Seana Kerslake

Seána Kerslake is an Irish actress who achieved widespread recognition for playing Aisling O'Dowd in the television comedy-drama series Can't Cope, Won't Cope. Born on October 21, 1990, she has appeared in a variety of feature films, stage productions, and television dramas throughout her career.

Kerslake grew up in Tallaght, County Dublin, as the middle child among three daughters born to parents John and Deirdre Kerslake. She pursued her higher education at NUI Maynooth, where she studied English and music. To further refine her performing skills, she later trained in screen acting at The Factory on Bow Street in Dublin.

Her acting career began during her student years when she was cast in Kirsten Sheridan's 2010 unscripted feature film, Dollhouse. Her portrayal in the movie earned her a nomination for an Irish Film & Television Academy award in 2013, marking an early milestone in her professional screen acting career.

In 2016, Kerslake starred as the title character in Darren Thornton's feature film A Date for Mad Mary. Her performance was well received by major trade publications, leading to her receiving the Bingham Ray New Talent Award at the 2016 Galway Film Fleadh as well as the Breakthrough Award from the Dublin Film Critics' Circle. That same year, she began her lead role in RTÉ2's Can't Cope, Won't Cope, portraying a twenty-something young woman facing various personal struggles until the series concluded in 2018.

Kerslake expanded her work to the London stage in May 2018, making her debut at The Old Vic as Kat in the Roger Michell-directed play Mood Music, written by Joe Penhall. Her film projects around this period included appearances in the 2018 release Dublin Oldschool and the 2019 Lee Cronin feature film The Hole in the Ground.

Her television and film credits continued to grow in subsequent years. From 2021 through 2023, she played Grace Ahern in the mystery miniseries Smother, broadcast on RTÉ One and Alibi. In 2022, she portrayed Theresa Claffin in the first season of Bad Sisters and starred alongside Patrick Kielty in Prasanna Puwanarajah's film Ballywalter. In 2024, she appeared in the second season of the BBC One crime drama series Blue Lights.

Over the course of her career, Kerslake has gained notable industry recognition. Screen International selected her as one of sixteen Stars of Tomorrow in 2017. Additionally, in 2020, she was featured at number 50 on a list published by The Irish Times honoring the greatest Irish film actors.