Sláinte motherfuckers. What a character!
All great TV comedies have characters that the audience can identify with and if you’re being honest, when it comes to Derry Girls, most of us would like to be Michelle but we’re probably not.
Brash, confident and with enough curse words to make a sailor blush, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell’s character stepped onto the screen as a fully-formed character that we already felt we knew. That’s testament to Lisa McGee’s writing and O’Donnell’s performance because Michelle’s withering putdowns, lack of filter, and complete disregard for James’ feelings have made her a comedic tour de force.
This being said, as O’Donnell told us herself, “I like to think of my character as the cool one – but it’s the best of a bad bunch. I’m really happy and proud that the character has taken off and that people have taken her to their hearts. What I’m really proud of and buzzing about is that everyone seems to say to me ‘I was a Michelle when I was growing up.’ It’s like everyone wants to claim a bit of Michelle for themselves.”
She adds: “People assume that I must have been very similar but I wasn’t. The level of confidence and the not giving a shit about authority – I probably thought that I was like that – but in reality, I wasn’t! It’s just so nice that most people I meet love the character.”
Well, if you’re missing Michelle then this tribute video will definitely help to fill the void.
We already saw her in full flow as she destroyed James with a plethora of insults but this highlight reel of her best moments is pure genius.
To anyone that says this is wrong, Michelle has the perfect reply: “So are those ski pants Clare, but that didn’t stop you from pulling them over your hole this morning.”
Enjoy!
Clip via – Hat Trick
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