December 29th 2024.
Nicola Walker, the talented actress known for her role in The Split, is set to reprise her role as Hannah Stern in the beloved family drama. As she prepares to return to the show, she reflects on some of the amazing fan interactions she has encountered throughout her career. From cryptic messages hidden in newspapers to fans wishing she had been their divorce lawyer, Nicola has been truly touched by the support of her fans.
At 54 years old, Nicola has made a name for herself on both stage and screen. She has starred in popular shows such as Unforgotten and The Last Tango in Halifax. However, it is her role as Hannah Stern in The Split that has truly captured the hearts of fans. The series first aired in 2018 and lasted three seasons, following the Defoe family through their ups and downs of modern marriage. It quickly became a fan-favorite, and Nicola recalls the moment she knew it had become a success.
"I realized they were enjoying it when I started getting people in the supermarket and on the tube coming up to me and sharing their own divorce stories," she said. "It was quite surreal for me, as I often had to remind them that I am not actually a family lawyer in real life."
Nicola also played Ruth Evershed in the popular BBC spy drama, Spooks, which ran for 9 seasons. More than a decade later, fans of the show still show their love for Nicola in unique ways. She fondly recalls strange encounters with fans, where they would share secret spy messages with her in public places.
But now, Nicola is focused on the return of The Split, as the Defoe family is back for a two-part special. As the premiere date draws closer, she teases what fans can expect from the new episodes.
"What's brilliant about them is that you get to see where they are a few years on," Nicola explains. "We are not picking up where we left off, things have moved on and their lives have changed. We even get to see them in a different setting, as they travel to Barcelona for a wedding. It's a much-needed change of scenery, especially in these dark December months."
Despite the time gap between seasons, Nicola assures fans that the Defoes are still the same imperfect family they have come to love. "Even in paradise, the Defoes can't escape their own drama," she says with a laugh.
Nicola is grateful for the opportunity to return to The Split, admitting that she never expected it to come back after the third season. "We were all thrilled to be able to come back and work together again," she says. "We just wanted to be in front of the camera, saying Abi's [writer Abi Morgan] words." And now, not only are they back, but they also get to film in the beautiful city of Barcelona.
Her on-screen ex-husband, Stephen Mangan, also shared in her excitement about returning to the show. "It felt like a treat to put on an old pair of shoes again," he says. "Especially to go to a place like Barcelona and film on beautiful beaches and vineyards. How lucky are we?"
As the premiere date draws closer, fans are eagerly anticipating the return of The Split and the beloved Defoe family. And with the promise of even more drama and excitement, it's safe to say that Nicola, Stephen, and the rest of the cast are just as thrilled to be back.
Nicola Walker, the talented actress known for her role as Hannah Stern in The Split, has opened up about some of her most memorable experiences with fans. At 54 years old, she has graced both stage and screen, leaving a lasting impression in popular shows like Unforgotten and The Last Tango in Halifax. Now, she is reprising her role in The Split for a two-part special, much to the excitement of fans who have been eagerly waiting for its return.
The series, which first aired in 2018 and ran for three seasons, follows the Defoe family through their ups and downs - from familial romance to affairs, grief, and the complexities of modern marriage. It quickly became a fan-favorite, with Nicola recalling the moment she knew it had become a success.
She shared, "I realized they were enjoying it when I started getting people in the supermarket and on the tube coming up to me and saying, 'I wish you'd have done my divorce,' and then telling me about their divorces. It happens quite a lot." She also added, "Me occasionally having to say, 'I actually don't know that much about family law, I'd be a terrible family lawyer.'" The actress laughed as she remembered fans also taking sides between characters, exclaiming, "And then people saying whether or not they were team Christie or team Nathan, that's started happening quite a lot. And I thought, 'oh, people are enjoying this as much as we enjoy filming it.'"
As the beloved Defoe family returns for two special episodes of The Split, Nicola also shared her experiences from her days on the popular BBC spy drama, Spooks. Even after more than a decade since it ended, fans still express their love for the show in unusual ways. Nicola recalled encounters where fans would approach her on the tube and whisper cryptic messages about spy craft before walking away. She also shared an incident where she found a note on a newspaper saying, "I love Spooks."
With the return of The Split tonight, Nicola teased what viewers can expect from the new episodes. She shared, "What's brilliant about them is that you get to see where they are a few years on. There's no sense we're picking up where we left off, we are not, stuff has moved on, their lives have moved on." She also mentioned that the family's trip to Barcelona for her daughter's wedding adds a new element to the show, saying, "It's all very sunshiny, and exactly what we all need in dark December here. But of course, the Defoes are the Defoes and there are little implosions, emotional explosions throughout this wedding weekend."
Nicola also expressed her excitement about working with the cast and crew again, saying, "We were all thrilled we were getting to come back and see each other. We were very happy, in whatever way it was coming back, we just wanted to be in front of the camera with each other saying Abi's [writer Abi Morgan] words." She also shared that they didn't expect the show to return after its third season, but were pleasantly surprised when they were given the opportunity to continue the story in a new country.
As for her on-screen ex-husband, Nathan, played by Stephen Mangan, Nicola's feelings were mutual. Stephen also spoke about returning to his old role, comparing it to "putting an old pair of shoes back on." He added, "We've worked together for a few years now making this show, and so it felt like an exciting treat, especially to go away to a place like Barcelona in the spring and film on beaches and in vineyards. I mean, how lucky are we?"
With the return of The Split, Nicola and the rest of the cast are ready to show viewers that "nobody lives in a perfect family." She explained, "We didn't expect it to come back. Abi had written what I think is a brilliant ending to the season, but we'd always secretly, well actually, not that secretly, we all very openly hoped that there might be a time further down the line." She also added, "So when this happened, we were just thrilled and to get to do it in another country, to take these characters out of the environment that we're all used to seeing them in, that felt really exciting as well."
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
