She's One of TV's Busiest Actors, but Nicola Walker Has Managed to Escape the Fame Game So Far – and That's Just How Sh
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GH SPOTLIGHT ■ ‘I’m happy staying My mum and dad wouldn’t believe that my childhood obsession under the radar’ would lead to this She’s one of TV’s busiest actors, but Nicola Walker has managed to escape the fame game so far – and that’s just how she likes it… Despite roles in some of the There’s a great deal about my character thought of having to let go, to let them theatre and took loads of pictures because most successful shows of Cassie in Unforgotten that I liked from actually have their own life rather than my name was in lights! On Broadway! I defy the very beginning. I really believed in her just gazing at them all day. any actor to not get a bit overexcited in that the past decade, Nicola Walker as a person. She’s so committed to her job Love and marriage, it’s a long race. moment. When I first saw it, I thought how doesn’t get recognised much and you get these glimpses of her home life They’re complicated and love is only part much it would make my mum and dad laugh. off-screen. But fresh from her almost in real time over six hours. I felt of it. You have to keep talking. I think The They wouldn’t believe that my obsession as though I hadn’t really seen a woman Split certainly teaches you that. Leaving as a 12-year-old would lead to this. role as divorce lawyer Hannah portrayed so realistically. things unsaid is never a good idea. Talk, I love that we’re having conversations Stern in BBC drama The Split, I’ve learnt to keep going and it’ll work talk a lot, that’s what I’ve learnt about love. about gender equality. That’s long she’s back on our screens this out. That’s basically how I’ve been feeling Even though we’re both actors, in my overdue. In our business, you don’t discuss for the past 10 years. That’s with paying relationship we don’t talk about acting what you earn because of the gender pay month as DCI Cassie Stuart in bills, work, trying to find someone to very much. I presume that’s the same with gap. It’s always been accepted that every crime drama Unforgotten, so it’s babysit, everything. It’ll be okay until it’s any job if you and your partner are in the actor’s agent negotiates a fee and it’s fair to say she won’t be hiding not, and then you have to deal with it. same industry, that’s not what you talk not talked about, so it’s interesting that Friendship has taught me that it’s much about. It means you try to be understanding it’s becoming a topic of conversation. in plain sight much longer. better when you’ve got a couple of people of when the other one needs the time to go I think it’s in the process of change you can call at any time. I’m mindful that to auditions and the time to work. There’s and myself and a lot of other actors Nicola, 48, went to Cambridge I don’t always want to be the one calling an understanding between the two of us are watching with great interest. University, where she met comic with a problem. I actively that we’re a team and we My brilliant dog helps me to stay Sue Perkins, who is now one of her try and call sometimes work it out between us. healthy. She’s a red fox Labrador closest friends. She’s married to with good news to put Maybe if he wasn’t an called Dora. I’m also a big swimmer, actor Barnaby Kay and they have some credit in the bank for actor he wouldn’t be as but the dog’s taken precedence over an 11-year-old son called Harry. when I phone up with a understanding about that that. She’s eaten up quite a lot of She shares her life lessons on love problem. I met my two – I know I wouldn’t if time to do anything else, so we and friendship, and reveals why she best friends when I was 19 I wasn’t in the business. go on big yomps to the beach. feels positive about getting older. at university and I think I’d Nicola as Hannah I get recognised from She loves it. I think it’s the Stern in The Split The Split was a really unexpected gift of have a very different life Spooks and Last Tango sand under the paws. a job. It was lovely working with Meera Syal. without them. You rely on In Halifax. The people I love the feeling of a new I knew her already through my friendship them, you know they’re in that stop me from Spooks script coming in. It’s really with her husband Sanjeev [Bhaskar] from your corner and you need are very particular. They’ll exciting when you’re the first Unforgotten. It was a pleasure to step on set that to stay sane. speak to you as if you’re person to read something and get to work with her as well. Being a mum is an on a spy ‘dead drop’ new. It’s thrilling, irrespective of I’m quite enjoying getting older. I’ve had ongoing learning process. She’s returning to together, they’ll say, whether you get the job or not. I’m really good work since I hit my 40s, which It changes so much. I come our screens as DCI ‘The bird flies tonight at nosy! I get to read the first couple of wasn’t the case for actresses in the past. from quite a big family, Stuart in Unforgotten midnight,’ and that’s really episodes of a new drama before it When I started, an older actress told me to and I do remember some good fun. When I’m not goes on screen. It’s annoying when really try to get a name for myself before of my relatives saying to me when I first had on TV I don’t get recognised much. I don’t you don’t get the role, as you’re I was 35 because it was all downhill after my child, ‘Don’t worry, this bit’s lovely! You look like a lot of the characters I’ve played, aware of what you’re missing out that. That was her experience, but I think know where they are, you know exactly what so maybe that’s how I get away with it. It’s a on, but you do think, ‘I know the that’s changing and we’re going in the they’re doing, just hang on, buckle yourself nice place to be, just underneath the radar. first two episodes – do you want right direction. I like watching things that in for those teenage years.’ I’m aware that My proudest moment was when I went to me to give you a spoiler?’ have a mixture of people and ages in them; bit’s coming, where you have to give them Broadway in 2015 to do Arthur Miller’s A ◆ Unforgotten returns to ITV it makes for better storytelling. more freedom. I feel faintly terrified at the View From The Bridge. I stood outside the BBC ITV, TELEGRAPH, SAMUELSEN/THE LOUISE PHOTOGRAPHY: JEN CROTHERS. WORDS: for a third series this month 24 GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AUGUST 2018 goodhousekeeping.co.uk.