The famous island police drama Shetland star Alison O’Donnell opened up recently about her second child and her life as a mother. A working mother means a lot of responsibilities. She would be multitasking all through her life. And being in Hollywood is no different, if not more hectic. Alison has been starring in the BBC series Shetland since 2014. She appeared as Alison Mclintosh in the show and received immense recognition and praise for her role.
O’Donnell got married and became a parent in the midst of the series. Recently in an interview, the star revealed her pregnancy experience with Hollywood and how it has affected her career. This conversation made way for a lot of debate about how showbiz treats women and especially mothers. Alison is a strong woman and has always been vocal about this. She believes that acting is like any other job, so there should not be any prejudice against women after childbirth. In this article, we will be focusing more on the personal life and career of the actress and her experience with the industry after pregnancy.
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Shetland Tosh Pregnant
The actress Alison O’ Donnell has two children with her partner and Scottish playwright DC Jackson. The star met her Jackson when she played a lead role in his plays, My Romantic History. After this, they became a couple. In 2017, Alison appeared in another of Jackson’s plays, Synonymous, aired on BBC Radio 4. Later that year, she gave birth to their daughter. In 2020, she was again pregnant with their second child. In an interview, Alison revealed that being a mother changed her as a person. She was happier than ever during this time, and that she was surprised by how much it had affected her.
She has been part of the Shetland cast since 2014. So in 2017, when she got pregnant, the cast and crew had to adjust a lot to her schedule. But the actress claims that the production crew was very supportive, and they made it easier for her. However, the real trouble came when she had to breastfeed her baby. Getting out of the set now and then is not a possible option, and if not appropriately breastfed, the mothers could end up suffering mastitis. This was not the only issue she faced. There were scenes in the drama that required a lot of emotions and scared nervous energy. She feared that being in a mental state like that could affect the unborn child negatively. Due to this, Alison claims a truthful performance was impossible, and she could not do justice to the role.
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Early Life And Career
Alison O’Donnell was born in Motherwell, Scotland. She has been interested in acting since a young age. Even though she studied international law at a university, she dropped it to pursue her interest in acting. According to her, acting opens up an opportunity for her to express herself. In normal life, you don’t get to express much outside of an agreed level of emotions. But when you perform, you get to turn your volume up and be an entirely different version of yourself. This aspect was what pushed her to pursue a career in theatre and performance.
Before Shetland, Alison appeared in the series Holby City and Felt the Force. But these were minor roles. But what brought her recognition was her work in theatre, like Boys and The Hard Man. According to the star, television and films are completely different from theatre. When performing for a theatre, you need to focus your attention on the audience and make sure that even the person sitting in the last row understands what your character is experiencing. But, in movies and television, you only need to get into the grip of your character as the camera will do the rest of the job. She had a role in the 2019 movie Pet Cemetary. In 2021, the actress is working on the next season of the BBC series Shetland.
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