Actress Niamh Moriarty is the star of new BBC series Best Interests, the most heartbreaking and emotional drama you’ll watch this week.
Niamh is an up-and-coming star, who hasn’t let her real life disability hold her back. And, understandably, she firmly believes disabled actors should play disabled parts…
She stars as Marnie in Best Interests, a compelling, thought-provoking drama from BAFTA-winning writer Jack Thorne. The excellent four-part series also stars Michael Sheen, Sharon Horgan, and Alison Oliver.
Here’s everything you need to know about actress Niamh.
Who plays Marnie in Best Interests?
Young actress Niamh Moriarty stars as Marnie in Best Interests. It is her first significant TV role.
The character of Marnie was born with a rare form of congenital muscular dystrophy, which is life-threatening. The four-part drama delivers an unflinching depiction of a family’s battle when Marnie’s doctors believe it is in her best interests to be allowed to die…
Her loving family – including distraught mum played by Sharon Horgan – disagree. And so begins a fight that will take them through every stage of a legal process. Her parents resolve to fight for the right to keep her alive no matter the cost.
Is actress Niamh Moriarty disabled in real life?
Niamh Moriarty is disabled in real life. She has cerebral palsy in her legs called Spastic Dyplegia, and was diagnosed at the age of 3.
She explains: “Spastic Dyplegia means I have a very weak core area and very tight tendons and muscles in my legs. I need to do daily physio to stretch and strengthen my core and my legs. The hardest part about all of this is trying to find fun ways of doing these exercises so that it is not a daily, boring chore!”
Her dream is to inspire others, to find acting roles, and to partake in gymnastics like other girls, and her heroine Simone Biles.
Speaking on World Cerebral Palsy Day on October 6th 2022, Niamh wrote on her official Instagram: “October 6th marks World Cerebral Palsy Day. Over 17 million people around the world have C.P. I so hope that someday soon, little boys and girls can look up to their screens and say ‘that girl looks like me, I can do that too!’ Disability does not define what we are capable of and I will always be proud of my differences.”
How old is Niamh Moriarty?
Niamh Moriaty is still a youngster in the world of acting!
Tha actress is currently 16 years of age.
Where is she from?
Niamh was born in Killiney, Co Dublin.
In Best Interests, Niamh stars alongside fellow Irish actors Sharon Horgan, and Conversations With Friends star Alison Oliver.
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What has Niamh Moriarty starred in?
Niamh Moriarty has been working in the entertainment industry since the age of 10.
She told the Irish Times: “All of my friends started to get serious about their extracurricular hobbies, like GAA, but because of my disability that just didn’t really work out for me.
“So, I enrolled in our local drama school. And from there, I started to realise that acting was something that a person could do as a job.”
Niamh played Tiny Tim in the Gate Theatre’s 2019 10-week run production of A Christmas Carol, and recently appeared in Toy Show The Musical.
She played Ellie in the TV short, My Mother’s Shoes, in 2019. But her role as Marnie is her most significant TV role to date.
Niamh dreams of inspiring other disabled actors, saying: “I hope that they [young people] will feel seen, because when I was a child, I never saw myself on a screen and I think if I did, it would have completely brightened my world and I would have felt so represented.”
She also called on those casting for disabled parts to use disabled actors. For Niamh, the role of Marnie was the first audition she had ever received where a disabled performer was needed. “I didn’t think I would ever get the opportunity to prove myself and my talents,” she said.
Read more: BBC announces new drama from Sherwood writer – with Michael Sheen as director
Best Interests starts on Monday, June 12, 2o23 at 9pm on BBC One. Episode 2 continues on Tuesday, June 13 at the same time.
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