. I have a cold water dipping pod out my back garden and I sometimes go dipping in the sea. My mum and I are completing a cold water dipping challenge for Newry Hospice. I like journalling, I keep a gratitude journal and I love reading positivity books such as Good Vibes, Good Life. I recently started running, I have only managed to run 4k so far. I attend Yin Yoga classes every Wednesday, which I am really enjoying. I like spending time with my black cat Prospero. I love meeting my friends. I recently went to a paint and prosecco class which was lots of fun. I like walking. My parents live on a mountain and I enjoy walking the mountain with my mum.
Do you have any projects coming up that you can talk about, and what are you hoping this year brings for you?
I don’t have any projects coming up but I have an audition tape due in tomorrow so I’m keeping everything crossed.