Fantasy becomes realitySHANNON HARVEY, The West Australian© Katie McGrath, the green- eyed Irish actress who plays Morgana in the popular medieval fantasy series Merlin, still can't believe her luck. A few years ago, the 26-year-old quit her job as a fashion journalist to work as a wardrobe assistant on the set of the BBC series, The Tudors.
With no experience in sewing hems or ironing shirts, she freely admits, "as a wardrobe girl, I make an excellent cup of tea".
"It was the biggest farce ever because I had no idea about it," McGrath says from London, admitting she's so sick of the heat she'd gladly swap places with me.
"They figured that because I worked for a fashion magazine I could mend clothes. I would look at them and say, 'Are you sure you want me to sew this? I'll probably make it worse'."
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Now, however, McGrath is midway through shooting the third season of the surprisingly popular sword-and-sorcery fantasy series, which re-imagines the 12th century wizard Merlin (Colin Morgan) as a teenager still coming to terms with his powers.
"It's not that acting didn't appeal to me, it just didn't occur to me," McGrath says with an Irish lilt softened after three years on the English set.
"Working in wardrobe on The Tudors made it seem possible because I was working with people who'd managed it.
"So I thought why not give it a go? I never thought I'd succeed. I thought I'd give it a go for a year then settle down with a normal job."
She not only gave it a go but fared much better on the pointy side of camera, landing a recurring role on The Tudors. With the pluck of a burgeoning actress, she talked a crew member into giving her a list of the actors' agents.
She wrote to each, found an agent and won the role of Morgana - King Uther's ward and secret seer.
"It was so fantastical and every girl's dream come true. It was like winning the lottery and you don't think it can ever happen to you."
The family-friendly fantasy has gone from strength to strength since its first season. It screens in 180 countries including China and the US, where it has avoided the dreaded US remake syndrome.
In Australia, over a million viewers have tuned in per episode in this second season, which culminates with the series finale on Sunday, where Morgana may be behind a spell that enchants everyone at Camelot.
McGrath said few involved with the show knew it would become so big: "We started Merlin as a small show in Cardiff but it's grown into a good series.
"It's quintessentially European in its look, casting and storytelling. But the Arthurian legend is one that resonates with so many cultures and the fact that it's a retelling and a coming-of-age story is what makes it appealing to people today."
McGrath now admits she has a new appreciation for acting and actors.
"They work us pretty hard! On a nice day it's 12 hours," she says.
"And it's a very different discipline. I was just figuring it out over the first two seasons. Now I feel like I've found my feet. It's not easy, and that's what I like about it. It keeps my mind going. If I could do it on autopilot I'd probably try something else."
It's that challenge that has McGrath hooked.
"Here we are shooting the third season, with Morgana having a bigger, darker presence in the show, and there's no hope of me becoming an accountant."