Sunetra Sarker

When people meet you, do you think they have a fixed idea of who you are — or has that changed over time?

Not really. I have been lucky to be portrayed in a good light by the media, and when I appeared on Strictly as myself, not as a character, I think people got to see a real version of me that is quite normal. Although the public tends to recognise me easily by my voice as well as my face, and then expect me to know medical knowledge that I can never answer!

“I have been lucky to be portrayed in a good light by the media.”

You were balancing Casualty with something like Strictly — how do you even cope with that kind of pressure?

I don’t think anyone can truly prepare for being on a show like Strictly. It is all about juggling. It is all-consuming, and you have to be firing on all cylinders to remember your normal day-to-day jobs and learn lines for work, and to then keep up with the new demands of something like learning ballroom and Latin dancing when you have never even tried it before.

I relied heavily on family support, public transport schedules and the buoyancy of not knowing what bubble of showbiz I had entered. I was floored at the public reaction and the support I got each week. It was also really tricky not knowing how long I was going to remain in Strictly, and for Casualty to work out ahead of time which episodes I could be heavily or lightly featured in, so I guess everyone was juggling to accommodate. I filmed 3 days a week for Casualty and dance-trained 2 days. It was like living 2 lives. It was very different from any other performance I have been part of, and nothing like acting on stage, so what I felt was a new version of fear and excitement. I suppose this is what happens when you try something out of your comfort zone.

“It was like living 2 lives.”

You spent nearly a decade with Zoe in Casualty — what did that character give you as an actor?

I loved playing Zoe, and I’m still very protective of her. She was a character with many colours and ingredients that I was lucky enough to play with. What I loved most about Zoe was her unpredictable twists and her attitude. I could take her anywhere, and the writers seemed to feel the same. They could always press Zoe’s self-destruct button, but they also allowed her awkward comedic flaws, which were often fun to play. I especially got lucky with my leading men. Both Michael French and Jamie Davis provided me with a lot of professional fun and laughter while playing opposite them. Michael has a steel in his performance that I was always drawn to matching, and Jamie loved to workshop and create new meanings within our scenes, so it often stretched me to try new things. The sisterhood at Casualty has blessed me with many close friends whom I truly enjoy working with. Finding a cast of girls who root for you and want to work well together is what I experienced most often. It’s really important on a long-running job to feel like you have a family at work.

“I loved playing Zoe, and I’m still very protective of her.”

After such a long run in one role, how important was it for you to step into something completely different at that point?

I did a stint on Broadchurch, then flew off to India to make an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? I then landed a great role in the ITV series Safe House, which is about a serial killer on the loose, and I play the DCI in charge of the case. It was really cathartic for me to play a totally different personality after playing one person for over 8 years.

Going right back, how did acting first enter your life?

I never chose to be an actor. Acting chose me. I was spotted at a bus stop on the way home from school by the casting director at Brookside when I was 15, and ended up playing Nisha for 3 episodes, which then somehow became 3 years. So I was completely unprepared for acting, but in hindsight, it turned out to be the perfect route for me. I never had huge expectations, and reality TV wasn’t around then for people to aim for TV careers, so it wasn’t like everyone wanted to be actors at school. I have been really fortunate to stumble my way along the years into a profession I am suited to, and one that I probably wouldn’t have considered. I enrolled on a night-time drama school to gain some acting knowledge, but everything I know has been learned from directors and senior colleagues who guided me through the stages of acting. Looking back, I wouldn’t have done it any other way.

“I never chose to be an actor. Acting chose me.”

What does acting actually mean to you now?

Acting is a feeling of suspension when you can transport yourself into another person’s life and really feel their truth. It’s playing with words, and enjoying the moments that you can create again and again with your own and others’ skills—bringing words to life.

Sunetra Sarker is an actor known for Casualty, No Angels, Broadchurch and a wide range of television and stage roles.

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Interview by Carl Marsh