Clare Dunne stars as Detective Whelan in the brand new C5 thriller Witness Number 3 – and viewers will no doubt notice her distinctive birthmark.
Sadly, as a result of other people’s ignorance, the Dublin-born actress was bullied because of it at school.
And now, quite rightly, she refuses to cover it up.
Here’s everything you need to know…
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What has Clare Dunne said about her birthmark?
The actress told Women’s Way that she refuses to cover up the birthmark – despite being told to.
She admits that at least one person in the industry told her she should camouflage the birthmark to get more jobs.
She said: “I decided I wasn’t going to spend an extra hour doing make-up because it wasn’t getting me the roles and was just wasting my time.
“I feel that if they want me, great, and if they don’t, well they aren’t the people to work with – it’s as simple as that really.
“And, on a very practical level, you can’t really cover up my birthmark because it’s basically 3D and sticks out a bit.”
She also admits that she has been ” a bullied for it”.
She revealed: “It was hilarious really as people would say things like, ‘who hit you?’ and ‘what happened to you?’
“So I got really good at comforting people in socially awkward moments.”
Clare Dunne’s birthmark almost stopped her from acting…
Clare told the Irish Times that she was told her birthmark would prevent her from success.
She shares: “To be honest, I kind of look like a bit of a panda bear.
“So the [acting] teacher took me aside one day and said: ‘Look, you’re not going to make it as an actress with that thing on your eye.’
“I decided to find another teacher.”
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Who does Clare Dunne play in Witness Number 3?
Clare Dunne plays Detective Whelan, the detective in charge of the murder that Jodie witnesses.
She encourages Jodie to go forward with her statement against the gang boss that commits the murder.
But is she prepared to protect Jodie from the gang members who are intent on threatening her?
What else has she been in?
The Irish actress has had a lot of experience in theatre and television.
She starred in Juno and the Paycock, a co-production between Dublin’s Abbey Theatre and the National Theatre.
Her other popular theatre roles include Detroit at the National Theatre and Three Sisters at Lyric Hammersmith.
Dunne wrote and performed Living with Missy at Smock Alley Theatre.
Her screenwriting work doesn’t end there, she co-wrote and starred as Sandra in the film Herself.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film festival in 2020 and streams on Amazon Prime.
The 33-year-old actress stars as Victoria in the Marvel film Spiderman: Far From Home.
Most recently, she featured in the American AMC series Kin, alongside Charlie Cox.
Clare Dunne birthmark – what is the actress in next?
Actress Clare Dunne has just started filming series 2 of Kin, the AMC and RTÉ Irish crime drama.
Kin tells the story of a fictional Dublin family embroiled in gangland war and speaks to the enduring unbreakable bonds of blood and family.
Season 1 is finally available to watch in the UK, too.
You can catch it on Amazon Prime if you’re a subscriber.
Witness Number 3 starts on Monday July 18 2022 at 9pm on Channel 5, and continues every day until Thursday.
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