Rivals star Emily Atack on embracing typecasting: "I will carry on playing these sexy women"
"People have been quite scared to admit that they identify with characters like Sarah, but I just wasn't afraid to identify with her."
While typecasting is usually considered damaging to any actor's career, Rivals star Emily Atack has decided to embrace it.
The actress, whose breakout role came in The Inbetweeners, also recently played Sarah Stratton in Rivals - one of the complex female characters who have made the show the hit it is.
Looking back on how she approached the role during a panel at Edinburgh TV Festival, Atack said: "There are roles that come along in your life - and the term 'typecast' is always seen as this... I have been typecast my whole life.
"I've loved every single minute of it, and I would like to carry on playing these sexy women for as long as they'll have me."
She added: "Women like Sarah Stratton, they've never been written as nuanced.
"There have always been certain types of women, these demonised types of women, you know, the homewreckers and everything. And I think people have been quite scared to admit that they identify with characters like Sarah, but I just wasn't afraid to identify with her."
During the panel, it was also revealed that Rupert Everett and Hayley Atwell will join the cast for season 2.
Atwell is set to play Helen Gordon, Rupert's ex-wife and the mother of his daughters, and Everett is set to take on the role of Malise Gordon, her new husband and Rupert's former show-jumping coach in what was dubbed "very exciting" casting.
Season 2 is currently in production, with Atack confirming that filming is about halfway finished.
Rivals season 1 is available to stream on Disney+. Sign up to Disney+ now for £4.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year.
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Authors
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
