Ambika Mod said "No" to Emma in 'One Day': "I didn't see myself playing the role" | Woman's Hour

Ambika Mod speaks to Anita Rani on Woman's Hour about why she initially turned down the audition for Emma in the Netflix adaption of 'One Day', when she started to believe she was right for the role, representing South Asian women on screen as a romantic lead and her personal connection to Edinburgh.
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#AmbikaMod #OneDay #WomansHour
Ambika Mod said "No" to Emma in 'One Day': "I didn't see myself playing the role" | Woman's Hour
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[@naheed03]

Ambika Mod is going places, very talented, beautiful and funny. Highly intelligent and humble. Lovely to finally see a south Asian female lead character 🥰

[@iz4372]

Beautiful? Let’s not lie.

[@parmavioIets]

@@iz4372jealousy is not a good look on u 😊

[@Symplastmail]

@@iz4372she is very beautiful. When you also get to know her, her beauty just heightens. It’s funny because if she was a mid/below mid White girl, you’d have not said anything. It has always been the case that White ppl get away with being avg/below avg but considered attractive but an Indian has to be a 15/10 or even better and would still only be seen as attractive as a 6/10 White. She’s in the same league as Leo but because he’s a White boy, he’s hyped up even more. She’s gorgeous you’re just used to mid Whites being the lead romantic role

[@iz4372]

@@Symplastmail I’m actually a brown girl myself and I am telling you she’s not pretty LOL and if you think she is then your standards are very low babe. There is other south Asian female leads that are pretty for example in bridgerton. It’s not because I’m not use to seeing brown girls on tv, it’s cause she’s genuinely not attractive lol

[@Symplastmail]

@@iz4372 being a brown girl doesn’t stop you from thinking mid white girls are better. She’s very pretty and many people think so. I have no idea why anyone comments on people’s features - something they cannot change. Then they wonder why they got surgery and hate on them for that. It’s actually so ridiculous. Your parents 100% failed you. Shitty parents that created you 🤢

[@samiam5434]

“You don’t see brown women in that position” No you don’t but you see it happening more and more and I love it! Things are changing. I’m going into acting and just got signed to an agency and multiple agencies told me racially ambiguous/ mixed women or exotic women are the standard and in high demand but it’s a small pool because there aren’t a lot of Ambiko mods or Zendaya out there and it’s because we don’t see ourselves as that beautiful girl or love interest but I confirm things are changing . We need more brown girls in this business.

[@jsequine927]

I have to say that my partner and I, initially, didn't believe that Emma would be able to get a guy like Dex, but I think that was kind of what the viewer was supposed to think early on the series. You could see Emma's quiet confidence but also her insecurities, like it always felt a bridge too far. It wasn't until Emma truly started to blossom and you saw here unwavering values and morals as the story unfolded, and Dex rising like a phoenix from the ashes, that you really believed their romance, and felt that Emma was in fact probably too good for Dex. Brilliant series and one of the saddest I've seen. I had trouble sleeping for a few days it hit me so hard.

[@jadooindestew]

I never truly understood the importance of representation until I was represented! lol. Mindy Kaling was one of the first Indians on TV. Thank you Ambika Mod for taking on this role.

[@Symplastmail]

Representation is so important because ppl don’t understand how much media affects us in what we find attractive, how we view people, etc. Until literally this decade, South Asians were only ever portrayed as unattractive, stereotypical thick accent ppl. They were seen as never being a romantic lead. Many ppl also rely on shows like this to make their judgement on Indians (lots of people have never met Indians or Black people before and this is all they judge them by). Media has become incredibly important in representing people well. Not to mention, she has become an image for so many young South Asians struggling to accept their South Asian identity because of how much hatred there is towards South Asians.

[@kitkattt024]

God! she's so real and genuine on top of being funny and smart 🥺

[@imsupriya1999]

So amazing. I never knew how it felt like to watch representation on screen. She’s right, don’t underestimate it. It feels amazing

[@christttmasssholidddayyys497]

Shes the best person to play that role, her performance was so real it felt like watchinh somebodys life and not a movie.

[@davedavis7589]

she's off the chart......show is a 10/10.....

[@jadehunter8784]

Brilliant performance, didn't read the book,,, so glad she played Emma,,, I don't see anyone else in that role,, I cried when Emma died. Beautiful job

[@karliekek]

maybe NOT say the spoiler like this??

[@jasche123]

Yeaaah

[@10bouvier]

when she died! dang, I cried thru most of the series....

[@wonderwoman5528]

I was thinking ‘surely there have been plenty of brown women as love interests’ but when I had a think, I was shocked how rare this is to see, and it shouldn’t be

[@whycitywhy]

Luv this interview! It asked the right questions and Ambika brought us the great answers that shows us how brilliant she is just like Emma

[@reezabaca]

She is really....Emma.

[@asian6oy]

she's STUNNING agh imagine the timeline where we never got to see her play Em, that's mental.

[@bitw434]

she did better than anne hathaway

[@psat21]

I agree her performance felt less like she was performing. Anne Hathaway is an incredible actress but I can see that she is acting if that makes any sense. I forgot I was watching a series, it felt so realistic

[@abigailwestwood729]

She is just wonderful. Funny, intelligent, talented. Great stuff, Ambika

[@fud0_0]

she's so beautiful

[@JaredBrownAtLarge]

I love how she was concerned enough about tense after saying "my cup overfloweth", that she performed an emergency re-congrugation.

[@TJ-et8sw]

What a great role model for young women

[@benjohnson1968]

Haven't seen the 2011 film, but not sure I'd enjoy it as I can't imagine anyone else playing Emma other than Ambika Mod.

[@joshikawale25]

I am obsessed with her portrayal of Emma ❤

[@marcingajewski1197]

Uff... Ambika you are so beautiful and natural woman. Brillianty played role of Emma❤

[@robertawaugh1392]

After watching this film I can’t watch gory murders and deaths and horror films. Need more of One Day beauty.

[@sqwark4523]

She smashed the role. Absolute 10/10

[@Krys59973]

Aww I really am a fan because the series gave it more depth to the story I think. Ambika Mod is amazing as a lead and definitely slayed the role!

[@kanisweetie..]

Ambika such a great and talented girl Netflix please do another series or movie ❤

[@nazaninot]

She's perfcet❤

[@kevincaldwell4707]

Never saw the show or read the books but Ambika seems like a great actress, hope she has a long and successful career.

[@lisamiller1804]

I'm a 55 YO white lady and I thought she was OUTSTANDING in this role! I'd love to see more of her work. This series was delicious and excruciating emotionally.

[@KeangoDLuke]

Never read the book, she and Leo were incredible. Broke my heart into a million pieces

[@bradleyreid9994]

I’ve been watching all her tv series and I’m running out 😢

[@hersha777]

Shes a perfect emma morley

[@williamtendo7835]

"If you believe in magic it will happen-Luck favours the brave" 👌🏽💯

[@ip3931]

She's absolutely brilliant!

[@garethebbs4628]

The best of luck to her. She's incredible.

[@dzilen]

What a phenomenal talent 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@denalihighway]

Good luck to her, she's incredible.

[@angelisbarbolina1369]

I loved her in this serie ❤❤

[@Jonathan22]

Awesome

[@dontyouworryaboutme]

What about bend it like beckham?

[@Tyler-hm7mt]

yes 20 years ago !

[@missthea5259]

Surely the fact you're naming a 20yr old film answers your question? Lordy!

[@AntinuclearAntibody1]

It's not really about being brown some say or humble or nice, people won't say it out loud but we are all used to pretty women in such leading roles 😂

[@WilliamsPinch]

Really hate to agree… but I would’ve even been ok with an average looking woman of any race. This woman is just not attractive

[@thekittyandgiraffe]

It depends what you define as beautiful. Seen plenty of comments on plenty of videos that people have found her super gorgeous. I love her features!

[@AntinuclearAntibody1]

@@thekittyandgiraffe That is ok but she is probably not for most of the people.

[@Symplastmail]

@@AntinuclearAntibody1?? How do you know that? You’ve got a tally of who she is for? It is 100% to do with the fact that she is Indian. Indians are hated on worldwide. Indians could be incredibly attractive, the most attractive people, but they’ll still be called unattractive. Then you have a mid White or below mid actor/actress and they’re hyped as a 10/10. World is racist it’s how it works

[@AG-gv9cb]

@@AntinuclearAntibody1 may be for k k k

[@winston7397]

She should've doubled down on that "No"

[@effenbegee6252]

If only your parents had said "no" in the first instance.

[@esgee2464]

So not true, there are women of color! Much, much more in the last 50 years. I don’t understand why people say this! Latin, black, Indian, etc. Do your research. It’s so different today. It has gotten so much better. I loved One Day. Ambika and Leo were phenomenal.

[@missthea5259]

Name some in mainstream tv. Not mixed but fully South Asian or black. And main protagonists.

[@coolcruser]

She is undoubtedly talented but unfortunately for me, was mis-cast in this role.

[@NaliniBlossom]

why ?

[@coolcruser]

@NaliniBlossom I just found there was no chemistry between her and the main dude, she was less joyful than how I felt the character in the book was portrayed. Maybe I am wrong to single her out, I found the wider production nowhere near as good as the book.

[@Besties591]

@@coolcruserthe chemistry was the best I had seen in ages!

[@Rayna01542]

@@Besties591Agreed…literally effortless!!

[@Voy2378]

It was a miscast, but still very nice nice show. Just no chemistry.

[@val-schaeffer1117]

Your racist perspective will never be able to come in terms with a Nordic Caucasian "Aryan" boy getting "snatched" by a POC woman.

[@Symplastmail]

She was an incredible Emma. If you read the book, which is what the TV series is based off of, she is what Emma is portrayed as to the absolute T. She embodied the character so well and represented an introverted, smart, dismissive avoidant personality. She was absolutely perfect and the ppl saying she has been miscast tend to be White people who would have never said it if it was a mid White girl

[@val-schaeffer1117]

Emma and Dex being mismatched couple IS THE STORYLINE.

[@val-schaeffer1117]

@@Symplastmail Exactly. These people feel the vicarious rage that a Nordic Caucasian Aryan boy gets "snatched" by an inferior breed.

[@val-schaeffer1117]

@@Symplastmail They can accept American Anne Hathaway with atrocious fake accent as Emma but not a British Indian girl born and raised in north England paying a character from exactly the same region and cultural granularity.

[@theyear20244]

sorry i watch the Netflix serie and felt no chermistry and please not going through the politics of colour but i’m sorry 😢 really am I genuinely feel no chemistry and forced watch till the end .

[@effenbegee6252]

Cool story, bro.

[@rprobp186]

🙄Well done Anita for shoe horning your agenda and bringing up race in what was just a nice interview about the show, and it’s certainly not the first time a south Asian has played the lead role .. err bridgerton? Stop projecting your identity crisis onto this nice young lady and end up giving her a complex

[@ellievictoria62]

Ambika brings up race first, not Anita

[@cp8898-brb]

They both shared the same experience with the lack of representation and Bridgerton is also very recent. Representation is important and they both know it, no need for your hate

[@clouds7934]

did you know in south korea, bridgerton season 1 was a smash hit. However, season 2 wasn't as the audience didn't like the brown female lead? colourism is very real.

[@MissAngie25]

Institutional racism is not an “agenda”it’s very real and it affects people of colour every single day. Assuming that you are not affected, I don’t expect you to understand but having representation of this kind is very important.

[@walksthroughlife900]

​@@woodcutter2479 Sure, and there are privileged "coloured people", not denying it. Colour was and is still the basis of so much discrimination. Overall it affects a lot more people and it needs recognition and redress.

[@CrimsonGhost553]

Representing SAW? So it's about that? Jesus.