Katie McGrath happy to live inside the 'Merlin' bubble

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'Merlin's' Anthony Head still 'Giles' to some

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Anthony Head isn't afraid of the 'Merlin' purists

Anthony Head isn't afraid of the 'Merlin' purists

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by: Sheri Block
Date: 8/13/2009 11:17:00 AM ET

Katie McGrath may now be one of the stars of the hit TV series "Merlin" but only a short while ago this Irish actress was working on the other side of the camera.

As a former wardrobe assistant on period drama "The Tudors," she remembers thinking acting looked like a pretty sweet gig.

"I was looking at these actresses sort of sitting around under umbrellas, people bringing them cold drinks and I was like, 'That looks so much easier than what I'm doing' and I was so wrong," says McGrath with a laugh.

Even though her dream was to work in fashion journalism, a short stint at a magazine in Ireland convinced her otherwise. Finding herself out of work, she accepted the job in wardrobe.

"Bearing in mind I can't sew, I can't do bloody anything, so I turn up on this huge production ... and I get put to work and it was like baptism of fire, me lacing girls into corsets at 5 o'clock in the morning and I loved every second of it," says McGrath.

But while she was working on the show, she was told by some of the directors, producers and actors that she should get on the other side of the camera.

After landing a couple small parts and an appearance in "The Tudors" - including a very steamy scene with the show's star Jonathan Rhys Meyers - she scored an audition for "Merlin."

Much to her surprise she was cast in the role of Morgana - the spirited and beautiful ward of King Uther, played by none other than Anthony Head.

McGrath, who admits she didn't realize at the time how big the role was, also had no idea the famed British actor from hit cult series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was even part of the cast.

She didn't find out until the read through, which occurred two days before the show started filming. It was also her very first read through as an actress and she could barely contain her nerves.

"I was so scared. I was like, 'They're going to re-cast me, they're going to re-cast me. I've got to do a good job' and I walk in and Giles from 'Buffy' is there. I was just like 'Oh my God, oh my God.'"

She ended up sitting next to Head but her nerves quickly melted away when he started giggling and making jokes. It set the tone for everything to come.

McGrath gushes when talking about working with Head and how much she and the show's other young stars - Colin Morgan (Merlin), Bradley James (Arthur) and Angel Coulby (Gwen) - have learned from him, along with fellow veteran actor Richard Wilson (Gaius).

"They show you how it's supposed to be and how you do the job and still love it and still be good at it after 20 years."

But on screen McGrath's character Morgana, who has discovered she is a "seer," embodies everything Head's Uther is trying to suppress.

"The very crux of the whole show obviously is that magic is banned in Camelot and to have the king's ward being a source of magic is obviously going to be sort of a sticking point, to have it so close to the throne. I always think of Morgana as the ticking time bomb of the show."

With the season finale fast approaching, McGrath says the tension between Morgana and Uther is only going to escalate.

"They're just on opposite ends of the spectrum and so an incident happens, which brings all this to a head and they become in direct conflict and Morgana decides she cannot deal with him the way he is anymore," hints McGrath.

"She has an amazing choice to make obviously and you don't know what she decides until the very end of it.

"Merlin" may be new to North American audiences, but the show has already become a massive hit around the rest of the world.

"We live in a Merlin bubble," admits McGrath with a laugh. "We get asked quite a lot by people doing interviews: 'Did you have any idea it was going to be such a big hit?' and my first response is always, 'Really? It's a hit?'"

McGrath and the rest of the cast are currently busy filming Season 2 on location in Wales, France and England.

Now that McGrath is the one getting tended to on set, is she enjoying the benefits of being an actress, namely being waited on hand and foot?

"Unfortunately, no," she laughs. "But the thing is, if you've ever visited a film set, there's so much down time, there's so much time sitting around waiting, you go get your own tea, you get your own water, just for something to do."

But even so, McGrath can't imagine doing anything else.

"I won the lottery because I didn't know I would love this so much and I'm so lucky to have gotten the chance."


Merlin airs Sunday nights on CTV.