TV star Charlene McKenna is leaving her boyfriend just five weeks after moving to New York for him – for a set in Morocco.
The Ripper Street actress revealed she has landed a major role in Universal’s Biblical saga, A.D – which has a budget of €32 million.
It comes just after the 30-year-old moved to the Big Apple to be with Adam Rothenberg, who she has been dating long-distance for a year.
Boyfriend: Charlene will be joining Adam in New York | BBC
But Charlene said she is ready for five months in the Central Moroccan city of Ouarzazate, where they will be filming a retelling of biblical events after Jesus’ crucifixion.
She said: “I really can’t believe it. This is bigger than anything I’ve ever done. I was all set for the long-haul in New York. Doing all the rounds.
“I thought there’d be so many closed doors. I thought I’d be serving coffee — and I was fully prepared to do that.
“Now, I’m talking about what I’ll wear in the desert. And Manhattan in the winter. It’s brilliant.”
Ripper Street: Charlene in BBC show, which was revived by Amazon | BBC
However Charlene will “have a few weeks off at Christmas” as she returns “from sand dunes and sunburn to blizzards and snow in New York” – as well as her boyfriend.
But Charlene told the Irish Independent that it wasn’t just love which brought her to New York.
She added: “I’ve been doing long distance for a while because he’s based out [in New York] and now I won’t be. Experience makes it easier.
“Obviously that was part of my decision process for going out there, but I’m really doing it more so that I can say I lived in New York before I die. It’s just one of those things.”
