Happy Valley, Peaky Blinders, Bodyguard and Gentleman Jack. Not only are they some of the biggest TV shows of the past decade but they have all featured Sophie Rundle in a starring role.The 34-year-old – whose other TV credits include Scottish-set The Nest and the award-winning TV movie Elizabeth Is Missing – appears to have the Midas touch when it comes to picking acting jobs.
And she is hoping that continues with her new series which begins next week, The Diplomat, a Barcelona-set crime thriller about the work of the British Consul as she tries to protect distressed nationals in the Spanish city.For Rundle, she believes the roles are continuing to get better the older she becomes – a welcome change from what has become the norm.
“As a woman, you want to represent women in the right way, so you hope the part is well-written, and the older I get the more I’m looking for slightly different things,” she said. “I’m looking for strength and autonomy, because those are the kind of women I see and the type of women I want to play.
“There’s a huge conversation now about the kind of female characters we see on screen and I think appetites for that are changing; we’re much more literate with how we want to represent and see women on screen.
“Also, as a performer, I think it naturally changes as you get older. There’s a natural inclination towards being more grounded and stronger as a person and as a performer.“I like myself more as an actor and the parts I’m doing the older I become – I don’t know, have actresses ever said that before? Maybe for the first time it’s actually quite a good thing to be getting older as an actress. It feels like it’s getting more interesting. It’s such a cliché that you desperately try to remain young.
“I feel like we’re turning a big, heavy ship, but it feels like everyone is collectively trying to change it. People like Kate Winslet doing Mare Of Easttown and being really vocal about the kind of woman she’s playing and not having to adhere to this absurd stereotype of youth and beauty that are impossible and untenable. I feel we’re seeing much more interesting parts for slightly older women. I hope that’s what we’re doing.Some of the women I’ve been lucky enough to work with, like Suranne Jones in Gentleman Jack and Sarah Lancashire in Happy Valley – these are much more interesting parts, so I do feel excited and pleased to be getting older.”
© BBC/Lookout Point/HBO/Jay Brooks
Lydia Leonard, Suranne Jones and Sophie Rundle in Gentleman JackAnother change in her life she is enjoying is becoming a mum. She and her partner, fellow actor Matt Stokoe – they met when shooting Sky drama Jamestown seven years ago – had a little boy, Henry, in 2021.
“I feel I’ve changed since becoming a mum and I like what I’ve changed to; I feel much more stable and I feel much more strength in myself because I think you just have to find it from somewhere to be able to juggle both of them,” she admitted. “So I like who it’s made me, but I’m still very, very tired! I can’t believe I ever used to complain about being tired after going on a train, going to a hotel room, and then shooting one or two scenes. I didn’t know the meaning of the word!
“It’s much harder when you have a full-time job when filming and another full-time job as a parent and neither is going to give any let up. You get very good at juggling – and I love it.”Rundle took her baby with her to Barcelona for four months while she filmed The Diplomat and enjoyed being able to combine both roles.
She said: “The world felt like it became a small place during lockdown and then I had a baby at the end of it and everything got really quite small and frightening for a while, so Barcelona offered something extraordinary to me and my family. It was something new and an adventure; it was a really happy time for us. He learned to walk while we were out there. I’m incredibly grateful to the job; it was a beautiful experience for me and my family, and that’s all you can hope for, isn’t it?”
Rundle plays Laura Simmonds who, alongside her colleague and friend Alba Ortiz (Serena Manteghi) mixes the roles of lawyer, counsellor and cop, as their diplomatic skills are stretched to the limit by the stream of surprising and complex cases coming through their doors.
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