Comedian Deirdre O’Kane: ‘I’d like to go for a pint with Volodymyr Zelensky. He was a comic and he won Dancing with the Stars. We have much to discuss’

What’s your earliest memory?

Dancing in a feis aged four. I didn’t win but I got a special prize because I was so little.

When and where were you happiest?

Ohhh…. I’m happiest now.

What keeps you awake at night?

Illness.

What’s your least, and your most, attractive trait?

My least attractive trait is my impatience and my bad memory, and my most attractive trait is that I am an eternal optimist.

What trait do you deplore most in others?

Meanness… of spirit and other areas.

What’s the first thing you’d do if you were Taoiseach?

Solve the housing crisis.

What’s your biggest insecurity?

That I might not reach the required standard.

Who would you most like to go for a pint with?

Volodymyr Zelensky. He was a comic and he won Dancing with the Stars. We have much to discuss.

Which fictional character do you most identify with?

Madame Bovary. Literally right.

What is your most treasured possession?

I don’t really have one. I don’t attach myself to possessions so much that there would be a standout one.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

My six o’clock gin and tonic.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

A piece of third-hand advice about not having to be funny on stage all the time but always having to be interesting.

When did you last cry, and why?

I went to see the film All of Us Strangers last night and cried. The performances were just amazing. Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal are phenomenal in it. I would highly recommend watching it.

Who would play you in a film of your life?

Mark Ruffalo, #genderequality.

Do you believe in a god?

I believe in love, which, to my mind, is the same thing.

Is there life after death?

Who knows? We’ll never know, Ted.

What’s your favourite word?

Onomatopoeia.

What’s the last TV show you binge-watched?

LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland on Prime Video. I had an absolute ball filming this. I can’t imagine being stuck in a room for 10 hours with a better bunch of people.

What’s been your closest brush with the law?

When I ran off without paying for my diesel in Athlone.

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

You’re doing great.

If you could have a super power, what would it be?

To write jokes at the speed of light.

Last book you read?

Leonard and Hungry Paul by Irish author Rónán Hession. I was a bit late to the party on this, but I just felt it was something of a balm for the soul in these uncertain times. It’s beautifully written, heart-warming without schmaltz and just an ode to the loveliness of the ordinary.

What person from the world of history/music/literature would you like to have met and what would you discuss?

I would like to have met Charles Bukowski and we would discuss the human condition.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever done?

Waitressing. I was truly terrible. Didn’t last long. Back to my least attractive traits — no patience and bad memory.

Tell us a secret…

I’m 55. Who knew!

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Fame.

Deirdre will be touring nationwide with her show ‘O’Kaning It’, starting on March 22 at The Whale Theatre, Greystones, followed by a nationwide tour running until December 6. Visit deirdreokane.net