The River Star Laura Donnelly on Her 'Man' Hugh Jackman & Celebrating the Holidays in America

Age: 32

Hometown: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Current Role: A Broadway debut as “The Other Woman,” who mysteriously enters midway through The River dressed for a night of fly-fishing with Hugh Jackman.

Stage & Screen Cred: In the decade since she graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Donnelly has worked steadily on stage, including the 2012 London premiere of The River opposite Dominic West. On TV, she’s been featured in ABC’s Missing, BBC’s The Fall and the current Starz hit Outlander.

“My first experience on stage was in a dance company that mixed Irish dance and ballet in productions of old Irish myths and legends. We went around Northern Ireland, and I played the children’s parts. That’s when the bug bit and I knew I wanted to do this professionally.”

“When I first read The River, I had theories on what it was about, but once we got into rehearsal, I realized it’s much simpler: It’s about how human beings try to connect. The play holds a mirror up to the audience, and they take from it what’s relevant to their lives.”

“It’s been exciting to work with both [Dominic West and Hugh Jackman on The River]. Dominic has a slightly darker sense about him; people feel he may be a bit unsavory. Hugh is the nicest man on the planet, which makes you root for him as The Man. Both give so much of themselves on stage.”

“I loved having my first American Thanksgiving with cousins in the Bronx, and my mom will be over for Christmas. She’s incredibly proud—and when she gets here, she may be slightly overwhelmed! It’s going to be a thrilling holiday.”

“It’s not easy being Hugh Jackman, but he wears the attention better than anyone I’ve ever met. He treats every person he meets the same and finds joy in everything he does. The lesson I’ve learned is that if you work incredibly hard and you’re nice to everybody, you’ll be fine.”

“Fly-fishing is really addictive. We went upstate for the day, and I caught a fish and Hugh caught a fish. Do point out that I caught the first fish! Cush [Jumbo] had some on the line, but they got free, which was a shame. But we had a brilliant time.”