Ambika Mod told BBC Newsbeat that she feels like the glass ceiling is always getting higher and higher, addressing what she describes as systemic racism within the entertainment industry.
The 31-year-old actor, known for her roles in the BBC medical drama This Is Going To Hurt and the Netflix miniseries One Day, expressed frustration regarding the difficulty South Asian actors face when attempting to advance in their careers. Mod, who was raised in Hatfield by Indian immigrants, stated that a central tenet of her professional life is to change how South Asian women are seen on-screen and the characters that they are seen in.
Representation declines in UK broadcasting
Mod’s observations regarding industry barriers align with recent data concerning diversity in British media. According to Yahoo, a report from the Creative Diversity Network indicated that the representation of minority ethnic groups on and off-screen saw a slight drop last year following a period of improvement.
Research from the media watchdog Ofcom also highlighted under-representation across creative, production, and on-screen roles in the UK broadcasting industry. The watchdog found that people from minority ethnic groups account for only 11% of those holding senior management positions.
Mod avoids tokenistic roles
Despite facing questions from fans regarding why she has not secured as many roles as her One Day co-star Leo Woodall, Mod maintains a selective approach to her career. She noted that she “won’t engage” with any role she perceives as being stereotypical or tokenistic.
Mod said she has been very lucky in her career so far from very early on to play really complex, meaty roles and to have changed the narrative in many ways, adding that she is not looking to regress.
New role in Black Doves season two
Mod is set to appear in the second season of the Netflix spy thriller Black Doves, portraying Laila, a “lawless agent” of the covert operation. Her character is introduced in the new season to assist Keira Knightley’s character, Helen, on a mission.
Mod said the role attracted her because it subverts tropes of the espionage genre and allowed her to participate in extreme stunt sequences.
Mod said the main reason she wanted to do it was because of all the stunts, which she described as really badass and so much fun.
The actress also noted the enjoyment of the physical performance, stating it was fun to take down an absolutely staggering number of men in every single episode.
