Balance September 2019 - 66

CULTURE
INTERVIEW

REASONS TO BEA CHEERFUL
In her new show This Way Up, Aisling Bea bares her soul. BALANCE finds out why

And the themes...
I wanted to make a comedy about loneliness,
because for me, it's the one subject people stay
away from; I think we fear that. I read somewhere
that people fear it like they do a cancer, like if you
talk about it, you might get it, too. Loneliness
begets loneliness. It's quite pervasive in our
society and has genuine, huge effects. Like in
terms of this magazine and this interview, it has
huge biological effects. When you go to a support
network, you recover from accidents quicker than
if you're trying to cope on your own.
What advice would you give regarding coping
with loneliness in a big city?
I experienced it when I first moved to Dublin
from the countryside to go to university. I didn't
know a single person and had to go up to
people and make friends. When I think back
on it, I think, 'Jesus, it was so hard for me,' and
I'm very chatty. How hard must it be for people
who aren't as chatty? I was brought up in a very
open, 'everyone-is-welcome' family, and you will
only benefit from the more people you let in to a
country, to your home, to your life. Your brain will
expand, you'll be able to lean on them the same
way they can lean on you, and that literally has
a dopamine-boosting effect on your whole body.
Keep trying to get out there and put yourself out
there as much as you can, even when it's really

PHOTOGRAPHY Joseph Sinclair STYLING Holly Elgeti
MAKE-UP Justine Jenkins HAIR Narad Kutowaroo

Huge congratulations for This Way Up -
it's incredible. Why tell this story now?
I'm telling it because it is what I was interested
in. Stories and narratives can be an amalgamation
of things; you can make a character that is very
much like your own sister, but has traits and
quirks of a man you used to meet in your office.
That's creativity, I suppose; and that's being a
writer, not a documentary maker. Also I love it,
and her, and one big part of the character was that
I really wanted to write someone who was funny:
not for the audience, but for the other characters.
Someone who's funny in real life.

hard; keep hoping and joining as many groups
and events and doing as many hobbies as you can.
In terms of wellbeing, is there anything
you'd like to try and pass on?
Ooh, a multi-pronged approach. So, many things.
CBD oil - I really like CBD oil, that's a practical
thing - and I love alternative therapy. A lot of
alternative therapy and spiritual
stuff like crystals and healers
worked for me as a sort of more
wizardry version of CBT. I also
solidly recommend therapy, but
as I say in episode six of This Way
Up it's bloody expensive. and not
for everyone. There's also an
audiobook called The Science Of
Fate. I don't think you can throw
enough types of different things at yourself.

I think This Way Up will inspire people to go
on a journey of the self...
It's a bit like BALANCE.
I'm always, "What tips will
I get?" But curiosity is key.
It's why I've still not learned
to drive after 16 years. You
need the curiosity. With
something like crystals,
I don't want to lean into it
like it's a religion. I've got
some stand-up about this where I'm like, "I hate
religion and I hate all that magic and things, so
instead, I have a crystal healer and an energy
healer, and I do exactly what they say," y'know?

I LOVE CBD
OIL.THAT'S A
PRACTICAL
THING

What else have you thrown at yourself?
Maisie Hill also has a book called Period Power,
which teaches women to look at their cycle and
where they are. There are certain times in your
cycle when you're more gregarious and other
times when you're gonna be more insular. Neither
of these makes you better or worse at your job, but
it's looking at how you plan your week that week.
It's been a real eye-opener for me, just looking
at how kind to be to yourself, and other times
how much to force yourself out the door, and

66

sometimes to go, 'No, you need to'. Other times
you need to say, "Today's the day you f**king get
outside and take responsibility for yourself." The
main thing is no one can do it for you. It would
be lovely if someone could, but you really have to
take responsibility for your own mental health.

By the way, there's a scene in episode one on
the doorstep that's such a distillation of your
loveliest qualities...
Beware of charming Irish people. That's my
biggest warning...

This Way Up is available now on All4. Living
With Yourself airs on Netflix later this year
Balance September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance September 2019
