Louisa Harland Reveals the ‘Derry Girl’ She Most Wants on ‘Renegade Nell’

You might already know and love Louisa Harland as the odd Orla McCool, Erin’s scene-stealing and knife-packing cousin on the effervescently hilarious Derry Girls, but now the Irish actress is stepping into the spotlight all on her own. Harland stars as accidental highwaywoman Nell Jackson in Disney+’s magical new adventure series, Renegade Nell. The indefatigable Nell returns to her small town after surviving a shipwreck that killed her sailor husband, but she’s returned with a secret. In moments of peril, an ancient folk spirit called Billy Blind (Nick Mohammed) takes over her body, lending her superhero-like strength and speed. However, since this is the 1700s, and not the pages of a Marvel comic, Nell’s gifts soon put her on the wrong side of the law for the right reasons…

**Mild spoilers for Renegade Nell, full series now streaming on Disney+**

Renegade Nell is the brainchild of Sally Wainwright, the British writer also responsible for such critically-acclaimed cult hits as Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack. However, unlike those R-rated dramas, Renegade Nell is decidedly more family-friendly. Sure, there’s raucous fight scenes and rascally villains, but the Disney+ show is totally appropriate for Disney+. In fact, the heart of Renegade Nell is the relationship between Nell and her family: innkeeper father Sam (Craig Parkinson), teenaged sister Roxy (Bo Bragason), and spunky kid sister George (Florence Keen). When Nell is framed for murder, the sisters and new friend Rasselas (Enyi Okoronkwo) find themselves on the run. Joining the adventures, for good or ill, are the likes of gentleman highwayman Charles Devereux (Frank Dillane), scheming young widow Sofia Wilmot (Alice Kremelberg), and newspaper magnate Lady Eularia Moggerhanger (Joely Richardson).

Decider caught up with Louisa Harland back in February after the Winter 2024 TCA panel for Renegade Nell concluded. Harland, sitting casually cross-legged and sporting a Claddagh ring, took Decider behind-the-scenes of her new show, revealing how she pulled off scenes with Nick Mohammed’s Billy Blind, which Derry Girls castmate she wants to join her on the Disney+ show, and a potential crossover with Noel Fielding’s The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin…

DECIDER: Like everyone else, I’m a huge Derry Girls fan, which is quite different from Renegade Nell. Not only are the characters you’re playing so different, but you are the lead, as opposed to being part of an ensemble. What was that change like for you as an actor?

LOUISA HARLAND: It was terrifying, but also so exciting, and I just feel so lucky. [I] didn’t know parts like this existed. So it was just amazing. I think actually, Orla I would love Nell. I really do. I do.

Yeah, for sure. I know, you touched upon the stunt work during the panel, but that opening action sequence, it tells you so much about Nell’s personality. Even later on, when she’s fighting Tommy, she’s able to express her personality through the fight.

Yeah.

It was mentioned during the panel how improv might be part of the fight scene choreography can you tell me how you were able to harness your character in between all of the different marks you had to make?

I think it was really important to remain very truthful to Nell throughout the fight sequences, throughout everything. Otherwise, you know, it just wouldn’t have worked. But also, you know, she does change when Billy is around and you have to find that shift as well. So you have to be able to recognize visually when Billy’s around and when Billy isn’t. I always say when Billy is inside me — which doesn’t read very well (laughs)— so yeah, when when when he’s around.

I was looking at Billy, you said that you watched him work on the wires. How did you shoot so many of the scenes where like you’re talking to him, he’s on your shoulder, he’s on the bed, he can be  you know, so many different places. I’m curious how you guys sort of worked through that in terms of making sure you nail the dialogue and didn’t overlap what he was doing.

So I shot all of the scenes first, alone, without Nick and I either had members of the crew, people reading in, or just leaving the gaps for his lines. I’d have dots on my shoulders or dots on my hand or dots on the bed where Nick was, given whatever size Billy was in that particular moment. Then Nick had the base to go off of and slot himself in. I actually don’t know who had an easier task. I think both of them are pretty tough. I know that we both would have loved to work together. But it was amazing for the both of us to see it come together and see the two of us come together. It was very joyous and magical.

So in Episode One, Nell goes home and she sees her father. That’s a fascinating relationship because it starts off so confrontational and yet, it’s so driven by love. How were you able to establish that very complex relationship so quickly with Craig [Parkinson]?

I know Craig very well. So I was delighted when I was delighted to hear that he was playing my father. Just what a perfect choice. He’s definitely not old enough to play my father in real life, but he’s just such a brilliant actor and always brings so much to whatever he’s in. Whenever I see Craig in something, I’m always like, “This is gonna be good.” But we have such great craic together. So it was very easy. Craig moves me. There’s something about him.

Yeah, I was very moved by his relationship with his daughters and how he protected them. Nell’s sisters are very important to her. What was it like building that sisterly bond with your two co-stars?

Very easy, again. You know, Bo [Bragason] and Flo[rence Keen], just just gorgeous, gorgeous girls. Brilliant, brilliant actors. They’re going to go on to do such amazing things. And it’s so easy. Honestly, the cast that that Ben [Taylor] and Lauren Evans and everybody brought together just made everybody’s jobs so, so easy. And I do I love them. I love them like sisters. 

So also you have some great scenes in the first episode with Frank Dillane. He has almost like two characters he’s playing, both very interested in you.  Is there a different change in his energy if he’s playing sort of the highwayman version of his character versus the foppish Charles Devereaux? And what was it like building that friendship on screen?

Just great. I mean, yeah, Nell is not romantically driven. Which is really interesting thing that Sally did. I mean, it’s just unnecessary. But, me and Frank, I mean, I was there at his audition and I just knew that he was the character. He’s such a fabulous actor, and so unique, and we have so much love between us and it just made it so —again — so, so easy. But I think he has got something that I don’t know if anyone else has. He’s just got that electricity running through him. When he performs both characters, so perfect, and neither of them like himself. Yeah, I think I think Frank’s the best. 

You mentioned. She’s not romantically driven, but we know that she’s a widow. Are we going to learn more about her husband? What drew her to him? Was it just the escape?

I think that’s something that they might explore. I have my own feelings on what’s true, what’s not, about what she says. And that might come about. But, yeah, I can’t answer that.

That said, do you see this as like a one and done limited series? Do you want it to be continued afterwards? And how long would you want to play Nell?

I would play Nell forever. I definitely don’t think it’s [one and done]. I think there’s so much this world to discover. I think even with the eight episodes in the first series, we only touch on the worlds because there’s so many worlds even within the show. The working class side and the the upper class side. It just works out beautifully. It’s endless where you can go in this world and Sally had setup such an incredible world. And, yes, I think I think it could go forever. 

It was kind of brought up during the panel that like Sally Wainwright is known for like Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack and those are very much R rated adults shows. This is obviously for families. Was there any part of yourself, when you were reading the scripts where you’re like, “Oh, I feel hemmed in. I wish I could have been part of one of her TV-MA works?” Or are you happy that this is going to maybe reach a wider audience than her other things?

I don’t think you miss anything from this not being R-rated. I mean, I would do anything of Sally, I just I’m such a huge fan of her writing. And, I’d hope to do so in the future. But I don’t think you miss anything with this being not R-rated, with no swearing. That’s pretty much the only thing that is really missing from this. 

Costumes are obviously important to actors. You get to wear both sort of slacks and a boys costume. Also, we see you in dresses. Which do you personally, as Louisa, prefer?

The men’s. [laughs] Definitely the men’s. I mean, I think everybody was very jealous of me when they were in their corsets for long days. But then, obviously, I got tortured some days with it as well. No, I definitely felt more comfortable in the men’s. And I know that’s certainly the same for Nell.

There’s also The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin coming out this spring. Do you think there’s something in the zeitgeist right now that we’re ready for this kind of genre? This kind of hero? And if so, what is it?

Maybe? I mean, I can’t wait to see that. That’s great. I mean, I’m hoping for a crossover episode. [laughs] We’d love to see it. Yeah, I’m such a big fan of Noel and I know that he’ll play that Dick Turpin character so well. And I know Nell is loosely based on if the story of Dick Turpin, you know, was just a little bit different. I think that’s really interesting to see the fantasy element of the highwaywoman [in Renegade Nell] and, you know, the farcical side in the Apple show. I actually can’t wait to see that, especially because I’ve read so many books now about that time and about Epping Forest and everything. So the more of that the better. It’s –

It’s very Monty Python and Blackadder.  

Very Monty Python! And Noel is just so brilliant! I just can’t wait to see how he does that. Yeah, but yeah, let’s go for a crossover episode!

When people watch this when it comes out in March, what is like the one thing you hope people take away? Do you want little girls to watch this and want to be like Nell? Do you want people to see the action sequences? What are you most amped up for?

I think there’s something for everybody in this show. I also love the fact that everybody can sit down as a family and watch. And I think that everybody will fall in love with the world just as we, as actors, fell in love with the characters and the world itself.

You mentioned up top Orla would love Nell and I think she would, too. Who from the Derry Girls cast would you most like to see in as a guest role in a potential Renegade Nell Season 2?

My mother: Kathy Kiera Clarke. I call her my mother still. She’s my best friend and we speak every day. I definitely would want to see Kathy Kiera Clark amongst this world. She’d be absolutely perfect. And I’d love if we were against each other. That would be even better.

This interview has been shortened and edited for clarity.