'I’m thinking of 8 February as my “death day”,’ says Ambika Mod, cheerfully. ‘After that, everything’s just black; I have no idea what to expect.’
It’s a surprising take on what is likely to be a career milestone for this 28-year-old actor: the release of Netflix’s One Day, in which she stars as Emma Morley. The show is an adaptation of David Nicholls’ much-loved novel (which sold over six million copies worldwide), and tells the story of Dexter and Emma, who meet after university and spend 20 years flirting, falling out and falling in love. Each chapter checks in on them on 15 July of another year, from 1988 to 2007. The series is hotly anticipated and doesn’t disappoint; prepare to binge.
Mod read the book in 2009 and adored it – she was 14 at the time. Fast-forward to 2022, however, and she was strangely unenthusiastic about auditioning. ‘I saw the email notification pop up on my phone: “Emma, One Day, self-tape” – and I was like, “Nah, I’m not doing that,”’ she recalls. ‘I turned the audition down, again and again, over several months.’
This startling decision is itself quite Emma Morleyish. In the story, Emma takes years to find the confidence to pursue a writing career; similarly, Mod couldn’t face trying for this dream role and not getting it. ‘I love the book so much and I just didn’t see myself playing that part,’ she says. ‘I thought it was a waste of time. I envisaged the disappointment I would experience if I entertained the idea.’
She was also still reeling from her biggest job to date, playing exhausted student doctor Shruti Acharya in the 2022 hit drama This Is Going To Hurt. She’d delivered a heartbreaking performance that won her awards from the Broadcasting Press Guild and the Royal Television Society and, having only appeared in small roles previously, she was suddenly under a lot of scrutiny.
‘That was a massive experience,’ she says. ‘The reaction to that show blew all expectations out of the water and, although it was amazing, I felt very overwhelmed. I wasn’t prepared for strangers writing me messages on Instagram about their experiences of depression and suicide, and the attention that I was getting professionally felt like it came out of nowhere. I kind of wanted everything to go away.’
Within a few months, however, things had calmed down, and it dawned on her that she’d declined a huge opportunity. ‘I woke up one morning and thought, “I’ve made a terrible mistake.” I called my agent and said, “Is it too late to audition?” and she said, “This is your last chance.” So I learned a Yorkshire accent in two days.’
Mod, who grew up in Hertfordshire, is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Part of her hesitation was that although actors of all ethnicities were being considered for One Day – and reportedly they saw around 300 actors for the two leads – she wasn’t sure they’d really cast a South Asian woman as Emma. (A 2011 film adaptation starred Anne Hathaway.)
‘You’re always a bit sceptical, because there are a lot of castings like that and sometimes it doesn’t work out,’ she says. ‘In the end, thankfully, I was the best person for the part. What I love is that we didn’t ignore the fact that I’m brown, but it’s not relevant to the plot. It’s just a story about love, friendship and growing up.’
Viewers might recognise Leo Woodall, who plays Dexter, from The White Lotus – he was dodgy (but sexy) Essex boy Jack. Dexter has equal swagger, but is a very different man, coddled by his upper-class upbringing and ultimately more vulnerable. He’s a great counterpart to Mod’s principled, sarcastic Emma and, in touching moments like their Greek holiday together (as mates… sort of), it’s clear to see how happy they are in each other’s company. ‘What was really easy with Leo was the chemistry – it was just there from the beginning,’ says Mod.
One Day begins in 1988, which technically makes it a period drama. ‘The crew were having a low-key existential crisis about how it could be a period drama when they all remember the era. I was born in 1995, so I didn’t have a whole lot to contribute to the conversation,’ she jokes.
It’s a pleasure to watch the late ’80s, ’90s and noughties marked out on screen with a nostalgic soundtrack and fashion – but the show keeps those references subtle. ‘The execs were keen to make it look and feel how it actually felt,’ she says. ‘My personal style is to dress like a ’90s soccer mom, so I loved the costumes.’
We first meet Emma in a lacy, polka-dot dress at her graduation ball. ‘It looks mad, especially because I’ve got a big perm, but I adore that dress.’ The morning after, she and Dexter go for a walk – him still in black tie, and her in a yellow vest and jeans. ‘I love that look and the contrast between them is really beautiful. We purposefully chose a yellow coat for Emma for a key scene later, to reflect the yellow that she wore in the beginning, which feels special.’
It’s clear that Mod is very fond of Emma. ‘There’s something about her guardedness and her sense of humour that I relate to,’ she says. ‘Then there are the parallels of having no connections and trying to crack into an industry that you feel doesn’t want you. She’s capable of so much, but she doesn’t have the self-esteem, which I think is true for so many young women.’
Emma works in an awful Mexican restaurant where the waiters are forced to dance to La Cucaracha but, as her twenties progress, she finds a more rewarding job as a teacher. Mod feels that This Is Going To Hurt changed her in a similarly profound way. ‘Being part of that story about the NHS gave me loads of confidence,’ she says. ‘It felt really good to be able to do something meaningful. It cracked me open emotionally and I’m very grateful.’
As a teenager, she read One Day as a romance. Re-reading it as an adult, she says, she understood it quite differently. ‘I don’t even think of it as a love story any more,’ she says. ‘To me, it’s much more about friendship and the realities of growing up – the contrast between your naive ambitions and how life actually turns out, and how that forces you to reflect on the small decisions that change the course of your life.’
One such unexpected diversion has been her work in serious drama. Before This Is Going To Hurt she did a desk job and spent her evenings doing stand-up and improv comedy. ‘I still very much think of myself as a comedian, so the fact that this has all happened is a bit mad,’ she says. There’s plenty of humour in One Day, but she wants to go further next time. ‘I’d love to act in an out-and-out comedy, something really absurd,’ she says.
At the moment, she doesn’t feel famous – ‘I get recognised occasionally, mainly by doctors and young South Asian women’ – but that may shift with the release of One Day. ‘I’m less naive than I was,’ she says, ‘and more confident that I’ll be able to handle whatever happens after the show comes out.’ She knows enough now to be prepared for a plot twist.
‘One Day’ starts 8 February on Netflix
TOP IMAGE: Photographer - Hollie Fernando.
Ambika wears (left): jacket, £850, De La Vali; belt, price on request, Azzi & Osta; briefs, £25, Intimissimi; tights, £27, Falke; earrings, £195, Otiumberg. (Right): dress, £750, Rejina Pyo; boots, £350, Terry de Havilland
Hair: Marta Martineau using Bouclème. Make-up: Mary-Jane Gotidoc using Armani Beauty. Nails: Michelle Class at LMC Worldwide using Sally Hansen. Photographer’s First Assistant: Connor Egan. Photographer’s Second Assistant: Millie Noble. Fashion Assistant: Gavi Weiss. Fashion Intern: Cara Artemisia.