Meet Darragh Hand, How To Get To Heaven From Belfast’s Breakout Star

Four years after Derry Girls ended, beloved screenwriter Lisa McGee is finally back – and this time she has a twisted mystery to share. How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is jam-packed with the Belfast-native’s signature comedy flair, brought to life by our core trio Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne), Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher) and Robyn (Sinead Keenan) as they embark on a journey across Northern Ireland to untangle the conundrum of their childhood friend’s puzzling death.

Emmett J Scanlan, Michelle Fairley and Saoirse Monica Jackson all also star, but the scene-stealer to know is Darragh Hand, the Irish-Jamaican London local who you might recognise from Heartstopper. With a role in the National Theatre’s new production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses also on the horizon, we sat down with Darragh ahead of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast landing on Netflix.

Q&A: Darragh Hand

‘It’s a good time to enjoy the every day.’
Photographer: Craig Gibson
Styling: Keeley Dawson
Grooming: Nohelia Reyes

Hi Darragh, how’s life going at the moment?

It’s going well. I’ve been prepping for Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the National Theatre – trying to get into a routine so that it’s easy to transition into rehearsals. It’s a good time to enjoy the every day. I’m grateful to have the freedom to do what I want day to day, so I’ve just been trying to fill my time up with loads of different hobbies, staying active, eating clean and enjoying the calm before the storm.

Tell me about your part in Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

I’m playing the role of Chevalier Danceny, a Knight of Malta who is quite naturally charming but very much a naive young man who created his worldview through poetry, literature and music. He’s quite a whimsical, wide-eyed kind of boy, but over the course of the play he has that adolescence taken from him in quite harsh ways. He’s really fun, sweet and sincere, and it’s been nice to figure out how he sees the world.

What has your preparation involved so far?

As well as research, I’ve tried to look at a lot of poetry from 1700s France, just to try and figure out how this guy might think and articulate himself. It has been cool, to be fair, and it’s actually given me something I’ll take away from the role – there’s some beautiful stuff out there!

Keanu Reeves played Chevalier Danceny in the 1988 film adaptation. Have you been looking at his interpretation of the character or keeping yourself separate?

A bit of both. Everyone in that cast was amazing, and Keanu Reeves masterfully dealt with the role and brought so much humanity to it. But I don’t think I can look too closely at how other people do it, because at the end of the day, I’m me, and they’re them, and whatever I do on the day will be an amalgamation of who I am and who I think the character is. It could potentially be dangerous to look too carefully into how other people did it – but I still definitely took some inspiration from it!

‘I think it is an Irish thing, but everyone was so funny.’ (Darragh Hand as Liam Kells in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. © Netflix)

We can now see you in How To Get To Heaven from Belfast. Can you give me an elevator pitch for the show?

It’s a story that follows three childhood friends who find out that their fourth childhood friend who they’re no longer in contact with has passed away. They’re then chucked into this chaotic world trying to figure out what really happened with her and where she’s been in the time that they haven’t been friends. They navigate a myriad of crazy characters while going back over their past with a fine-tooth comb, figuring out what the dynamics really meant between each other. It’s a whodunit, but very genre-bending. It’s funny – I mean, it’s hilarious – as well as being a thriller.

You play Liam. How would you describe him?

Liam is a Gardai, a police officer, and like the three leads he is trying to figure out the chaos in his own life in ways that might not be obvious to him. He’s pulled into this story by these three girls from a place of instinct – a drive to really get to the core of things. He’s not really going to accept any half-arsed excuse or explanation. He’s got a tenacity, an intensity and an intuition that’s very sharp. And a bit of a mystique, because he is dealing with things under the surface.

What did you do to prepare for the role?

I looked at a lot of online forums where police officers speak about what it’s like to be on the job, which was so informative. It’s crazy to think about what these people deal with on a day to day basis. For the average person, it would probably traumatise you for a long time, but they’ve got this skill of compartmentalising. It really makes you question what sort of person chooses to jeopardise their sanity and mental health to help others. I mean, hopefully that’s why people get into the police force. I know it’s not always the case, but I think for Liam, it certainly is.

I also tried to stay fit. Like I said, I think Liam has a tenacity about him, and so I tried my best to mirror that physically.

How did it feel when you got the role?

It was kind of surreal. I was out for dinner with my family at the time, because we were celebrating something. Then I got a phone call from my agent, and I knew it could either be really good or ruin my evening. I went outside and took the phone call and found out I’d got it, and I was just so grateful – to be working with Netflix again, and to working in general, to be honest. 

I really recognise that this is probably a pivotal point in my career, and in my life. I called up my friends and all the family that weren’t there already. Me and my mum went for a walk around the South Bank, just taking it in. I spent that whole evening just taking it in. I walked everywhere. I walked all around central London, just being grateful.

What was the dynamic on set?

The thing is, I think it is an Irish thing, but everyone was so funny. I was one of the only Londoners on set, and the wit these guys have is literally out of this world. Half of the things that were said off-set could have been said on screen. I just spent the whole time really dying laughing. 

Everyone was also so grounded, humble and personable – there was no sense of ego. It was really welcoming, especially as it was one of my biggest projects to date.

‘Getting this role felt surreal.’ (Darragh Hand as Liam & Roisin Gallagher as Saoirse in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. © Netflix/Christopher Barr)

Who brought a really great vibe to the set? 

Everyone kind of brought different things, and I adopted different relationships with different people. Emmett [J Scanlan] I kind of treated as my mentor for the whole time. Roisin [Gallagher] really encouraged me to play and enjoy the scenes. 

Josh Finan was really fun to do scenes with. Whenever I saw we were on the call sheet together, I was like, ‘I’m in for a fun day’. We’d spend most of the day just trying to make each other laugh, doing the most ridiculous things. He’s still one of my really good friends.

Any particularly standout moments from filming?

There was one day where we had a cow on set. I don’t know why I was expecting a proper mature, trained cow. I don’t even know if you can train a cow, but that’s what I thought we were going to be dealing with. And I didn’t know I had a fear of cows. I didn’t know cows could be scary. When it arrived, the cow was fired up and charging around. I was nervous the whole day because there was a scene where I had to walk straight past it. I thought there would be a professional cow handler, but it was just this guy from the local farm screaming at her, trying to corral her. At one point, one of the producers stood by the hedge screaming so the cow wouldn’t jump over it. It was mad, but it was so funny.

Any standout filming locations?

I would struggle to pick one place. Most of the locations we shot at were stunning, really breathtaking. At one location, I had a bit of time before I was needed on set, and there was a massive lake and mountains off in the horizon. I told one of the assistant directors, ‘I’m going to just bop off for a bit’, and I went missing for an hour, sitting and looking at the landscape and trying to draw it. But the whole of the North of Ireland is really beautiful. There’s something about the air there. I feel like you can see more.

Heartstopper was a huge moment in your career. What has it been like to be part of?

I was very excited to be a part of it, because we know how successful and how great the show is. There aren’t really many shows that give a voice to kids struggling with their sexuality, and as far as I’m aware Heartstopper is the best show for that. Working alongside everyone was incredible. They’re all legitimate superstars – so warm and incredibly sharp, willing to play. It was a real honour, especially considering most of them are younger than me! But to see the level of professionalism, dedication and they brought to the project really taught me a lot.

Anything you can tease about Heartstopper Forever?

I’m not sure I can give much away, because the fans will pick up on it, but it’s the last installment of the franchise so we’ll be saying goodbye to a lot of these characters – which can be sad, but also it is a beautiful thing to leave in the zeitgeist.

‘Working alongside everyone [on Heartstopper] was incredible.’ (Darragh Hand as Michael Holde & Jenny Walser as Tori Spring in Heartstopper season 3 © Netflix)

Nothing to talk about at the moment. I’m just excited for what doors may open from How to Get to Heaven from Belfast and Les Liaisons Dangereuses. I feel poised to get into something. I’m feeling optimistic.

What has been your favourite project to date?

A play called For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy was the first job I got out of drama school, and it was so much more than me standing on stage and telling a story. It gave me a sense of identity that I carry with me today, and a sense of community that I continue to be nurtured from. It carried the voices of so many people that have never had the platform to say the things that we said on the stage. And the audience bared their souls with us; that show wouldn’t have been anything without the people that came to see it and shared the experiences that are hard to talk about sometimes in our community. Very special.

Who is an actor you learned a lot from?

When I played Marcus Rashford in Dear England, I worked with an actor called Gina McKee. It was so hard to be in a scene with her without being absolutely in awe of the things she was doing. She taught me so much without saying anything. I don’t think we ever spoke about acting, but she had this way ofbeing so receptive and present that it would drag me into the present. We created a lot of really beautiful moments together, and that’s something I always aim to do now when I’m in a scene.

What’s a genre you’d like to do more of?

There are so many genres I’d love to have a go at! I’m still quite early on in my career, and so far I have touched a lot of bases and learned a lot from each project. I’d love to do a comedy or a romcom, or something more dramatic. Or even a horror! There’s a craft to acting in horror films, which I’d love to have a whack at.

Who is an actor, writer or director you’d love to work with?

There’s literally an endless amount of people I’d love to work with, so I guess I’ll just pick from what I’ve seen most recently! I’ve been really into the Safdie Brothers’ movies recently. The way they write protagonists just moves me – and the way they create stakes. You see a lifetime of a character in an hour, because they show the most-hidden parts of them – them at their most self-destructive. That is beautiful writing for the actor. I’d love to do something with them.

‘Gratitude can take you so far.’
Photographer: Craig Gibson
Styling: Keeley Dawson
Grooming: Nohelia Reyes

You live in London. What are some of your favourite spots in the city?

I feel like I’m still exploring! It’s one thing to visit an area, but then it’s another thing when your friend lives there, so you spend more time and you really get to know the area. I love Kensal Rise, which is where my grandma lives. It definitely still feels like London, but it’s got this peace to it that I really enjoy. I used to go there a lot as a kid, so I’ve got a nostalgic connection to it whenever I’m there. Beddington, where I grew up in Croydon, gives me all the feels. Whenever I go back there, I feel like I’m a kid getting the bus to school again.

How do you find balance in your personal and work lives?

That’s something I’m still trying to figure out, to be honest. As far as I can tell, the two really inform each other. It can be difficult to toe the line, but I suppose what I’m learning is to try and have things I’m invested in outside of acting. I’ve taken up so many hobbies recently! But having commitments you can really invest in outside of your work is really important. But for me, ultimately, it always comes back to acting, because being an actor is the observation of being a person. It can be hard to pull the two apart, but at the same time, I think the two help each other.

How can we all live a little bit better?

Just by being grateful. Gratitude can take you so far. It’s so easy to forget how blessed we are. Take a moment to be thankful that you have eyes that can see, lungs to breathe and a heart to love. If you go outside, look at the sky and just be grateful that it’s there. It opens you up in a way that’s easy to forget. In the world we live in, everything is so fast and everything works on dopamine. It’s all about want, want, want, consume, consume, consume. But we already have so much, and the things that really matter are already in our possession. I think gratitude is the way to start realising that.

Anything fun in the pipeline – professionally or personally?

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is dropping on 12 Feb, which I’m really looking forward to. I’m kind of anxious about it, but also really looking forward to it. And I’m just really excited about the future. I feel like 2026 is going to be a good year for everyone, and I’m excited to get into it. I’ve got a real optimism, and I feel a momentum about this year.

Darragh Hand stars as Liam in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. All eight episodes are streaming now on Netflix.

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