Q&A with Kate O’Flynn on Henpocalypse!

Henpocalypse! is so much fun, what attracted you to your role?

It was the script really, it just leapt off the page. Caz the writer has such a brilliantly distinctive, singular voice – it wasn’t like anything else I’d read and I loved that there were five very unique and uniquely funny female characters at the centre of it.

Can you tell us a bit about your character?

Jen is Zara’s cousin and is very much at the bottom of the hierarchy of the group, she’s a bit of an outsider. But Jen is certainly a trier and unwaveringly upbeat in difficult circumstances, she is always able to crack a joke to try and keep the hens’ spirits up, even if these jokes fall flat. She’s also a bit of a liability on a night out, inevitably becoming the most inebriated – and she can get very emotional and quite volatile when she’s had one too many. Added to the mix, she’s incredibly accident prone, so all in all she’s a bit of a wild card.

Are there any parts of your character you can relate to?

I think I come across very differently to Jen but I have a soft spot for her and a sneaking suspicion she might be my inner spirit animal…

What was it like working with Danny Dyer?

Working with Danny was fabulous. He’s such a brilliant actor and I was so excited to get to play the scenes Caz had written for us. He got the tone of it straight away and was totally on board and behind it as a project. I had a real laugh with him – it was a mad three days of filming and we got quite hysterical at some points and once he’d gone it felt like some crazy fever dream.

Was Danny Dyer’s characterisation of himself what you expected it to be?

It was everything I expected it to be and more! There were a couple of phrases in the script that Danny would be like ‘I wouldn’t say that’, and I guess he’s the expert right?! It must have been quite surreal to be playing Jen’s fantasy version of himself, but he was so up for it and such easy company.

Did you have a favourite scene to film?

I loved the action sequences the hens got to do in the final episode. I was fulfilling a childhood dream to be an action hero… although I was playing Jen so it wasn’t quite as skilfully executed as some of Schwarzenegger’s big set pieces.

What did you think of Caroline Moran’s writing when you first read the scripts?

Caz is a unique talent. I found the scripts so satisfying to read and there’s such confidence in her writing, the world and the characters are so clearly defined, it’s a gift to work on as an actor.

It’s such a strong female ensemble, how did that compare to other shows and environments you’ve worked in before?

There was a real camaraderie on Henpocalypse! It was great hanging out with all those fantastic women. It was an incredibly supportive environment and there was this ‘get on with it’ mentality whatever the weather. There was no room for egos because we all wanted to make the best series we could.

How would you fare living in a cottage in those conditions and having to do the things your character had to do?

I really don’t think I would survive Jen’s gangrenous leg. Her resilience is underestimated by the group!

Do you think you would you survive in an apocalypse? What tactics would you employ?

I’d head to the hills with as much tinned food as I could muster and summon my inner Ray Mears to try and last the first winter.

How would you describe the tone for this series?

Brummie Last Of Us with fewer mushrooms and more dildos?

Finally, why do you think viewers should tune in?

Henpocalypse! may be set in an apocalyptic landscape but at its heart are things everyone can relate to – how to navigate friendships and relationships, how to keep fighting when the chips are down and it’s incredibly funny in the telling. Those Brummie hens are a gang you will want to root for.