Irish actors Siobhán Cullen and Chris Walley, graced the red carpet, alongside former SNL comedian Will Forte at Dublin Lighthouse Cinema last night, for the launch of Netflix's latest series Bodkin.

Bodkin, made in conjunction with Netflix, is the first non-documentary made by the production company Higher Ground Productions, run by former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Bodkin was shot in Ireland, which mattered to the former President..

Showrunner Alex Metcalf explained: "The first thing he [Barack Obama] said when I met him was 'You know I’m Irish right?' So he had that investment in the show as well.

"They were absolutely supportive of the show," Alex added. "They kind of helped shepherd in Netflix".

Alex Metcalf and Jez Scharf at the Bodkin premiere in Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Featuring the aforementioned stars – The Dry's Siobhán Cullen, The Young Offenders' Chris Walley and American Comedian Will Forte – Bodkin hopes to be Netflix's next binge-worthy 'dramady', promising plenty of twists and turns.

Lead actor Siobhán Cullen was emphatic on that point

"Bodkin is full of surprises," she said. "Every page is a surprise. It’s kind of what struck me the most when I first read it.

"I thought I had a handle on this story and then it turned into something totally different. It kind of always keeps the audience guessing - it pulls the rug out from under you."

Showrunner and Bodkin writer Jez Scharf echoed that sentiment.

"Leave your expectations at the door," he instructed. "Where Episode 1 begins is not where it ends up! Part of the point of the show is every time you think the show is going to go in a direction, we zigzag in a different direction."

Complimenting the writing, Cork actor Chris Walley added: "Good writing is when you can tread the line and touch so many genres. When something’s good it can be kind of funny, thrilling, and dramatic all at once and I think they did that well. It’s fun just to be a part of something like that."

Chris Walley at the Bodkin premiere in Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

There are many praiseworthy elements to the production, between acting, writing and the backing of the former US Presidents. But its location in West Cork has also been universally lauded.

"I had done 2 jobs here [Ireland] previously," former SNL Comedian Chris Forte said, "but none of them had brought me down to Cork. This is my first Cork experience. We fell in love with it".

Will Forte at the Bodkin premiere in Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Jez Scharf was in agreement. "We loved Lough Hyne," he declared. "We became obsessed with its bio-luminescence. We were obsessed with swimming there."

Fellow showrunner Alex Metcalf, agreed but said that it wasn't just the regions beauty that drew and inspired Bodkin.

"You know the other side of it – West Cork, the revolution and Michael Collins – it has this history of being the Wild West of Ireland. That all plays into it as well, which we really liked".

• Bodkin is now available to stream on Netflix 

You can read our Hot Press interview with Siobhán Cullen in the latest issue: