The Maria Brown actress has played the character since its incarnation but shared that her father Brendan has always made it clear that they were “replaceable” on the show
Fiona opened up about what it’s like working with her father Brendan O’Carroll, who is the mastermind behind the legendary comedy show.
“Dad has always made it very clear that we’re replaceable. He’s a very shrewd businessman and wants 110 per cent from us and won’t tolerate less,” she told the Sunday Times.
"He knows that people think we’re only there because of him, so he tells us that we need to work even harder.”
After playing Maria for nearly two decades, she is now stepping away from the family programme to take to the stage in Copper Face Jacks: The Musical.
Fiona said: “I feel like I was in my father’s shadow for a long time and was quite happy there.
“Mrs Brown’s Boys has afforded me the opportunity to work and bring up my family, as I have a huge support network around me.
“It also gives me the opportunity to have a relationship with my father as an adult, as well as working with him and learning from him.”
The BBC star shared that she loved watching her father interact with his older sisters who would always put him in his place.
“They’d get up and smack him, and tell him not to dare say that — and I’d be fascinated.
“I loved that whole family dynamic, and when they were together it felt like you were a part of something bigger, which was lovely.
“They had great debates around the kitchen table about everyday things and world events.”
Brendan loosely based the Mrs Brown character on his mother Maureen who was the Labour Party’s first female TD.
Fiona said: “My dad loves strong women and is very clever, strong and opinionated, and he’s well read and well versed in lots of things.
“He’s also a chancer and wasn’t always right — and Eilish would challenge him.”