The joy of seeing a British Asian Emma in Netflix’s One Day
And why we need more casting like this
In a recent interview about the new Netflix adaptation, One Day author David Nicholls said, “readers still say that they see themselves in Emma.”
I was one of those who connected with Emma Morley on the pages of the 20-year-long friendship x love story. I was at college when I first read it, about to study English & History at uni – the degree she’s just graduated in when we meet her and fellow protagonist Dex in bed. The bookish, down-to-earth, self-doubting wannabe writer struck a chord.
Then Anne Hathaway took on the role for the 2011 film adaptation. I couldn’t relate. Dodgy accent aside, her polished Hollywood glow was too strong to pull off Emma, in my opinion.
Ambika Mod, on the other hand, is completely believable in the new series. And her casting has made me feel an even deeper affinity with Emma than in the book, on a level I don’t usually get with leading women in romantic films and TV.
Brown girls (not) on screen
You see, although it’s 2024, a British woman of South Asian heritage in this kind of role is rare. In the past few decades, we’ve had our fair share of culture clash and colonial storylines. Some of these have been subversive, others stick to tired scripts of outdated, overdone tropes.
When it comes to modern British, One Day-style romantic dramas though, we’re usually relegated to sidekick or left out altogether.
This is despite British Asians making up nearly 10% of the UK population. Many of us are third or fourth generation, with mixed heritage families, whose romantic experiences feature more Hinge and ghosting than disapproving parents and weighty religious expectations. We’re a minority that’s so well integrated into the fabric of society that we’re depressingly overrepresented among Torys doing their best to fuck it up.
Yet where are we in the nation’s on-screen love stories?
I struggle to name more than a few British Asian romantic leads in recent films and TV. There was Himesh Patel in Richard Curtis’ fantasy rom-com Yesterday, back in 2019. And we did get a brown girl heroine in period smash-hit Bridgerton, with Simone Ashley playing Kate Sharma. But the latter’s Regency era setting (reimagined without racism) and horny high-society storylines lack the relatability of something like One Day.
While it’s cool, and significant, to see Ashley and on-screen sister Charithra Surya Chandran in empire line dresses fighting over a viscount, watching Mod as Em having an awkward first date, or cringing through an encounter at her crappy restaurant job – that hits different.
It’s also worth noting US-based Shondaland produced Bridgerton. Despite being more racially divided than the UK in the real world, the US does a better job of representation on screen. That’s why so many great British POC actors cross the pond to Hollywood for bigger breaks. I wonder if UK creators would have been as imaginative with Bridgerton’s historical context and casting?
Why it matters
Consider all this and it’s no surprise Mod initially turned down the chance to audition for Emma. She couldn’t picture herself playing the romantic lead, because of a lack of reference material.
That someone who perfectly captures Emma had such doubts is a big fat reminder that the stories we consume feed into the narratives we have about ourselves. When people like you are constantly portrayed as either othered and exotic or a funny, smart but not necessarily fanciable supporting character, chances are you’re going to internalise some of that.
Seeing yourself reflected in beloved characters centre stage of romantic blockbusters, however – that’s a literal shot of main character energy to the ego.
It’s taken Mod stepping into Em’s lace-up boots for me to notice just how wide the gap is when it comes to this type of representation. I was surprised by how bloody refreshing and validating it feels. I wish it wasn’t remarkable in 2024, but still, I’m glad to see it.
Judging from the online reaction, most One Day fans, who also first met Emma in the novel, are in agreement that Mod has smashed it. So, let’s see if producers take note: brown girls fit in modern British love stories too.