BY DINO TAKASHI

DARCI SHAW may not be a household name yet but her stardom is undeniably being catapulted into greater heights. As there is a continuous stream of young talents that we see both on silver screens and streaming sites, Darci is one of the few rising stars with a more illustrious resume among her contemporaries.

 After her portrayal of the young Judy Garland alongside Renee Zellweger from the same biopic in 2019, Darci was definitely positioned to be the next promising star of her generation.  

Armed with piercing eyes, paranormal powers and a highly relatable teen character, we are excited to see what this young superstar protégé is up to after wrapping up Netflix’s latest hit series, “The Irregulars.” In the show, Shaw plays Jessie, one of the four street teenagers living in a cellar in London. The story is part of a subplot of Sherlock Holmes that Tom Bidwell created.

 As this British thespian embarks on her 19th birthday, we spoke with her on her role in “The Irregulars” and what she looks forward to for the rest of 2021.

Congratulations on your hit show! How are you coping with the seemingly endless lockdowns and restrictions from COVID?

I have been walking a lot but I think like most people I have found a lot of comfort in watching TV! I watched the whole of Game of Thrones, Schitts Creek, and rewatched favourites like Derry Girls, This Country, Mum and Fleabag. Mostly light-hearted comedies to lift the mood! I love shows like Extreme Cake Makers, The Great British Bake-Off and the Great Pottery Throw Down too, those kinds of shows are so comforting yet entertaining! Sometimes if I was doing a particularly heavy scene in The Irregulars I would go home and watch GBBO before I went to bed. Mary Berry makes everything better. 

What is the most exciting part of being in the cast in the subplot story of Sherlock Holmes, The Irregulars?

I love that Tom Bidwell, our show creator and writer, has reimagined the world of Sherlock Holmes and put a group of street kids at the center of it. It is a whole new universe and set of characters for people to explore. It’s quite an epic show, there is always something happening, whether that’s a bird scratching someone’s eyes out or a plague doctor terrorizing my character Jessie!

What part of your character “Jessie” is similar to you in real life?

At the beginning of the show, Jessie definitely feels like she doesn’t belong, she feels different. I have definitely felt like that before. That’s what I love about Tom’s writing- everyone can relate to the characters in some sense, he writes so beautifully about grief and loss too, which is a huge theme throughout the show. Although we have these fantastical supernatural elements, the characters still go through very real emotions and we see them feeling completely out of their depth and terrified by what they are experiencing. 

Tell us what we should expect from this show in general? How is this different from the other Sherlock Holmes stories?

“The Irregulars” feel very urban and fresh, although it is set in Victorian London, the gang of Irregulars are current, like teenagers you would meet in London today. We have huge supernatural themes running throughout and the series is very action packed. My favourite element of it is the relationships between characters. You really go on a journey with them all and see their relationships blossom and develop over the eight episodes. Plus, we have some great comedy moments too which I love!

If you were a book, what book would you be and why? 

Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery - it’s a book I was introduced to as a little girl as it was my mums’ favourite book (and film!) when she was younger too. It is such a sweet story with amazing characters, it’s very comforting to me. Plus, the fact I want to live on Prince Edward Island!

What are you looking forward to for the rest of 2021?

Some warmer weather! I love it when the sun is shining and you can go and read in the garden or just not have to wear huge padded coats everywhere! On a more serious note, I am just excited to see what 2021 might bring! Hopefully better TV, like “The Irregulars” on Netflix now!