Following in the footsteps of Oscar winner Anne Hathaway is an actor and comedian from Potters Bar.
Hollywood A-lister Hathaway starred as Emma Morley in the 2011 romantic drama movie One Day.
Rising Potters Bar star Ambika Mod takes on the same role in Netflix's new limited series based on the worldwide bestseller by David Nicholls.
The White Lotus' Leo Woodall stars opposite Ambika Mod as Dexter in the bittersweet romantic series, which is released on Netflix on Thursday, February 8 — just in time to binge watch ahead of Valentine's Day the following Wednesday.
What is One Day about?
From production company Drama Republic, One Day is a decades-spanning love story adapted from the much-loved novel of the same name by David Nicholls.
It tells the story of Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew who, on 15th July 1988 — the night of their graduation — speak for the very first time.
The next morning, they go their separate ways but where will they be on this one ordinary day — St Swithin's Day — the next year, and the year after that, and every year that follows?
Each of the 14 episodes of Netflix's limited series finds Dex and Em one year older, on this one particular date, as they grow and change, move together and apart, experience joy and heartbreak.
Who is One Day's Ambika Mod?
BAFTA Breakthrough talent Ambika Mod plays Emma in Netflix’s forthcoming adaption of David Nicholls’ bestselling novel One Day.
Ambika Mod grew up in Potters Bar and later studied English at St Mary’s College, Durham University, from 2014-17.
A love for American sitcoms as a youngster drove Ambika to seek a career first in stand-up comedy, and then as an actor.
According to Bafta, she started writing and performing comedy at Durham University and then at the Edinburgh Fringe over several years, performing a mix of sketch, improv and stand-up.
She had a role in I Hate Suzie Too, the sequel to Billie Piper's dark comedy-drama series on Sky.
However, she is best known for her major breakout role as the female lead in black-comedy medical drama This Is Going to Hurt alongside Ben Whishaw, who played Q in Daniel Craig's James Bond movies and is the voice of Paddington on screen.
In BBC's TV adaptation of Adam Kay's 'love letter to the NHS', Mod played Shruti Acharya, a junior doctor yet to be tainted by the stresses of hospital life.
Of her career path, she says on the Bafta website: “I grew up watching American sitcoms and I just remember being transfixed by these incredible comedic performers. I just thought they were the most skilled people in the world, and I wanted to make people laugh in the way they made me laugh...
When Covid hit and my live comedy went away, I began to figure out what it was I wanted to do. I started doing acting classes, because I thought if I’m not working I might as well try to get better at that.
"Then out of nowhere I got This is Going to Hurt... It was like a fever dream. Since then, everything seems to have blown up in a really amazing way."
She was named as one of Bafta’s Breakthrough 2022 talents alongside names such as EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and Sex Education director Runyararo Mapfumo.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Mod said: “We knew that we were making something really special when we were making it, but we could never have expected the outpouring of love and appreciation that we did get when the show actually came out.”
Mod said that, with its depiction of mental health, depression and suicide, many people thought their experiences had been “accurately reflected” on screen.
“It was also really funny, and I think it showed the extremes of human life at its best and its worst,” she added.
“So I’m so proud of it and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it, and I’m so glad that it had the impact that it did socially, as well as just a great piece of television.”
Mod has also called for more roles for young South Asian women. Asked what needs to change in the screen industry, she said: “I experienced similar things when I was doing live comedy as well.
“I think something I experienced, especially when I started auditioning, was just the lack of good South Asian female roles for young women.
“There’s a lack of so many roles for so many under-represented groups, and I feel like things are changing and things have definitely have come on in the last few years.
“But, for example, when I got the part in One Day, that felt like a massive deal, and it really shouldn’t have felt like a massive deal because they were just trying to find the best actress for the part.
“I was incredibly lucky to happen upon Shruti. There are so many young South Asian actors like me who would have killed for a role like that.
“And I think that there’s definitely scope to look at the writing and identify what it is that we don’t have enough of.”
Who stars in One Day?
The lead roles of Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew in One Day are played by Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall respectively.
Directed by Molly Manners, Kate Hewitt, John Hardwick and Luke Snellin, the cast of One Day also includes Essie Davis, Tim McInnerny, Amber Grappy, Jonny Weldon, Poldark's Eleanor Tomlinson, Joely Richardson, and Toby Stephens.
When is One Day released?
One Day premieres in the UK on streaming service Netflix on Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 8am GMT.
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