Nikki Amuka-Bird plays Marsha
Nikki Amuka-Bird plays the role of Marsha, a woman who has betrayed her best friend and is trying to make amends.
Published: 5 November 2019
What is so wonderful about this drama is that Marnie observes all of the wonderful things about growing older and maturing, and the character of Julia is seen as somebody who deserves to fall in love and be desired.
"Marsha is an intriguing and conflicted character, really fun to play in some ways and challenging in others. She is a glamorous, successful CEO and she is a single mother after sadly losing her husband. She was also having an affair with, and is now living with, her best friend’s husband. So on first viewing you could see her as selfish and superficial, but when I read all of the scripts I actually saw Marsha as someone who was grieving and in pain and looking to find her identity.
"When I initially read the scripts I felt that Marnie had dealt with this situation honestly, that this woman wasn’t a villain but rather someone going through a difficult time in her life who is struggling to make peace with herself and her choices, so I thought it would be a juicy and really exciting role to tackle. Marsha presents the reality that we all make mistakes and it is about how you get your life and friendships back when you have betrayed someone."
Nikki discusses Marsha’s relationship with Julia and how this drama calls attention to the importance of female friendships.
"One of the things I liked most about this drama is that Marnie highlights just how important our female friendships are, and it is as if the female friendship is as important as the love affairs these women are having in their lives. They have lost each other and you can tell there is a sense they are both slightly at sea without that anchoring of the friendship. We meet two women who need each other desperately for support and encouragement but who are isolated from each other and it is quite heartbreaking to see how they slowly manage to find their way back to some kind of affection and understanding - it is beautifully calibrated in the story."
Nikki reveals what it was like to work opposite Julia Ormond.
"I had been a big fan of Julia’s for a long time, so the prospect of working with her was very exciting. She is an incredibly honest actor to work opposite, very centred and has an easy access to her emotions. We had a few complex scenes together, but it felt like it flowed easily with her. She questions and interrogates the text in a really detailed way and I enjoyed it very much."
Nikki considers the stigma attached to the idea of an older woman dating a younger man and how this drama attempts to dismantle that.
"It's interesting because we have this older women dating a younger man and there is definitely a snidey attitude towards it from other people. For Marsha though, she is really happy for her friend and it gives her an opportunity to wave a white flag and say to her I support you. There is a kind of female solidarity there and an understanding as a mature woman that you still have a right to be sexual and romantic and feel like you can rediscover your life.
"There is a stigma attached to the idea of an older woman being sexually confident and being an object of desire. Personally I feel women struggle as we get older to have confidence in ourselves physically, and by the time we get to middle age you are not quite sure who you are anymore or what your desires are. What is so wonderful about this drama is that Marnie observes all of the wonderful things about growing older and maturing, and the character of Julia is seen as somebody who deserves to fall in love and be desired, so it breaks down those stereotypes."
