Derry Girl Saoirse-Monica Jackson Opens Up About Imposter Syndrome
Saoirse-Monica Jackson who plays Erin in the hit Channel 4 TV show, Derry Girls, has revealed that she has suffered from 'Imposter syndrome' since the show aired.
If, like me, you hadn't heard of such a thing as 'impostor syndrome', a quick google search shows that it's pretty self-explanatory, just as you would think. Wikipedia tells us,
Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon, impostorism, fraud syndrome or the impostor experience) is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud".
Before the show began, Jackson was getting by selling HelloFresh recipe boxes door-to-door in London, having had no acting jobs in the last nine months leading up to Derry Girls. Saoirse admits that during the entire first season of the show, she suffered from impostor syndrome as the show gathered more attention and more fans across the globe.
This isn't a surprise, seeing as Derry Girls has now become one of the most successful sitcoms in years since it aired early last year.
The actress told the Guardian,
I know everybody feels this – especially girls – but I’m scared that I’m going to get found out, they’re going to say that they’ve changed their mind.
Jackson isn't letting the fame go to her head. Overwhelmed by the newfound attention around the world, and especially at home in Derry, with a massive mural being painted in honour of the girls (and boy), Saoirse still feels as though she's starting out.
“I’m definitely still finding my way as an actor and as a young woman.”
Despite Saoirse waiting to be 'caught out', we definitely think she's doing an amazing job!
The third episode of the second season of Derry Girls is out tonight on Channel 4 at 9.15pm.
Tonight's episode will feature the “Dirty English bastards!” - as Grandpa Joe calls them, or as we know them, Take That. They will be playing a gig in Belfast that the girls most definitely will try their best to get to, despite being forbidden by Ma Mary.