For years, I was just Joe Bloggs. There was no excitement until 'Game of Thrones,' and then people started recognizing me.
I've met people who've watched 'Derry Girls' in Australia and America and it's incredible. I think the constant access to it, meaning you can watch it again and again helps.
One of the problems that comes up time and time again seems to be this notion of being 'pure' Irish. If you are Protestant, born in the Northern part of the island and deeply into the Protestant tradition, that somehow does not make you a legitimate Irish person. Yet there is a huge British influence in parts of the South.
It used to be that if I was stopped in the street at all it would be for Ser Barristan Selmy, but now it's just as often, if not more often, for my character in 'Derry Girls,' I find it extraordinary.
I was living in Britain and then America, but it wasn't until I returned to live in Ireland in the late '70s that I really became aware of Seamus Heaney. I discovered quickly that his poems are very accessible.
The thing that surprised me the other day was, and I was quite taken aback when I realized it, I am nearly five-and-a-half years out of 'Game of Thrones.' I last filmed on it in the winter of 2013 and it's kind of becoming, bizarrely, a bit of a distant memory.
'Derry Girls' just has a sense of knowing exactly who these people are and also a fun memory of how things were, even in spite of all the chaos around them. It's very entertaining and it stays wonderfully buoyant because it focuses on the kids and the families.
There are still times when the person who is challenging you as an actor is also the person who sometimes challenges you as your child.
But I think you have to accept - as I have accepted - that the demands of TV are different than the demand of book writing.
I very much enjoyed my time on 'Doctor Who.' The team were a delight to work with and everyone was very supportive and welcoming. All in all it was a blast.