Galway born actress Fiona O’Shaughnessy has recently been unnerving audiences as the main character in Channel 4’s conspiracy thriller Utopia, a show that is both under-watched yet critically acclaimed. A cult fanbase has recently been gaining critical mass due to the show’s inclusion on the Netflix roster and the evangelical praise emanating from its audience. Much of this praise has been directed at O’Shaughnessy’s role as Jessica Hyde; a violent and compelling weirdo, integral to the overall plot of Utopia.

O’Shaughnessy is Jessica Hyde, which is not an uncommon observation: Dennis Kelly, the show’s writer, noted that Fiona played the role better than the character he had imagined. Fiona O’Shaughnessy’s personal aura isn’t quite as menacing as her character’s, but the concentrated gaze and eccentricity of Jessica is certainly present in O’Shaugnessy. In a show dense with conspiracy, plot and subplot, Hyde is the character that ties it all together. On the run since the age of four from the Network, a group hell-bent on providing an uncouth solution to overpopulation, Hyde blends autism-spectrum social inability with a sociopathic capacity for violence. O’Shaughnessy spoke about the intensity of the role: “Well, Jessica never gets left behind on set. It’s like looking after a moody horse. The echo, the shadow of her is always around. That is often the case with characters, they become like invisible entities. Playing someone so out of rhythm with the rest of society, who has lived her entire life mostly is a surprisingly fun thing to do.”

Right from the opening Utopia has a confidence in its aesthetic. A daring colour palette, a comic-book level of violence, and a soundtrack from producer Cristobal Tapia de Veer, all combine to create a unique TV experience. When asked if she had reservations about how odd the show seemed as it came together, O’Shaughnessy reflects, “Definitely had ‘what in god’s name am I doing?’ moments. Quite a few in series one.” One scene in particular, in which Jessica strangles a homeless man in a public toilet, stands out for its contextual strangeness: “We really were rolling around on a gents toilet floor, and although it had been sterilised, it still smelt dreadful and was all quite odd. I think I remember being relieved when it was over. We hugged.” The agility displayed when rolling around a latrine clinging to a vagrant was the result of training: “I did lots of training during series one. I was asked to make myself look ‘harder’ and gain some shape. I put up nine pounds of muscle. Gordon, our stunt coordinator, sorted all that for me, and showed me a few swift moves on set. Knife work, jumping off the back of a lorry, that kind of thing. And Neil [the show’s armourer] gave me an education in firearms. Many things about this character brought me into zones I had never even touched upon mentally or physically before, which is something I love.”

O’Shaughnessy is more widely known in Dublin for her theatre work: “I am very comfortable on stage. When a production is in tune, and everyone is happy and playing for the same team, being on stage is one of the most beautiful experiences in the world. When the topic is fascinating and the writing opens your mind to explore a character and situation which you may never have even considered, and it all seems to just fit, then television is a great thing too.” O’Shaugnessy’s theatrical roles presented her with well-defined and oft-acted characters, but Jessica Hyde was something entirely new, and inventing the character became a collaborative process between O’Shaugnessy and the show’s writer, Kelly, and director, Marc Munden: “I was given just enough information in series one to get me travelling, and my imagination had a ball creating the rest. So, I knew that she did not go to school or grow up within walls, and was untarnished by the sects and clans and rhythms and expectations of society.” Though originally from Galway, O’Shaughnessy had a transnational upbringing, making it easy to craft the neutral accent Kelly and Munden asked of her: “I went to secondary school in England, so that was not something I found difficult to do. It allowed me to stay away from anything too specific. I liked that. I like that Jessica is a bit of a mongrel, out of tune, thrown together with some clothes she has stolen from a washing line.”

Utopia’s deviously playful approach to morality underpins its thematic structure. Audience’s allegiances shift; within an afternoon you can find yourself rooting for a character you witnessed only hours previously shooting up a primary school. “There are so many moral grey areas. Some are very obvious, others less so. To play this character I had to suspend all moral judgement in order to live the truth of her moment to moment.” O’Shaughnessy’s reflections on the show’s issues have forced her to consider prospects both exciting and terrifying: “I’m not sure it’s my place to express my personal feelings, because I’m still so full of questions around this subject. I could not support the idea that a select few take it upon themselves to rise above the rest of us and administer global sterilization. Human nature has become one of fear, and through fear we have collectively created a situation which is now challenging each and every living adult conscious human to analyse it’s position in the picture.” After shooting series two, O’Shaugnessy spent some time shedding the thematic intensity of the role on an Indian ashram: “I had visions of sitting under longs trees, drinking coconut milk, falling mutually in love with Manose Singh, but when I got there it was full of chatty students in yellow t-shirts obtaining their teaching certificates, and very very chatty jungle animals.” She returned home and is poised to begin shooting a new production in Malta.

Last season’s cliffhanger signals an uncertain future for both the fates of the characters and the fate of the UK series itself. Stateside, HBO have undertaken to create an American adaptation with David Fincher as director. The phrase “US remake” normally prompts symptoms of influenza across a fanbase, but O’Shaughnessy is optimistic: “With David Fincher in the driving seat, it can only be good. I am currently in London staying with my friend, Geraldine James [Utopia’s Milner] and she has worked with Fincher and says, frankly, it is an exquisite thing. So there!” Utopia’s third season should hopefully return to our screens in the future, unless a Channel 4 boardroom conspiracy sterilises the project beforehand.