Despite the breakout success of One Day, star Ambika Mod said she still receives auditions for roles that seem to solely prop up the “interesting white leads” of a given project.
In a recent interview with The Times U.K., the This Is Going To Hurt alumna discussed the difference between the opportunities available to her and co-star Leo Woodall, a topic she has previously been candid about.
“Not really. I mean, it’s the truth!” she said when asked if she regrets pointing out the disparity earlier this year. “This is nothing I’ve not said to Leo’s face, by the way … Obviously it’s not personal. It’s just the industry and the way that our society works. You either get asked to audition for brown roles, which are usually, the doctor, the dentist, the policewoman.”
Though those aren’t the only performances she is being asked to be seen for, she added, “Even in the past year and a half, I have been asked to audition for the rookie cop who investigates the story of the two interesting white leads.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Mod noted that she initially turned down the chance to audition for One Day a number of times, saying she “just didn’t see” the role for herself and it “almost felt too good to be true.” In the aftermath of her turn in the show, the Black Bag actress said, “I’ve read the most unsavory things about myself on the internet, but I think that’s rooted in racism and misogyny,” adding “I really covet not being conventional … I’m not your conventional leading lady. I think that’s my superpower.”
In an interview with Deadline earlier this year, Mod also discussed the unspoken pressure to be a representative for all South Asian people, and how she hopes to be judged on the merit of her work rather than her skin color.
“When people talked about my white co-star’s performance, they would often talk about his acting and the quality of his work, whereas with me — not all the time — it was about how amazing it was that I’m brown, and what a change-making casting choice it was. I would think, ‘What about my performance and my work?’” she said in part.
The post Ambika Mod Says She Still Gets Auditions For Roles Like “The Rookie Cop” Who Supports The “Two Interesting White Leads” Despite ‘One Day’ Success appeared first on Deadline.
