‘I’d like to do it all’: Ayoola Smart on her latest project and coming home to Cork

After several years living in London and starring in TV shows and films, West Cork actor Ayoola Smart is excited to return to the theatre in her hometown.

She’s taking to the stage in The Everyman’s forthcoming production of The Beacon, by acclaimed writer Nancy Harris.

“It feels so nice to be coming home to do a stage play and step into something that’s really different and close and connected to the landscape and to my home,” she says.

Set in West Cork, The Beacon tells the story of Beiv, a painter who is seeking solitude in her seaside home after a turbulent past. Her estranged son Colm arrives with his new American wife Bonnie, played by Smart, and the reunion unravels accusations, secrets, and long-buried trauma.

“I don’t want to say too much, but I think Bonnie is a character that people will maybe make some quick assumptions about,” says Smart.

“I think one of the things I love about all of the characters, but also about Bonnie, is she really is an outsider coming in with this brightness.”

Smart believes audiences will relate to the theme of belonging in the play.

“I think what’s beautiful about this play is that everyone has that moment where they are an outsider of some sorts. And it makes you question what it means to belong, I suppose, which feels very in keeping with West Cork, and definitely my experience of West Cork.”

She jumped at the chance to star in a play by Harris, who was the screenwriter of the RTÉ series The Dry.

“I feel really grateful to be going back to stage with a play like this, because Nancy Harris is just such a brilliant writer, and all the characters are so rounded and alive and complex.”

The play is directed by Sara Joyce.

“Her work is wonderful,” says Smart. “It’s always the aim and the goal to be able to work at things where there are brilliant women in the room and brilliant people in the room in general.”

Working with strong women has been a feature of Smart’s career, most notably when she landed a role in Killing Eve, which was led by female writers throughout its four seasons.

The series starred Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, and Cork’s Fiona Shaw, who won a BAFTA for her role.

“Working with Fiona Shaw was such a brilliant experience, and no small part of that is because she is such a nice, warm, funny person that instantly puts you at ease,” says Smart.

Smart always wanted to be an actor, and moved to London to attend drama school.

“I think I’m a very classic drama kid in that, always one of the main things that I wanted to do was be in the arts,” she says.

In 2016, she landed her first major theatre role.

“I left early to do a play at Shakespeare’s Globe, The Taming Of The Shrew. At the time, it was the centenary for the 1916 rising, and so there was an all-Irish production directed by Caroline Byrne which was a really beautiful first job to go into.”

Since then, her career has gone from strength to strength, with roles in films such as Juliet, Naked alongside Ethan Hawke, Rose Byrne, and Chris O’Dowd, in the Irish series Smother, and as Aviendha in the Prime Video series Wheel Of Time.

“I also did an outrageously stupid film called Cocaine Bear a couple of years ago, which is what people come out to me for a lot,” she laughs.

While acting is her first love, Smart would like to spend more time writing and producing work in the future.

“I’m creating a show with my mom actually at the moment. We’re writing a show together, which will hopefully get made at some point.”

She’s also just finished producing her first short film.

“I think producing is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, just to have more access to all areas of the creative process.

“And so it’s been really rewarding to do it and enjoy it, and that film will hopefully be coming to Cork in the next festival, or a festival soon in the future.”

Directing is also on the cards, and Smart hopes to direct her first short later this year.

“I’d like to do it all,” she says. “I think the nice thing about being in the arts or being in a creative field is that there’s always space to move around, and it doesn’t need to feel stuck in one area.”

Whatever work she does in future, Smart looks forward to returning to Cork whenever she can.

“I love working at home, and I love working in Ireland, and so that’s something that I always hope to be doing alongside wherever else I end up.”