Forever friends
MARLI SIU, EMMA APPLETON, BEL POWLEY AND ALIYAH ODOFFIN TELL US ABOUT A NEW DRAMA CENTRED ON FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS…
New seven-part drama Everything I Know About Love – an adaptation of Dolly Alderton’s bestselling novel – follows childhood BFFs Maggie (Emma Appleton) and Birdy (Bel Powley) as they move into their first house-share in London’s Camden, along with their university friends Amara (Aliyah Odoffin) and Nell (Marli Siu). Inside TV had a chat with the quartet to find out more…
Hi, all! Tell us about your characters…
Emma I play Maggie, who’s figuring out what direction she wants to go in the world.
Bel I play Birdy, who has known Maggie since they were 11. She’s the most anxious and nervy in the group. Aliyah I play Amara, who Maggie and Birdy meet when they’re at university, alongside Nell. I’d say she’s the most relaxed one.
Marli And I play Nell – she’s the sarcastic and grounded one. She’s started her first year as a teacher, so she’s balancing her responsibilities with having fun.
The series is set in 2012, which was a vibrant time to be in London. How did you manage to recreate that energy?
Aliyah Music, mainly. Tapping into the Twenty-Teens playlist was pretty cool!
Bel Some of the clothes Emma and I had to wear we’d owned at the time, which was mad!
Emma and Bel, your characters also work in some ridiculous costumes!
Emma That was so funny. We didn’t realise how big they were going to be!
Bel The pig outfits came deflated, so you’d put it on, then one of the costume people had to go inside it with you and fill it up with air!
Marli and Aliyah, what’s it like for your characters, given that the other pair’s friendship goes back a lot further?
Marli We’re like new energies who change the group up a bit. Aliyah It’s really interesting, as you have a different energy with people you meet when you’re older and have experienced different things.
Among all the romantic hits and misses, the biggest love story is between the four friends, isn’t it?
Aliyah Yes – especially for Maggie and Birdy. There's a love that remains, despite all the life changes that happen.
Marli Yeah, the ups and downs make them stronger. Women fighting is usually portrayed as catty, but actually it's healthy in a relationship when you've grown together.
Emma It shows that, although romantic love is amazing, all of your relationships are equally as important, and you should feel fulfilled in all of them.
Bel Those themes of love, heartbreak, friendship, sex and dancing are universal for women – so I hope we’ve made a show true to the real female experience for women of all ages…