When Sharon Rooney was filming the new BBC drama Nightsleeper, things started to get a bit meta. The show is about a hackjack (a tech-based hijack) on the Caledonian sleeper train from Glasgow to London. At the time, Rooney was filming in Glasgow but going back and forth to London to promote Barbie (more on that later). “I would be shooting Nightsleeper, and then I would get the night sleeper,” says the 35-year-old. “I’d go to London for the day, and then get the night sleeper and go straight to film on Nightsleeper. I did that a few times, and then I started thinking: ‘I don’t think I can keep doing this…’”
Rooney plays Yas Brown, a junior staff member on the train, who has no idea what’s going on but tries to keep passengers calm as things get progressively more stressful. “She doesn’t have any authority on the train, but because she has a uniform, people look to her like she does,” she says. “I thought that would be a fun dynamic to play.” And what drew her to the role? “It was mainly because I’m such a fan of trains,” she deadpans. “I’m joking. That was just a bonus.”
The show, which also stars Alexandra Roach and Joe Cole, is fast-paced and tense – and Rooney says it felt like this while filming, too. “It was one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever done. Sometimes when you film a drama, you look forward to those dramatic scenes. But with this, there’s no filler scenes, so you’re in a heightened sense of panic every day. I’ve never been so tired on a job. I would come home and go straight to bed.”
The set was claustrophobic, and really felt like they were on a train. The train did move at points too. Everyone got motion sickness. Luckily, night train veteran Rooney had anti-sickness patches, and handed them out to everyone on day one of filming.
Rooney has loved performing from a young age, and would put on shows for her family. “They were very patient, like: ‘Sure, let’s turn off this film we’re all enjoying to watch you sing Mambo No.5,’” she recalls. “It was what I always wanted to do. I loved making people laugh. It wasn’t until I got older that I thought: ‘Oh, drama is interesting. You can make them cry as well.’”
Her breakthrough role was in Channel 4’s My Mad Fat Diary, in which she starred as Rae, a 16-year-old who struggles with mental health and body image issues.
But Rooney almost didn’t go for the role. After leaving school at 16, she did drama at college and a degree in drama at university. In the years that followed, she dabbled in stand-up, and worked with Theatre in Education for six years.
All the while, she was auditioning. “I did so many auditions, always coming so close and getting to the final three or two,” she says. “I was going to quit and become a nurse” – her gran was a nurse and it had always appealed to her – “and then I got the Mad Fat Diary audition. I was like: ‘I’m not going to go.’ And then I read the script and thought: ‘OK, one last audition.’ And it was the one that changed everything.”
The role was a turning point, and it still means a lot to her. “I’ll always be forever thankful for Rae,” says Rooney. “She’ll always be my number one. I wouldn’t have any of the jobs that I do now, or the life I have, without her. It’s all because of her.” It also featured a young Jodie Comer, as Rae’s best friend Chloe – and the pair are still in touch. “She’s the best – I couldn’t be more proud of her,” says Rooney.
My Mad Fat Diary celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, which makes Rooney feel “ancient”. But she is grateful that it’s still reaching new audiences. Why does she think the show resonated – and continues to resonate – with people? “I think sadly, those issues never go away, so unfortunately, it will always be relevant,” she says. But she hopes that the show can provide some comfort for those struggling. “I think that’s what the show’s legacy is. It’s just unfortunate that it continues to be needed. It’s the shitty world we live in. But you just have to be the best you that you can be and stop answering to people that don’t matter to you.”
Part of what appealed to Rooney about Rae was her authenticity and that people could see themselves reflected in her. “I think everyone wants to see someone like them on telly. They might feel that if a character like Rae has the courage to get help, then they might have the courage to get help. I think that’s really important.”
When going for roles, Rooney looks for real – and often flawed – characters. “Those are the characters I like watching, because they’re the people that you root for. I think there’s something real about that,” she says. “I mean, aside from Barbie…”
Rooney had a small role as Lawyer Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s smash hit 2023 film. “I mean, it’s Barbie, Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie. If there’s going to be an exception to a rule, I think it’s that, isn’t it?” she says. The role was “a dream come true” for Rooney, whose childhood bedroom had a Barbie bed, lampshade and wallpaper. “I had Barbie everything. It was as if Barbie threw up in my bedroom. It was actually obscene.”
Landing that role was a surprise. “My agent said: ‘I was just phoning to see if you fancied making a film with Greta Gerwig?’. I was like: ‘Shut up. What did you actually phone me for?’” After her agent confirmed that she was being serious, Rooney couldn’t quite believe it, and texted her afterwards to make sure. “You don’t think something like that is going to happen on a random midweek evening,” she says.
As for what’s next, Rooney is keen to write and produce, as well as continue acting. She has a list of career goals, which she is ticking things off. Working with Greta Gerwig was on there, but what else? “I can never tell you what’s on my list. Even my agent doesn’t even know what’s on my list. I only ever tell them who’s on the list once I tick them off. No one in the whole world has seen my list, not even my mum,” she says. The way things are going, Rooney will be ticking many more things off her list in the years to come.
‘Nightsleeper’ is streaming on BBC iPlayer
