An Interview with Robyn Cara — A2Z Fashion Magazine

No stranger to our screens, Robyn Cara is one of Britain’s most exciting homegrown talents. We were lucky enough to be joined by her in our studio to talk about her exciting new project “Bodkin,” which premiered on Netflix in May of this year. Playing one of the series leads, Emmy, Robyn stars alongside Siobhan Cullen and Will Forte in the first fictional production from Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground. In addition to discussing her role in 'Bodkin,' we also explore Robyn's insights on fashion and the importance of costume design in bringing TV characters to life. During our conversation, Robyn shares her unique perspective on the series and her experience shooting in Ireland.

Hi Robyn! Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions with us today! Would you first like to introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi! My name is Robyn Cara and I’m an actress from a small village between Kettering and Northampton – towns that brought you Alan Carr, Matt Smith, and James Acaster.

Your latest project Bodkin has just been released on Netflix, congratulations! I’d love to hear about what drew you to the project?

Thank you so much! I loved the scripts straight away. I found the tone so unique and hilarious and I immediately connected with it. It really reminded me of shows like Fargo and Barry. I love shows that break genre rules, so I knew I needed to get the part!

Your character Emmy is a young and eager to please researcher who completes the trio of podcasters. How did you relate to her as a character?

I would definitely say Emmy and I share a similar bumbly English energy so that came quite easily to me! We’re both also probably chronic people-pleasers. She’s really ambitious and driven too which you definitely require on some level when you do what I do for a job.

How do you hope audiences will react to Emmy?

I hope they really enjoy and relate to her journey. She starts off very excited and slightly naïve but she really grows throughout the series. I think she has that realisation that everyone has at some point in their life; no one really fully knows what they are doing at any age, even the so-called ‘grown ups’, and there’s no shame in that.

The costume design in Bodkin plays a really interesting role in defining the personalities of the characters - The sharper silhouettes of Dove’s outfits sets her apart from the earnest and more practically dressed Emmy, even from first glance their outfits feel so telling of their characters! Does the costume design help you get into the mind of the characters you play?

100%. Costume is so helpful. It changes the way you move, the way you feel about yourself and you’re absolutely right that Emmy’s outfits really contrasted with Dove’s. She’s got a much more colourful and kinda preppy wardrobe which parallels that slightly wide-eyed naivety that she has. It all felt very aligned.

The storyline for Bodkin feels really unique and speaks to our current love of true crime podcasts, are you an avid listener in real life?

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, Call Her Daddy or Off-Menu.

The story is set in the fictional town of Bodkin, West Cork - how was your experience shooting in Ireland?

I loved filming in Ireland. We shot mainly in Dublin and then also Cork. We were there for almost six months and it was so beautiful. We were there for such a long time so we would do fun stuff most weekends, like sea swimming (I stayed dry and watched the bags mainly) at The Forty Foot, or a road trip – Will, Siobhan, Chris, and I did one to the southernmost part of Ireland, Mizen Head, and Will bought us matching green Ireland hoodies which I love even though it’s hard to find an occasion I can wear it to.

How would describe your sense of personal style?

I probably lean towards really casual styles – like a good pair of jeans and a white T-shirt. But recently with events I’ve definitely started to be more experimental, wearing things that I probably would have been scared to wear in the past but now am very excited to! I love a more feminine look or a crisp clean style but I also really love a pair of dungarees or basketball shorts.

If you could steal any character’s wardrobe whose would it be and why?

There’s a bit in The Devil Wears Prada where Anne Hathaway starts to fit in more at the magazine and there’s at least four outfits in that montage which I would kill for.

What is one item of clothing you always pack with you when travelling or shooting abroad?

Definitely a big oversized jumper for early early morning calls.

What projects do you have coming up next that you're excited about?

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’ve also just been nominated for a Gotham TV award, which is wild – I’m so excited to be nominated and to go to New York for the ceremony!

Interview and words by Sophie Thomalla.

Team Credits

Photography: Jason Lee

Stylist: Taylor Rose Bowe

Makeup: Justine Jenkins

Hair: Terri Capon

Styling Assistant: Sophie Thomalla & Annabel Antoniou

Photography Assistant: Jimin Kwon

Production: PLab Studio

Talent: Robyn Cara

Represented By: Pinnacle

Designs by: Ganni, KATA HARATYM, Adidas & Zara