Róisín Murphy to make acting debut in new Netflix fantasy series

Róisín Murphy has made her acting debut in a new Netflix fantasy series.

Ahead of playing Homobloc alongside the likes of Honey Dijon and I. JORDAN next month, the Irish artist and ex-Moloko vocalist will be introduced as Mercury, a powerful witch in The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself. 

Created by Joe Barton, and based on the novel Half Bad by Sally Green, the eight-part series lands on Netflix on 28th October. It’s centred around Nathan Byrn, the illegitimate son of the world’s most dangerous witch as he tries to find his powers. Watch the trailer below.

In a new interview with NME, Murphy said: “It’s about this young feller who wants to find himself. Doesn’t know his father. My character collects powerful blood. Blood’s a sort of currency in this world – you need certain blood to transcend into being whatever kind of witch you’re going to be at 18

“It’s a parable of growing up,” she added. “It was a good part to get to start. She’s glamorous, she’s two-faced, she’s a good part in that Betty Davis type way. I got CGI’d when I turned into this horrible witch at the end, running down the hallway. My children said ‘oh, there’s the real mama’.”

As well as touching upon her forthcoming sixth solo album – a collaboration with DJ Koze – Murphy spoke about the origins of the role, in relation to Barton. “I think [he] was a fan,” she said. “He must have had something planned for something or other along the way and then this witch came up and it was obvious it was made for me.

“They just offered me the part. I was a bit surprised to be honest and I didn’t believe I could do it, but I gave it a go at home on the phone, just reading the script, and everybody loved it. So out of curiosity, I took the job.”

Image via Netflix