With a shoestring budget of $24,731, Dark Shepherd Films offered Hegerty a share of the feature’s profits for her role.

She previously worked with the production team on the short Exorcising Barry, having met producer Joshua Ford while they were performing in a pantomime together.

She is hopeful both roles could lead her to much more diverse acting work.

“I’d love a chance to do a comedy role. I do love being funny.”

In an interview with the Mirror, she said acting was something she had ruled out when she was younger.

The former journalist was only reminded of her childhood love for drama and theatre after getting asked to do “panto” in 2014.

“It’s nice when I turn up and we start rehearsals and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you actually know what you’re doing!’ and I‘m like, ‘Well, apart from the fact that I can’t dance, I know what I’m doing!’”

She said acting gives her the opportunity to do something different from The Chase UK, the general knowledge game show she has starred on for the last 15 years.

As a resident “Chaser”, Hegerty goes head-to-head with contestants on a series of general knowledge questions.

If the contestants out-race her, they could walk away with as much as $225,250 in winnings.

The show is hugely popular worldwide and has spawned local editions in 22 countries to date, including a New Zealand version in development at TVNZ.

Paul Henry has been announced as the host of the four-part special, and Hegerty herself is being teased to make an appearance.

While no air date has been set, production is thought to have wrapped in June.