Ambika Mod is not prepared to be a footnote in 2024. After hustling through improv and a breakout turn in BBC miniseries This Is Going to Hurt , this year saw her biggest hit yet — the lead role of Emma Morley in Netflix’s adaptation of David Nicholls’ novel One Day . Paired with Leo Woodall ’s Dexter Mayhew, Mod sensitively plays Emma’s loves, wins and failures over 20 years.
As a twenty-something figuring out her place in the world, Mod’s own journey has overlapped with Emma’s more than once. Here, she talks about growing up, growing old and wishing people would focus less on her race. Related Stories News How ‘Shōgun’ Found Its Way – Behind The Scenes On FX’s Hit With Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai, And Tadanobu Asano News ‘Under The Bridge’: Riley Keough Explains Why She Was “A Little Bit Apprehensive” About True-Crime Series DEADLINE: How has life been since the release of One Day ? AMBIKA MOD : It’s really mad, to be honest.
I had an idea it would be big because it was on Netflix, but I didn’t think people would connect to it the way they are. I don’t want to sound self-important, but the goal is for people to respond to your work, and I’m glad people think we’ve done justice to the book. I’ve also been learning to set boundaries lately.
With a show like One Day where people are so emotionally invested, as an actor sometimes people assume they have a bit of you. There are certain times people ask for photos and I do say no. No on.