Robyn
Photography by Chloe Mallett
Fashion Director – Ursula Lake
Interview by Ursula Lake
Make meets Robyn Cara to learn about her role in the new Netflix thriller, Bodkin, her love for Lindsay Lohan and what makes her cry!
Q. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood and how you got into acting?
A. I grew up in a small village in Northamptonshire and I think I knew I wanted to be an actor when I was very young! My route into acting kind of came about from a teacher who suggested I read a play because she thought it would be easier for me to read than books, given I’m dyslexic. I took her advice and found that she was right – I was excited to read something! I loved doing all the different characters’ voices and accents, so I then started doing youth theatre, which made me fall in love with acting even more.
Q. What can you tell us about your role as Emmy in Bodkin? Who is she?
A. Emmy is the podcast’s researcher who is basically there to make sure everything involved in recording the podcast runs smoothly. She’s very keen and eager to please and is quite insecure about her relative lack of experience out in the field amongst other things. But over the course of the show, she grows in confidence and realises she’s a lot more capable than she or anyone else gives her credit for.
Q. I hear you were filming in Ireland, how was that? Was it your first visit?
A. t wasn’t my first time in Ireland, but it was my first time in Dublin and Cork. We were there for almost six months, and I loved it. It was so beautiful. We were there for such a long time so we would do stuff most weekends, like sea swimming (I watched the bags mainly!) at The Forty Foot, or a road trip, it rained a lot but was also stunning!
Q. It must have been very exciting being involved in the Obamas first drama series production and working with Netflix too! Can you tell us about how it came to happen?
A. It came about in a very standard way for me! I got sent the scripts to audition, loved them, sent a tape in and then did a chemistry read with Siobhan. A few days later, on a Saturday morning I got a call from my agent saying I had the job! And then I think I cried. A lot!
Q. You were working with some great actors on Bodkin like the actor/comedian Will Forte and Siobhan Cullen. Can you tell us a bit more working with them?
A. I had the best time working with Siobhan and Will. They are incredible actors and hilarious, lovely people – also very good singers. They would keep me highly entertained in between scenes when they would break out into spontaneous harmonies, and I feel very lucky I got to spend so much with them on and off camera.
Q. Your character Emmy is a podcaster investigating a mysterious disappearance. Are you a fan of podcasts and or the true crime genre?
A. I’m actually not a massive true crime podcast person, but I did listen to a few before/during filming – I remember Serial being one I liked a lot, in a kind of terrified sort of way. In terms of other podcasts, my go-to would probably be ones on the lighter side like SmartLess or Off-Menu. Big shout out James Acaster who is from Kettering, which is where I grew up!
Q. You have done some stage work, which we can be a very different discipline to filming. Do you have a preference in the way you work?
A. I think I approach the work in a similar way whether it’s stage or screen, which is basically just to use my instinct and then go from there. In terms of a preference, I love both but haven’t done a play in a while and would love to get back on stage soon – I miss the adrenaline rush of it all.
Q. Do you have dream role in mind for the future or a favourite actor you would like to work with?
A, I love doing comedy whether it’s an out-and-out comedy or something darker and blackly comic like Bodkin so I would love to keep on doing stuff with that element. I’d also love to do a romcom. I also like shows that are a bit absurd and surreal, which is one of the reasons I loved the Bodkin scripts. In terms of actors, I really admire people that can lean into both comedy and drama. It is hard to pick names but three that I’ll watch in anything are Maya Rudolph, Donald Glover, and Emma Stone. To work with any of them would obviously be the best thing ever. I also have a childhood soft spot for Lindsay Lohan and when I found out she was filming on the same studio as us I did genuinely cry!
Q. If you weren’t an actor, what do you think you would be doing?
A. Both my parents work in Special Educational Needs, and I used to be a Teaching Assistant at a lovely SEN school for a little bit, which was by far and away my favourite non-acting job. So maybe I would do something in that area.
Q, The theme of this issue is ‘Bright’. Does that word have any resonance for you or what makes you feel Bright?
A. Actually ‘bright’ is one word I would use to describe Emmy, my character in Bodkin. Not just that she’s bright in the sense that she’s smart, but also her personality. She’s very positive, optimistic and open, and I think she makes the fictional world of Bodkin a brighter place. Brightness also reminds me of my friends. I have an amazing core group of friends from drama school. I really love them, they make me laugh so much and they’ll probably tease me for saying this, but I definitely feel a sense of brightness when I’m around them.
Q. What’s next for Robyn Cara, if you are allowed to tell us?!
A, I recently finished filming a really fun family film, ‘Legend Has it’ with a great cast including Rupert Everett, Tamsin Grieg and Emilia Fox, which will be coming out later this year – I’m really excited for that. And then just auditioning for some exciting stuff and of course, I’m waiting for Lindsay Lohan’s next movie to come out!
You can watch Robyn in Bodkin on Netflix
Hair by Federico Ghezzi
Make up by Justine Jenkins
