Ambika Mod says she gets rookie roles even after 'One Day' success

London, Aug 12 (PTI) Actor Ambika Mod says she is asked to audition for the stereotypical brown roles despite proving her acting prowess in a lead role with Netflix's acclaimed series "One Day".

In an interview with The Times UK, the actor, who is of Indian descent, opened up about getting typecasted based on her skin colour.

"It’s just the industry and the way that our society works. You either get asked to audition for brown roles, which are usually, the doctor, the dentist, the policewoman,” Mod shared, while alluding to her “One Day” co-star Leo Woodall’s success in finding lead roles across diverse genres.

Since “One Day”, Woodall has acted in “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”, and plays the lead in Apple TV+ series “Prime Target”.

“Even in the past year and a half, I have been asked to audition for the rookie cop who investigates the story of the two interesting white leads,” she said.

Mod said she is no stranger to such treatment. “I’ve read the most unsavoury things about myself on the internet, but I think that’s rooted in racism and misogyny.” The actor has often spoke about her experience in the industry. In an earlier interview with Deadline, she spoke about the pressure of representing the South Asian diaspora.

“When people talked about my white co-star’s performance, they would often talk about his acting and the quality of his work, whereas with me — not all the time — it was about how amazing it was that I’m brown, and what a change-making casting choice it was. I would think, ‘What about my performance and my work?’” the actor told Deadline earlier this year.

“One Day”, based on the novel by David Nicholls, was a career-changing role for both Mod and Woodall.

The Netflix series revolved around two university students who share a night together, but due to differing life goals, struggle to find a future. The show saw much acclaim, and was one of the most viewed Netflix series globally on the week of its release.

Mod has since appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s 2025 spy thriller “Black Bag” alongside Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett and Pierce Brosnan. She has also played journalist Selma Desai in the Disney+ distributed thriller “The Stolen Girl”. PTI COR BK BK