Ambika Mod has detailed her first meeting with her on-screen love interest Leo Woodall before she was cast as the beloved Dex and Em in Netflix’s One Day.
The actress, 29, who plays one of the lead roles Emma Morley, spoke about the “close bond” she made with Leo, 27, while filming the David Nicholls novel adaptation.
Speaking about the Reign with Josh Smith podcast, Ambika revealed that there was an instant connection between the two actors, as she described their “playful” read-outs, which she says are “truly rare.”
One Day follows the story of Emma and Dexter after they met on their last night at Edinburgh University and spent the next twenty years of their lives on the same date, July 15.
The two graduates become an integral part of each other’s lives with a series of “won’t they” moments and obstacles in the path of a potential romance.
Ambika Mod has detailed her first meeting with her on-screen love interest Leo Woodall before she was cast as the beloved Dex and Em in Netflix’s One Day (pictured on One Day)
The actress, 29, who plays one of the lead roles Emma Morley, spoke about the ‘close bond’ she made with Leo, 27, while filming the David Nicholls novel adaptation
For this reason, there had to be a believable connection that translated on screen between the two stars playing the characters.
About their first meeting, Ambika said, “I met Leo in chemistry class and he was the second Dexter I read with. He’s so cheeky and charming. He was immediately so open and warm and it felt very easy, the scenes felt very playful and I think that’s really rare.
“That was really half the battle, because I think if that had been cast incorrectly it would have been so much harder. You just can’t fake things like that and I’m very grateful to have had an actor like Leo.”
Ambika further explained how important it was to her that she and Leo were going through the same life-changing role together for the first time.
She previously starred as junior doctor Shruti in This Might Hurt, while Leo Cockney played Jack in the second series of HBO hit White Lotus.
Neither had yet taken on a major leading role and taking on such a massive undertaking was a first for both actors.
She said: ‘We were both going through something very similar. This was so much bigger than anything we had ever done before and I think we both felt pretty much the same way about this venture.
Ambika revealed that there was an instant connection between the two actors as she described their “playful” read-outs, which she said are “truly rare.”
‘I just remember that, especially at the beginning of the shoot, it was quite overwhelming and a huge responsibility, not only because of the size of the roles and the size of the project, but also because the book and the characters were so loved are. and we certainly felt that.’
Explaining how they would support each other, she said: “We were both very open when we were having a hard time, when we felt like things weren’t right.
“I remember maybe talking about it more than him, but I came out of every scene just saying, ‘Oh, I’m a fucking actor, I should fucking quit right now I hate myself.’
‘And he has always supported me enormously in this, and I hope the other way around. It was nice to have someone like that, because as an actor you may not always have that.’
Elsewhere in the interview, Ambika discussed her mental health struggles with the condition anhedonia, a feeling of numbness to joy.
She said playing Shruti in This Is Going To Hurt made her confront her mental health.
Ambika explained, “I am someone who is incredibly anxious and I have struggled with depression in the past. There are a lot of Shruti’s experiences in particular (in This Is Going To Hurt) that I definitely relate to.
‘I’ve never felt suicidal or anything like that, but there’s something she goes through called anhedonia, which is numbing to pleasure. It’s an anesthetic for joy. It’s numbing to everything that ever made you feel alive, big or small, and that was something I definitely experienced.
“I remember 2019, but I can’t remember most of that year because I felt so depressed and so numb to the outside world. Like everything in my memory feels a little blurry. And I remember when I played Shruti, I was confronted with that for the first time.
“I know what it feels like to go through a day where nothing brings joy and you feel really hopeless and you feel kind of useless for the future and all you live in is self-doubt and self-criticism.”
‘It’s a really lonely place to be and you live in shame. When I researched this, I was finally able to put a label on what I was feeling for the first time and bring it up in therapy and that was really enlightening.’
She said playing Shruti in This Is Going To Hurt (pictured) made her confront her mental health
It comes after Ambika exclusively revealed to the Mail that she initially turned down the role of Emma and turned down the role.
The star explained that she thought it was a “huge, huge undertaking” as Emma was previously played by a white actress.
She said: “It was definitely originally written as white and previously played by a white actress. I’m very excited to bring something new to the role. I hope that young women who don’t see themselves on screen very often see that it is possible.
Ambika admitted that she wouldn’t have gotten the role a decade ago because of her skin color, saying, “I’m very different from Anne Hathaway, so I never worried about that.” Just the fact that I’m not white and I get to play Emma.
“I don’t think this would have happened 10 years ago. That in itself is a way to modernize the story.’
However, we discuss widespread representation with Josh now that the series has aired to millions and been hailed as the “show of the year.”
She said: “I don’t think you should underestimate the power that comes from seeing yourself on screen from a very young age. I think seeing yourself on screen and seeing yourself in the media is not something that should be underestimated.
‘It not only affects your ambitions, but it also affects how you think about how you look and how valued you are in society. And especially as a young woman, it affects how beautiful you feel or the value you place on yourself in terms of, “Do people fall in love with someone who looks like me?”
“I think there are so many insidious messages that come with your face or with people who look like you and aren’t in the foreground that I don’t think people realize.
“I hope that changes now, not as quickly as I think I would like, but I hope that this (One Day) will be a symbol for many young brown girls that you deserve to be loved, that you deserve matters and you are important, you can do whatever you want and you don’t have to be just one thing. I’m very grateful and honored to be able to give that opportunity to young women, if they get it from this show or from other shows.”