House of the Spirits star reveals key change she made to iconic role after seeing Meryl Streep's version

House of the Spirits star Nicole Wallace has opened up about why she's decided to play one key part of her character, Clara del Valle, differently compared to Meryl Streep's version in the iconic 1993 movie.

More than 30 years ago, Isabel Allende's global bestseller was adapted into a star-studded - but rather heavily criticised - movie, led by Streep as Clara, while also featuring the likes of Jeremy Irons, Winona Ryder, Glenn Close, and Antonio Banderas.

Now, the story is getting a second chance, with an eight-part series having been filmed in Chile, starring Latin American actors.

Speaking exclusively to Radio Times, star Nicole Wallace opened up about what exactly she wanted to do differently to Streep in her portrayal of the Clara.

"I think she did something very beautiful with it," she said. "I feel like it's much more of an esoteric aura that she brings to the character - she's much more just in the air."

Wallace plays Clara in her young adulthood but, across the season, we also see the character played by Dolores Fonzi in her older years.

"I really wanted to ground Clara as much as I could, at least in my timeframe. I feel like when Dolores grabs Clara, she does go a little further away from earth, but I really wanted to make her feel like she was a real human being on Earth that is just so connected to everything.

"But to be able to go into the same shoes and the same story as [Streep] and, to be able to revisit that material and have an opportunity to kind of do it in my ways is a huge, huge honour."

Of course, magical realism is a critical part of Allende's novel, and Wallace had a unique way to get into character - doing spiritual exercises with the rest of the women on the cast.

"It was very important for me to be able to experience all of these things so that when I played them, it was from an honest place," she explained.

"I really wanted it to feel very natural. She was born with all of these things, so it's not interesting to her. It's not weird or something unnatural, so it, I really wanted it to feel like that for me as well."

The House of the Spirits will arrive on Prime Video on 29 April.

Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.